unit 9: king david and king solomon ot9.13 david’s mighty men · 2019. 4. 24. · king david was...

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OT9.13 David’s Mighty Men ©Beverly Wilson 2019

Unit 9: King David and King Solomon OT9.13 David’s Mighty Men

Scripture: 2 Samuel 23-24; 1 Chronicles 11: 10-14; 21

Lesson Goal: King David loved the Lord with all his heart and God enabled him to become the greatest king of Israel. David was also a brave warrior who led Israel to victory over its enemies. In this lesson we will learn about David’s “Mighty Men” who were champions in his army.

Introduction: This lesson is found in the books of 2 Samuel and I Chronicles. These books tell about King David and are in the second group of Old Testament books called the historical books. These books begin with Joshua and go through Esther. Let's say these books--Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther.

Attention Getter: “Wheaties—Breakfast of Champions” Have you ever eaten Wheaties the breakfast of Champions? It is a whole wheat bran cereal that features the pictures of famous athletes on the front of the box. The idea behind this advertisement is that if you eat Wheaties cereal, you will become a champion like the famous people on the box. But becoming a champion takes much more than eating a cereal. It takes a special person who wins a contest or a competition especially in the area of sports. Here is a team of boys who just won the Little League World Series! They are excited to be Champions! In this lesson we are going to learn about some mighty men who were real champions! They were the heroes in King David’s army.

Opening Prayer: “Dear Father in heaven, thank you for this lesson about David’s mighty men. They trusted in you and were able to accomplish great feats for your honor and glory. You want us to be great champions for You as well. Help us to live our lives in a way that honors you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”

Memory Verse: The memory verse is Psalm 46: 1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.”

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/7-P7XvEOcw8 King David was a mighty warrior and a great king in Israel. He loved God with his whole heart and in turn God helped David. The people of Israel loved their king and even King David’s enemies learned to fear him.

As King David approached the end of his life, he thought about the men who had served him faithfully as soldiers. These soldiers of valor had fought alongside David since the time before he became king. During the time that David was being hunted by King Saul, these men had joined forces with David and formed his army. Some were relatives, others were outcasts of society, and many were in trouble with the law. But all were completely devoted to David. They were called David’s “Mighty Men.”

King David’s band of mighty men numbered 600. This group was divided into three groups of 200, each with its own commander. Together these leaders were known as the “Three.” They reported to Joab, who was in charge of the entire army of Israel. Each of the three battalions of 200 men was divided into 10 platoons of 20 men each. The platoon leaders were known as the “Thirty.” This group along with Abishai,

https://youtu.be/7-P7XvEOcw8

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Joab’s brother, and Benaiah, who was the captain of David’s bodyguard made up the champions called David’s Mighty Men.”

The three mightiest men rose to their positions because of their great deeds. Josheb-Basshebeth was chief among the Three. He earned his rank by fighting and defeating 800 men in one battle. Second was Eleazar. He was with David in a battle against the Philistines. It was a battle in which the men of Israel retreated, but Eleazar held his ground and fought back until his hand grew so tired and cramped he couldn’t let go of his sword! The final member was Shammah. In another battle with the Philistines, Israel’s troops turned and ran, but Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. “He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great victory.”

All of these mighty men followed the example of their leader David, who, when confronting Goliath, or any enemy of Israel, did so in “the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel” (1 Samuel 17:45).

Every soldier in David’s elite force of “Mighty Men” had accomplished many feats in battles. One story about David’s mighty men is described in 1 Chronicles 11.

One day David and his army were in a battle against the Philistines in the Valley of Rephaim. David and his men were holding up in a rock at the cave of Adullam. Across the valley the Philistines were occupying the town of Bethlehem which was the city of David’s family.

David remembered that in the city of Bethlehem was a fresh water well. Longingly David said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem.”

When the three mighty men heard David’s request, they loved him so much that they decided to take the dangerous trip to get their beloved leader some water! Not telling David about their idea, they left the security of the camp and broke through the Philistine line of soldiers. They drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David.

When David realized what his mighty men had done, he refused to drink it. He said, “Should I drink the blood of the men who went to risk their lives!” David recognized that the devotion his men had to him was inspired by their devotion to God. Pouring out the water showed that only God is worthy of such devotion. They had given David the water and David in turn gave it to the Lord. This was only one example of the many times that David’s men willingly served him!

Another valiant fighter in David’s Mighty Men was Benaiah. He was the captain of David’s body guard. He was a mighty champion for God. One day during a battle against the Moabites Benaiah was crouching behind a rock. He was sneaking as close to the enemy as he could get. He waited patiently as two of Moabites best soldiers came towards him. With a mighty leap Benaiah killed both of those men! What an amazing feat for just one man!

On another occasion Benaiah was out walking in the snow when he came upon a lion caught in a deep pit. Instead of just leaving the lion alone, he jumped down into the pit and killed the lion!

In another battle with the Egyptians Benaiah courageously fought a man who was seven and a half feet tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear! Such were the exploits of Benaiah. He too was as famous as the three mighty men. He was held in high honor among the thirty.

Toward the end of his reign King David became very proud of his men. One day he asked his commanders to count the soldiers to find out how strong the army was. David seemed to forget that his strength was from God. The only time that the Lord permitted a census in Israel was when the LORD commanded it. God wanted the Israelite army to trust in Him not in their physical strength. When David numbered the men he was showing that he was trusting in the power of his army to defeat the enemy rather than God’s strength for victory.

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Joab, David’s top commander, questioned the idea, but David insisted, so Joab and the others did as ordered. They went through the whole land and returned after nine months. Joab reported to David that the number of fighting men was 1.3 million. Suddenly David realized his faithlessness and lack of trust in God. He begged the LORD to forgive him.

The LORD sent Gad, a prophet, to tell David he would be punished for his disobedience. The judgment would come in one of three ways. It was up to David to choose between three years of famine, three months of fleeing from enemies or three days of plague. David decided to have Israel suffer the plague. He wanted to rely on God’s mercy because it was great.

The next morning the LORD sent the plague. Seventy thousand people in Israel died. God was not just angry with David. He also was judging the people of Israel because they had forsaken Him also. God deserves our total undivided commitment to Him. When David saw how many people were dying in the plague, he asked God to punish only him and his family. When God heard David’s plea for mercy for the nation of Israel, his heart was grieved because of the calamity.

Just as the angel who had brought the plague reached Jerusalem, the LORD said to the angel, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The place where the angel stopped was the threshing floor of Araunah.

Then Gad told David to build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor. This threshing floor is believed to be where Abraham offered his son Isaac to God, and was the site where David’s son Solomon would later built the temple. When Araunah who owned the threshing floor saw David and his men coming, he bowed down. David explained that he wanted to buy the threshing floor to build the altar. Araunah offered everything free — the oxen for sacrifices and the yokes and threshing sledges for firewood, but David insisted on paying for them.

He said, “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David paid 50 shekels of silver. He built the altar there, offered burnt offerings and the plague stopped.

Since the Israelites had entered the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua, they had been struggling to unite the nation and drive out all the inhabitants. Now after 400 years and under the leadership of King David with the help of his mighty men of war, the nation of Israel was finally at peace.

David had accomplished what no other leader before him, judge or king, had done. He had led the people of Israel to trust in God as their strength and help and the land was at peace. No wonder King David was called a man after God’s own heart!

David’s men were strong and brave. They were devoted to David. So God gave them many victories to show their enemies that He was with them. We too can become great champions for God like David’s mighty men. We can trust in God as our source of strength and help.

David’s men were willing to risk their lives just for a cup of water. They were totally devoted to their commander. Just as those men gave of themselves to serve David, we should put our own interests aside and serve the Lord with our whole heart.

Our memory verse is Psalm 46: 1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.” God is not temporary help. He is always with us and will provide strength in any situation. We can depend on Him. Let’s say our verse again together. Psalm 46: 1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.”

How can we become Champions for Christ? Did you know that we too can be part of “God’s Mighty Men?”

First, we need to ask Christ to forgive us of our sins. We need to be willing to commit ourselves to Him and ask Jesus to be our Savior and Lord. When we place our faith and trust in Jesus as our Commander we become a part of His family.

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Next we need to be willing to read and study the Bible, God’s Holy Word. As we learn what God wants us to do, we should be willing to obey Him. The more we love and obey Him the more we will become like Him. The Lord will become our refuge and strength so we can have victory over sin.

When we are serving God we will also want to serve others. God wants us to be mighty boys and girls for Him by reading the Bible and living for Him. He wants us to trust in His power and strength to live each day for Him.

Remember be strong in the Lord and you will be a champion for Christ!

Review Questions/ Game: “Egg Carton Review” Preparation: You will need an egg carton for each team. Before class, use a marker to number each hollow in the cartons with a point value. Say: “In this lesson David’s Mighty Men were able to accomplish great feats on the battle field. They were very accurate when they threw their swords and spears. We are going to play a game that will check how accurate you are when tossing a marble or small stone. How accurate you are in hitting the egg carton will determine how many points your team receives.” Procedure: Have the class form two lines, as if they were going to do a relay. Place an egg-carton several feet in front of each line Take turns asking each team a question. After a student answers a question correctly, he tries to toss a marble or small stone into the egg carton. If he makes it in, his team gets as many points as are written in the egg carton hollow.

1. Who made David a great king of Israel? (David was made a great king by God because he had a heart that loved God and God helped him.)

2. What major accomplishment had King David had that helped the nation of Israel? (God gave him victory over his enemies. David and his mighty men were able to conquer the tribes that inhabited the land and free the land from invading countries who ravished the land.)

3. When did David gather his army of men together? (The men came to David while he was hiding in the wilderness from King Saul. They recognized that David would eventually become king in place of King Saul.)

4. What kind of men were the Mighty Men of David’s armies? Some were relatives, others were outcasts of society, and many were in trouble with the law. But all were completely devoted to David.)

5. How large was King David’s army and how was it organized? (King David’s band of mighty men numbered 600. This group was divided into three groups of 200, each with its own commander.)

6. Who were the Mighty Three? (These were the leaders of the each of the groups of 200 men. They reported to Joab, who was in charge of the entire army of Israel.)

7. How did David divide the three battalions of soldiers and what were the platoon leaders called? (Each of the three battalions of 200 men was divided into 10 platoons of 20 men each. The platoon leaders were known as the “Thirty.”)

8. Who was in David’s personal body guard? This group along with Abishai, Joab’s brother, and Benaiah, who was the captain of David’s bodyguard made up the champions called David’s Mighty Men.”)

9. How did the Mighty Men get to be in leadership of David’s army? (They all performed great feats in battles by killing a large number of the enemy.)

10. Besides being physically very strong, what did all the Mighty Men have in common with King David? (They were totally devoted to him. They also trusted in God for their strength and help. They trusted in the God of Israel for all their battles.)

11. What special request did David make one day when he and his men were fighting the Philistines in the Valley of Rephaim? (David said he longed for a cup of fresh water from the well that was just outside the town of Bethlehem.)

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12. What unexpected feat did David’s Three Mighty Men do for him? (When the three mighty men heard David’s request, they decided to leave the camp and break through the Philistine line of soldiers. They drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David.)

13. What did David do when the three mighty men brought the cup of water to him? (He was humbled by their love and devotion and was unwilling to accept it. He poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord because he knew that only the Lord deserved such honor and devotion.)

14. Who was the captain of David’s body guard? (Benaiah was the captain of David’s body guard and he was a mighty man of war.)

15. What three special feats of courage did Benaiah do? (Benaiah killed two strong Moabite soldiers who were coming toward him. He also jumped into a pit and killed a lion. In another battle Benaiah courageously fought an Egyptian man who was seven and a half feet tall. He killed him with his own spear!)

16. Toward the end of his life, what sin did King David commit? (He conducted a census of the soldiers in Israel. He trusted in the strength of his army rather than trusting in God.)

17. What judgment did Israel suffer as a result of this sin? (The nation suffered a plague for three days and 70,000 people died.)

18. What did King David do when he realized that so many were dying of the plague? (He asked God for forgiveness and requested that the judgment only be on him and his family. He plead for mercy for Israel.)

19. How did God answer King David’s prayer for forgiveness and mercy? (He told the angel to stop the plague and the angel stopped at the threshing floor in Jerusalem.)

20. What did the prophet Gad tell King David to do at the threshing floor? (He told David to build an altar and offer a sacrifice.)

21. What was important about the place of the threshing floor? (This was the place where Abraham offered his son Isaac in a sacrifice and the place where one day the temple of Jerusalem would be built.)

22. When Araunah the owner of the threshing floor knew that King David wanted his land for an altar what did he do? (He offered to give King David the threshing floor, the animals for sacrifice, and even the wood for the altar.)

23. How did King David secure the threshing floor for the sacrifice? (King David paid the owner Araunah 50 pieces of silver because he said that he could not offer a sacrifice to the Lord that did not cost him anything.)

24. What made King David and his men great champions for God? (They trusted in him and his strength and God gave them the victory.)

25. What is the memory verse? (Psalm 46:1-2a "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Have students locate the verse in scripture and read it together several times.

Memory Verse Activity/Song: "God is Our Refuge and Strength" Our memory verse is Psalm 46:1-2a "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Have students locate the verse in scripture and read it together several times. Say: “God is not temporary help. He is always with us and will provide strength in any situation. We can depend on Him. That is a great promise! It’s not easy to keep going through the hard times in your life.” Obtain a CD or DVD of a song that uses Psalm 46:1-2 as the lyrics. Several songs have been written with this verse. Check albums with scripture choruses. Sing the song several times. Use hand motions for "God" (point upward); "refuge" (hit fist into hand or form into a rock); "strength" (raise arm like a wrestler); "will not" (shake head no); "fear" (put fingers around eyes like you are afraid). Have students improvise other motions to fit the words.

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Group Learning Activity: “Hall of Fame” (Grades 3-5) Purpose: Students will create banners about popular heroes and tell why they are well known. Preparation: For each student you will need magazines with biographical information for children such as Sports Illustrated for Kids; Biography, etc. You can also use super hero comic strips. In addition you will need scissors, glue sticks, pens and pencils. You will also need a large piece of banner paper approximately 4 feet long for each group of three or four students. Other supplies include a black marker, masking tape and books about famous people. Make a sample banner for students to follow as an example. Across the top of the banner write in big letters the word “Heroes.” Along the bottom write the words” Who? What? Where? How? Why? Cut out a picture of a popular personality and glue it to one of the banners. Write the person’s name, accomplishment and any other heroic information on it. (Use the internet to research information.) Say: “In this lesson we learned that David’s army consisted of many mighty men who had performed some incredible feats in battle. Today we are going to think of some possible heroes that have accomplished some major feat. Look at the banner I have made about a famous person. You will use it as an example of the banner that you will create in your group. We will make a Hall of Fame with our banners.” Procedure: Divide the class into groups of three or four children. Give each group a banner paper, scissors, glue and magazines with famous people. Have children use the magazines, the internet, books, etc. to choose a hero. Have the group find as much information as possible about their hero and write it or glue it to the banner. Have students cut out pictures of their hero and attach it to the banner. Encourage the children to draw pictures of their hero doing the famous feat. For students who want to write about one of the Bible heroes in the lesson, help the students find the passage in the Bible that describes what that person did. Be sure to monitor children’s work about their choice of personality. Make sure the person they choose has accomplished a feat is not just a popular singer or TV personality who has not achieved an inspiring task.

Group Learning Activity: “Visualizing the Bible Lesson” (Grades K-4) Purpose: Students will learn about the strengths of David’s mighty men as they participate in a reenactment of the Bible lesson. Preparation: Each student will need one metal spoon, one tall plastic cup. The teacher will need one container of water, seven index cards, and a black marker. Write one of the following words on each of one of the index cards: Sword, Clubs, Spears, Water, Lion, Marching, and Victory! Say: “In this lesson we learned about David and his army of “Mighty Men.” We are going to retell the story by using different sounds.” Procedure: Seat the students in a circle. Distribute the spoons and cups to the students. Show them the index cards you prepared. Tell the students to listen carefully because they will need to make the correct sound during the reading of the story. Practice the following sounds as you hold up the index cards:

Hold up the “Swords” card and have the students clash their spoons together to make the sound of swords.

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Hold up the “Clubs” card and have the students make a fist and hit the inside of their other hand making the sound of clubs hitting.

Hold up the “Spears” card and have students make a “swooshing” noise to make the sound of spears flying.

Hold up the “Water” card. Pour water into the cup of one student to make the sound of pouring water.

Hold up the “Lion” card and have one child make a roaring sound like a lion.

Hold up the “Marching” card and have the students stomp their feet to make the sound of soldiers marching.

Hold up the “Victory” card and have the students raise their hands and shout “Hooray” to make the sound of victory.

Read the following story from 2 Samuel 238-23 (NIV): When you come to a word in all capitals then hold up the corresponding card for the students to make the appropriate sound.

8 These are the names of David’s mighty warriors: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite,

was chief

of the Three; he raised his SPEAR against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. 9 Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty warriors, he was

with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the Israelites retreated,

10 but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand

grew tired and froze to the SWORD. The LORD brought about a great VICTORY that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead. 11

Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them.

12 But Shammah took

his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great VICTORY. 13

During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.

14 At that time David

was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. 15

David longed for WATER and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”

16 So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from

the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD.

17 “Far be it from me, LORD, to do this!” he said. “Is it

not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors. 18

Abishai the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three. He raised his SPEAR against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three.

19 Was

he not held in greater honor than the Three? He became their commander, even though he was not included among them. 20

Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a LION.

21 And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a SPEAR in his hand,

Benaiah went against him with a CLUB. He snatched the SPEAR from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own SPEAR.

22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was

as famous as the three mighty warriors. 23

He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

Say: “David’s men were strong and brave and they were devoted to David. God gave them many victories to show their enemies that he was with them. Today God wants us to be mighty men and women by reading the Bible and living for God.” Lead a discussion with the class asking students to state one strength or skill of David’s mighty men. (Examples might be great physical strength, bravery in face of death, trust in God, skill in using spears

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and clubs, etc.) Explain that it was God who displayed his power through these men against their enemies. Ask the students if they can think of someone that they need God’s power to talk to. (Examples might be a school bully, a teacher, a popular student, etc). Close in prayer for the students to have great courage from God to share the story of salvation with others.

Group Learning Activity: “Power Play” (Grades K-3) Purpose: Students will play a card game similar to Concentration to review the Bible lesson about David’s Mighty Men and their feats. Preparation: Print 4 copies of the Mighty Match cards below on cardstock. Cut the sheets into cards. You should have a set of 24 cards. OR you can make your own set of card by using index cards. Write the following names of the Mighty Men on individual index cards: (David, Shammah, Josheb-Basshebeth, Eleazer, Abishai, and Benaiah.) Make four sets of cards. Procedure: Divide the class into two teams. Place the cards face down in four rows of six. Choose a student from the first team to go first and turn over two cards. If the cards match, they make take the pair and receive 5 points. Tell the team that can receive an extra 3 points if they can tell one way that God displayed his power through the person on the card. If students need help they can refer to 2 Samuel 23:8-23 for answers. For David, students may use their Bibles or memories of mighty deeds that David did including: killing Goliath, leading Israel in battle, bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem, etc.) Continue playing with the next team. Team with the most points wins. Say: “Which one of David’s mighty men do you think did the most amazing deed? It is important to remember that these were real men—not movie or comic strip heroes. God used them to do powerful things to show people that God is real. God does not want people to be strong and courageous just to look good, but to help others know God.” Close with a prayer for the students to desire to do great things for God. Group Learning Activity: “Sword Drill” (Grades 3-5) Purpose: To help students understand sharpen their skills in locating scriptures in the Bible. Preparation: You will need Bibles, spiritual journal page, pencils or pens. Say: “In this lesson we learned about David’s Mighty Men. These were men who were strong and brave and skilled with the sword. Today God want for His people to be strong and skilled with the Sword of the Spirit—the Bible. Today we are going to sharpen our sword skills with a Sword Drill.” Procedure: Have students sit on the floor or at a table with their Bibles closed in front of them. Tell them that you will call out a book, chapter, and verse, and repeat it. Then you will say “ready” and “draw swords.” The students will turn to find the verse as quickly as possible. When the leader determines which child found the verse first, he or she will read the verse aloud. Be sure to verify that the verse is the correct one that has been called. Here are the verses to use for this Sword drill.

Genesis 7:5 “And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.”

Joshua 10:14 “There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!”

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1 Samuel 2:3 “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.”

1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Proverbs 14:30 “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”

Psalm 133:1 “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”

2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Ruth 1: 16-18 “But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so

severely, if even death separates you and me.”18

When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.”

Judges 5:2 ““When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves—praise the Lord!”

Psalm 118:6-7 “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? 7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.

1 Samuel 15:22-23 “But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord. To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams

23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry Because you

have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

1 Samuel 12:4 ““You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

Challenge students to recite the names of the Books of the Old Testament without any assistance. Encourage them to practice saying the books of the Bible at home. Have students record what they have learned about the importance of learning to use their Bibles in their spiritual journals.

Group Learning Game/ Activity: “Mighty Match Deeds” (Grades 1-5) Purpose: Students will review the Bible lesson and make plans to do their own mighty deeds this week. Preparation: Each student will need 1 index card and a pencil. You will also need 6 red balloons, 6 blue balloons, and a large garbage bag. On six index cards write one of the following deeds on each card:

(1) Joseb-Basshebeth raised his spear against 800 men and killed them. (2) Eleazer started a fight when theme of Israel retreated. He struck down the

Philistines until his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. (3) Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field even after all the other

soldiers had run away in fear. He defended it and struck down the Philistines and the Lord brought about a great victory.

(4) The Three Mighty Men broke through the enemy lines and drew water from the well and brought it back to David.

(5) Abishai raised his spear against 300 men and killed them. (6) Benaiah killed two Moabite soldiers, a lion, and a very tall giant man from Egypt.

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Place these cards in the six red balloons and then blow the balloons up and tie them. Store them in the garbage bag. On six index cards write one of the following application deeds for students to match to the Mighty Man in the lesson.

(1) Make a list of things you are thankful for—everything from your clothes to your parents, your bed to your bicycle. Spend 800 seconds or 15 minutes each day thanking God for all the ways He has blessed your life. (Joseb-Basshebeth)

(2) Plan to read your Bible for longer than you have every done before. Once you start like Eleazer you might not be able to put it down. (Eleazer)

(3) Think of a time this week in school when you can talk to someone about God. Don’t be afraid of what they will say. Remember Shammah was all alone after everyone else ran away and he took his stand and had a great victory. (Shammah)

(4) You and two friends from your Bible class will think of someone who really needs help. Plan to spend the time all together to take care of that person’s need—even if it means giving up something you wanted to do! When you finish, you will feel great for making a sacrifice, just as the three mighty men stopped at nothing to get David some water. (Three Mighty Men)

(5) Spend 300 second—5 minutes—making a list of people you want to invite to church. Once you pick up the pencil to write, don’t put it down. Then spend 30 minutes making phone calls during the week to tell your friends what you are learning in Bible class and inviting them to come with you. (Abishai)

(6) Think of three songs of praise that you can sing and three different places that you can sing these songs to praise God and encourage others. Practice the songs and pray that you will be a mighty witness for Him. Like Benaiah who had three different feats that he performed, you can be a blessing to others. (Benaiah)

Place these cards in the six blue balloons and then blow the balloons up and tie them. Store them in the garbage bag. Procedure: Show the students the balloons you prepared. Tell them that in the balloons are the names of six of David’s mighty men and the deeds they did. In the blue balloons are five mighty plans for things that students can do this week. Tell the students to pop the balloons and then match each “mighty man” with each “mighty plan.” After each pair has been found, have the students sit in a circle and read them. Ask each student to choose one plan that they will do this week and share how they will accomplish their mighty deed for the week.

Craft Learning Activity: “Sword of the Lord” (Grades K-5) Purpose: Students will make a sword to remind them of God’s ability to help them do mighty deeds to honor Him. Preparation: Students will need a cardboard rectangle 3” X 15”; pencil; one piece of aluminum foil 3” x 12”; crayons or markers, glue stick, and white glue. Other supplies include scissors and masking tape. Every student will need a copy of the sword template below. Make a sample sword to show to the students before class using the directions below. Say: “In this lesson we learned about David’s mighty men. These were men who did incredible things in their battles against the enemies of Israel. David and his men were blessed with many victories. They used their swords very skillfully and powerfully. We are going to make a sword

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craft to remind us that God can help us do power and great things for Him. The sword that God wants us to use is the Bible.” Procedure: Show students the sample sword that you have made. Explain that one side is shiny and looks like a real sword. The other side has a scripture to remind them that God does not want them to fight with weapons but he does want us to use the Bible to defend our beliefs about God. Distribute the materials listed above to each student. Have students cut out the swords from the copies of the template. Demonstrate to students how to use the sword as a stencil, trace and cut out a cardboard sword from the foil. Using the same sword stencil trace and cut out a cardboard sword for each student adding an additional 2 inch handle as shown in Fig. A. Have students color or decorate their swords from the reproducible page. Have them glue the reproducible copy sword to one side of their cardboard sword as shown in figure B. Distribute the foil and white glue and have them glue the foil to the other side of the cardboard as shown in Figure C. Have the students write their name and “Sword” on their foil using the pencil to engrave the letters. Have students wrap their handles with masking tape. Say: “Can you share one way that you can use God’s Word this week to do a mighty deed? (Examples might be sharing the gospel with a friend, telling a large number of people about the Lord, praying, reading the Bible with a friend, etc.) Close in prayer for the students to do a mighty thing for God this week.

Life Application Challenge: “Reaching Out” Say: “In the lesson this week we learned about David’s mighty men. God used David’s men to do great and powerful things. David’s men were very skilled and they were devoted to serving David. David was devoted to serving God.” Say: “When are sometimes that you have felt weak? You get weak when you are tired, hungry, or sick. After playing hard you can feel weak. Sometimes you might feel weak when other people don’t agree with you or try to make you feel bad about your faith. You can feel weak when bad things happen to you or to someone you love. We should remember that God is always looking throughout the world to help and give strength to the people who love him. Remember that we gain our strength from God.” Review the memory verse. Psalm 46:1-2a "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Encourage children to share their faith boldly this week. Remind them to read their Bible every day to gain strength and encouragement to be obedient to Jesus. Close in prayer.

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David’s Mighty Men

Psalm 46:1-2a

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."

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unit 9: king david and king solomon ot9.13 david’s mighty men · 2019. 4. 24. · king david was...

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