YEA Lesson Library
Know Who You Are
About This Lesson
Using the story of God choosing David as the next king of Israel, the student is taught that they are likewise chosen by God.
Scriptures
1 Samuel 16:1-13
Matthew 20:16
Matthew 22:14
John 15:16
1 Corinthians 7:14
Ephesians 1:4
1 Peter 2:9
1 Peter 2:9-12
Words to Know
REMARKABLE - unusual or out of the ordinary
ATTRACTIVE - good-looking, nice to look at
ANOINT- to pour oil on someone's head in a ceremony showing their new position
BEAR THE RESPONSIBILITY - do a job when given to you; accountable
IMPRESSION - what someone thinks of someone or something
The Lesson
“I need someone," Mrs. Davis announced, “to run an errand for me."
Suddenly, the classroom, which had been full of quietly working students, was now exploding with electrified, wriggling fourth graders. Most of them were waving their hands frantically in the air, their faces begging, "Pick me, pick me!"
Mrs. Davis looked around the room. She made her choice. "Marcus, will you go?" Marcus had been sitting very quietly, not wriggling and not making a sound, but his eyes showed how much he wanted to be chosen. At her decision, his face radiated happiness.
In this lesson, we're going to learn about God's new choice for king. Who would He choose and why? Last time, we learned about Saul and how he did not obey God. God told him He would find a new king to replace Saul because he disobeyed. In 1 Samuel 16, God tells Samuel to go to Bethlehem. Samuel was to anoint one of Jesse's sons as the new king of Israel.
Samuel was a little reluctant to go. Saul was still king and had the power to kill Samuel if he thought Samuel was anointing a new king to take his place. So God told Samuel to take a heifer and sacrifice the heifer to Him at Bethlehem. The people of Bethlehem were nervous when they saw Samuel coming. Samuel had God's power and they wanted to make sure they weren't in trouble. They asked him if he came in peace. They must have been a little surprised when he told them to consecrate themselves and come to the sacrifice. Then Samuel consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice too.
Samuel knew that God had chosen one of Jesse's sons to be king. He just didn't know which one it would be. When Jesse's firstborn son, Eliab, arrived, Samuel was certain he was the one. He was handsome and strong and must have carried himself with the pride which comes from knowing that you are the oldest. But God told Samuel. “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him." What? This fine young man was not the one God had chosen? Why not? God told Samuel his reason: "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
So Samuel turned to the second oldest son, Abinadab. But God had not chosen him either. One by one, Jesse brought seven of his sons before Samuel, but Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen these." Then he asked Jesse if these were all of his sons. When Jesse said the youngest was out in the fields watching the sheep, Samuel did something that must have seemed remarkable to everyone there. He said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives." The entire sacrifice was on hold until someone brought David to Samuel.
David was also attractive. "He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features." But remember, God looks at the heart. So Samuel waited until God said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." Verse 13 says that "from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power." Imagine the scene. Samuel is anointing David as the king of Israel with all of his older brothers and his father watching. They would be witnesses that this really did happen--that God had chosen David. And, just in case anyone thought Samuel might have made a mistake, God showed that He had chosen David by obviously giving him His Spirit. It was plain to everyone there that Samuel had anointed David because God wanted David to be king.
What about you? Do you know that you are royalty? Look at your memory verse again. First, it says you are chosen by God. Then it says you are royalty. You are either a prince or princess right now. Really! If you have at least one parent who is baptized and loves God, you are holy. Because your parent or parents have that special relationship with God, He considers you special — you are also one of His children. If you're one of His children, then you are a prince or princess because He is the King of the Universe. That's where you are right now. But there will come a time, and you're approaching it rapidly, when God expects you to make your own choice. Will you choose to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior? It is a serious choice. If you do choose God, you have to be willing to follow Him with all of your heart. And remember: God knows what is in your heart. You might be able to fool people around you, but God knows if you are really sold out for Him.
In the meantime, you bear the responsibility of acting like a child of God. You should leave everyone you meet with an impression of your Heavenly Father. You want to bring glory and honor to Him. So carefully think what you do and what you say. Know Who You Are.
Activity
Teaching the Lesson:
Legacy Lesson: Student book/Teacher book - Teaching Time: 25 mins.
Lesson Prep - Teacher book - Time: 30 mins.
Activity (Teacher book): What Would Jesus Have Me Do Door Hanger - Time: 30-45 mins.
Song: "O Be Careful Little Eyes" - page 39 of Kids Classics Collection - Time: 5 mins.
Activity (Student book): Chosen: An Acrostic Poem - Time: 20-30 mins.
Extending the Lesson - REACH Activities:
*Back to the Bible: Waiting on God
*Journal Jot: Chosen by God
*Word Study: people - laos
*Just Toolin’ Around: Chosen
*Did you Know? Chosen by God
*Stretch It Out: Act It Out
*Music Notes: Have Thine Own Way, Lord!
*Questions? - Writing Prompt - 10 mins.
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for giving me the opportunity to be Your child. Help me to
bring glory and honor to You in everything I do.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - 1 Peter 2:9-12
Monday - 1 Corinthians 7:14
Tuesday - 1 Samuel 16:1-13
Wednesday - Matthew 20:16
Thursday - Matthew 22: 14
Friday - Ephesians 1:4
Saturday - John 15:16
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Relate the story of Samuel anointing David.
2. Tell how his/her parent(s)’ relationship with God affects him/her.
3. State that someday they too will have to make a choice whether to serve God or not.
4. Explain that they, and their actions, are a reflection on God right now.
Topics & Themes
Anointed
Chosen
David
Honor God
King
Relationship With God
Samuel
Serving God
Preparation
1 Corinthians 7 is clear about children being holy because at least one of their parents is holy. Read the whole chapter before class to get the context. Pay close attention to verses 12-14. This whole concept may be new to the students — that they are already holy because of their parents. It is important to stress to them that although this is true, there is an age of accountability for each child and it differs with each child based on maturity and understanding. As they reach that age of accountability, they are more and more responsible for their own actions. As the parents' influence decreases, their responsibility increases until the child must make that decision for Christ. This lesson accomplishes three things: it lets them know they are chosen by God and bear that responsibility to bring honor to His name now; it helps to prepare them for the idea that they are going to have to make a choice at some point; and it allays the fears that the choice must be made immediately which could be under duress to most of them, if they love God.
Purchase some wooden door hangers for the Activity.
How to Teach This Lesson
After opening the class with prayer, follow the lesson plan. If you are using paper copies of these lessons, it’s time to order the next YEA books - Book One in the Life of Christ series.
Choose a king: Say: Today I'm going to choose someone to be king of the class. Peruse the class. (Sometimes the students will be excited and beg to be chosen. Other times, they will sit more quietly, their eyes begging to be chosen. Don't be surprised by these reactions or something in between. Roll with what they give you. Draw attention to their reactions.) Then have them stand up and walk before you one at a time. Choose the last one.
Choosing David: Ask the students if the previous activity reminds them of anything. Hopefully they will have read their lesson prior to class. This should be a good indicator to you if they did. Discuss 1 Samuel 16:1-13. The following are several discussion points.
1. God's rejection of Saul because of his disobedience.
2. Samuel's reluctance to go to Bethlehem.
3. The people's apprehension when they saw Samuel.
4. The presentation of Jesse's seven oldest sons.
5. David, in the fields, watching sheep - a shepherd.
6. God's reason for choosing David over 7 brothers.
7. The sign that David was truly God's choice - the power of the Spirit in David.
Who are you? Go back to the earlier activity of choosing a king. Discuss how this was very similar to David being chosen. Also, just as David didn't assume the throne immediately, your new classroom king also did not sit down on a throne and begin to rule. Why is that? Just as David had to know who he was and what God's plan was for him, you have to know who you are and what God wants for you. So, who are you?
Memory verse: This is a good time to recite the memory verse - 1 Peter 2:9. Then dissect it.
1) Chosen: Say: First it says you are a chosen people. God has chosen each of us. (Allow the students to ask questions and clarify each point as you see they need clarification.)
2) Royalty: Then it says you are a royal priesthood. You belong to the royal family which serves God.
3) Holy: You are holy, set apart, and you belong to God. Discuss how each student is holy to God today. (See Preparation: 1 Corinthians 7:14.) Right now, while you are still young and still under the authority of your parents, you are holy. You belong to God because at least one of your parents is baptized and belongs to God. But there will come a day, when you are making more and more of your own decisions. One of those decisions will be whether you're going to serve God with all of your heart or not.
4) Praising God in a darkened world: Right now, each of us has the responsibility to bring honor and glory to God because we're carrying His name with us. We claim to be Christians and to love God, but do our actions prove it?
A child of God: You know who you are - you are God's. Now you have to live like a child of God. Carefully think about what you do because your actions can have a great impact on the people around you - especially on their impression of who God is.
Review Questions
1. Where did God send Samuel to anoint the new king?
2. What did Samuel invite the people and Jesse’s family to do?
3. What was God's and Samuel's reaction to Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab?
4. Where was David? When Samuel anointed David, what also happened?
5. Why did God have Samuel anoint David in front of his family?
6. If your parents are Christians, what does God say you are right now? Can that change?
7. As someone who is holy, belonging to God right now, what do your actions show?
Teacher-Directed Activity
What Would Jesus Have Me Do Door Hanger
The door hangers can be colored with markers. They can be painted with tempera paint. After they are colored in some way, let the students decorate them with an assortment of foam letters/figures, buttons, scraps of lace, etc. Encourage the students to use their acrostic poems from the activity in their Students' books. Assure them it's okay to change the words/phrases if they have thought of something better.
REACH Activity
Back to the Bible: Waiting on God
Isn’t it interesting how many times God allows lots of time to pass before doing whatever it is that He promised!? Look at these three examples. Read the excerpt and then write a summary paragraph about how long they waited.
*Noah - Genesis 6:13, Genesis 7:11, and Genesis 8:1-14
*Abraham and Sarah - Genesis 12:1-9 and Genesis 21:1-7
*Joseph - Genesis 37:7-8 and Genesis 42:6
Journal Jot: Chosen by God
When your teacher needs a messenger sent to the office, are you eager to volunteer? Are you loud and exuberant, or are you quiet like Marcus? What about when God needs a task done? Are you eager to volunteer? What happens if the job is going to be dangerous or time-consuming? Are you willing to do what God wants you to do?
Word Study: people - laos
The word translated “people” in 1 Peter 2:9 is the Greek word which means “people, nation, a number of men joined together by the common bands of society. . . The society of Christians. . . In the Septuagint, it is a title almost totally reserved for the elect people, the Israel of God. This is in contrast to the word ethos which signifies the heathen or Gentiles, as distinguished from the Jews or believers.” (Source: Zodhiates’ NAS Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, 1990, G#2992)
Fascinating that there are two words for people or nation - and that one is used almost exclusively for God’s people. We miss that in translating from the Greek into English!! Write this word, its definition, and the scripture reference in your Bible notebook.
Just Toolin’ Around: Chosen
Using a concordance, find scriptures which indicate that you are chosen by God. Write these verses down in your Bible notebook. Then thank God that He has chosen you!
Did you Know? Chosen by God
David was probably around 14-15 years old when he was anointed to be king. It was 15 years (give or take a couple of years) before he actually assumed the throne at age 30. He was king of Judah for 7.5 years before becoming king over both Judah and Israel. Then he reigned another 33 years.
Why do you think God made him wait before he became king? Write your thoughts in your Bible notebook. Talk about it with your family. What can you learn from this to apply to your own life?
Stretch It Out: Act it Out
The scene of Samuel coming to Bethlehem to anoint David is a lot of fun to act out. There’s Samuel figuring out a reason for going to Bethlehem that won’t make Saul suspicious. There’s the anxiety of the townsfolk who want to make sure they aren’t in trouble. There’s David’s older brothers - all seven of them fine young men - who are none of them the one God has chosen. Then, they all have to wait while someone goes to get David from watching the sheep. Write a play so you can act out all of these pieces of God choosing David as the next king of Israel and Samuel anointing him.
Music Notes: Have Thine Own Way, Lord!
This hymn is on page 97 of the CEM Hymnal.
The text for this hymn was written by Adelaide Pollard (1862-1934). She was born in Iowa during the Civil War, and named Sarah by her parents. As soon as she could, she changed her name to Adelaide and attended Emerson College in Boston, afterwards teaching in a Chicago girls’ school. While in Chicago, she met John Dowie, a Scottish faith healer, whom she claimed healed her of diabetes. Next she began assisting another evangelist and felt a calling to go to Africa as a missionary. When she was unable to raise the financial support, she was discouraged. At this point in 1902, she attended a prayer meeting. There, an elderly woman prayed an unusual prayer. Unlike the prayers for blessings and healings, this woman prayed, “It doesn’t matter what you bring into our lives, Lord. Just have your own way with us.” This convicted Adelaide so much that she rushed home that evening and reread Jeremiah 18. Before she went to bed that night, she’d written out the four stanzas that we sing today. (Source: Then Sings My Soul, Robert Morgan, 2003, p. 117) This is the only hymn Adelaide wrote that is still sung today.
Learning to surrender our will to God’s will is an enormous task. Sometimes it takes time for God to mold us to the point we can be a useful servant for His service. As you sing this hymn, think of the words which resonate most with you. Write them in you Bible notebook.
Questions?
Write down any questions you have in your Bible notebook so that you can remember to ask your parents or your pastor.
Song
"O Be Careful Little Eyes" is on page 39 of Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Lead the students in prayer asking for God's help in honoring Him and learning to live like His child.
Printable Pages
