The Biblical Path of Life

Tag: King

  • Family

    “For with God nothing shall be impossible”
    Luke 1:37

    Jacob’s family moved to Egypt to be with Joseph. Before he died, he blessed each of his sons. When he came to Judah, he not only blessed him, but also made a prophecy concerning his descendants. “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Genesis 49:10). God knew that His people (the Israelites) would reject Him as their king, hundreds of years before they actually did. He had already chosen a tribe to be the kingly tribe – the tribe of Judah. Not only would the kings come from this family, but Jesus (Shiloh) would one day descend from this tribe (Judah). This was to be The King they were looking for: “… and unto him shall the gathering (looking for) of the people be.”

    However, before Jesus came, remember David.

    King David (from the tribe of Judah) sat at his house, and he spoke to Nathan the prophet. “… See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains” (2 Samuel 7:2b). In the city of Jerusalem, David had set up a tent to house the Ark of the Covenant (which was a symbol of God’s presence among His people). David recognized God’s blessings, and he wanted to do something for God. God answered that night. David wanted to build a house for God that God declared was not really needed. The Ark of the Covenant had always rested in a tent. God reminded him that He had taken David from being a shepherd boy watching sheep to become the ruler over God’s people, Israel. God had always been with David, defeating David’s enemies, and He made David a great name. God went on to give David a great promise. “12. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. … 16. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever” (2 Samuel 7:12-16). Notice that God promised to build David a house – not a house to live in, but a dynasty, a kingly lineage. This promise was twofold. God established David’s family as the kings of Israel. God also promised that David’s son would build Him a house. David prayed to God thanking Him and praising Him. David’s son, Solomon, became the next king of Israel, and he built a beautiful Temple for God.

    Moreover, God would one day send His Son, Jesus, from David’s descendants: “… I will set up thy seed after thee …” (2 Samuel 7:12). Remember what Mary was told when the angel said that she would bring forth a Son. “30. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32). When she did not understand, the angel told her, “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37).

    God did just what he promised He would do. We see it confirmed: “… he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. 23. Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus” (Acts 13:22-23). It is here that we see God kept his promise given to Jacob, David and Mary. It is Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Read how Revelation describes Jesus: “… behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David …” (Revelation 5:5).

    More than that, Jesus came so that we could be restored as part of God’s family – only by faith in Jesus. “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26).

    Have you looked unto Jesus, believing in Him by faith, and becoming a part of God’s Family?

    How to be Saved

  • Be not Deceived

    “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”
    1 Corinthians 15:33

    Jehoshaphat was a good king. Once he became king, he eliminated idol worship. He then strengthened the cities of Judah – physically and spiritually. By placing mighty soldiers in the different cities, he strengthened them physically. When he sent princes, priests, and Levites into every city teaching the Word of God to the people, he strengthened them spiritually. We understand that he was able to remain a good king even though he spent time with wicked King Ahab – the worst king of Israel.

    Although Jehoshaphat was considered a good king, we will learn what effect his relationship with wicked King Ahab (also Ahaziah and Jehoram) had upon not only his children, but also the whole nation of Judah. Godly people are to be set apart from the wicked things (and even people) of this world. We may not think these things affect us, but at the very least, it has an effect upon the people around us. King Jehoshaphat appeared to have kept his heart pure before the Lord – even with the relationship he had with wicked King Ahab, but we can read the devastating effect it had upon his children and the nation of Judah. 

    King Jehoshaphat should have enacted the words King David recorded many years before. “1. Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide. 2. Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. 3. For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth. 4. I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. 5. I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked” (Psalm 26:1-5). If he had remembered lived by these words, not only would he have been an even better king, but also much heartache would have been spared. His son was a wicked king.

    Not only are those words recorded for us today as well, but the following verse must be remembered, too. “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33). This verse has often been translated into a modern proverb: “Bad company ruins good morals.” However, use the following definitions to help you understand this verse:

    • deceived means “to be misled or deceived”
    • evil means “evil works”
    • communications means “lifestyles, conversations”
    • corrupt means “to spoil or violate in a spiritual or moral sense”
    • good means “in a moral sense – good, useful, virtuous”
    • manners means “morals or character – this is the word from which ethics is derived.”

    After reading these definitions, we can understand this verse is a warning not to be deceived but to understand something – evil deeds and conversations (lifestyles) will spoil good morals and good character in a person’s life. We can also understand that we are to be very careful about the kind of people with whom we hang out, and especially to be careful of those that we choose as friends. 

    Nevertheless, see what we are exhorted to do in the following verse: “Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame” (1 Corinthians 15:34). Often it is because of the choices and friends we make that keep us from being a good witness to others. It is a shame when Christians’ lives are contrary in any way to God’s Word. It is worse when that keeps others from the knowledge of God (being able to recognize their need for Jesus).

    It is a scary thing to say one knows of God, yet for that one to be ignorant of God. It is a shame for anyone in this day to be ignorant of the things of God – especially those who have “grown up in church” or have Christian parents who taught them the Bible. There are too many resources available to this generation. No one will be able to stand before God in ignorance – unless they so choose. As Christians, we should always tell others about the things of God and encourage other Christians to continue learning throughout their lives by prayer and the reading of God’s Word.

    Are you one who is not deceived, living a life that is a witness of Jesus to others?

  • Trust God’s Word

    “LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am”
    Psalm 39:4

    As Christians living in this world, we are to be prepared for the dangerous journey that is the Christian life. We are warned to not be beguiled by people who are not true Christians. Some of them may desire to lead you off the true path into darkness and despair. Be careful whose company you keep! (“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” 1 Corinthians 15:33).

    One cannot help but remember an event in 1 Kings 13. A man of God was told to deliver a message to King Jeroboam. After he delivered the message, he was to return home. When the king invited him to his house, offering him a reward, see what the prophet told him. “8. And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: 9. For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest” (1 Kings 13:8-9). This man of God knew what God told him to do, and he returned home another way.

    The Bible tells us there was an old prophet who heard all that the man of God had said and done to the king. The old prophet asked which way the man of God had gone, and he went after the man of God. Once he found him, he invited the man of God to come home with him and eat bread. Read the man of God’s reply. “16. And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: 17. For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest” (1 Kings 13:16-17). The man of God planned to do just what God told him to do. What was the old prophet’s response? “He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him” (1 Kings 13:18). 

    Stop a minute to remember something important. The most important thing a Christian should do is to find out if the person giving the counsel is a true Christian (in this case a true prophet of the Lord). We are warned to test everyone you come upon, and do not be beguiled by those who make a show of religion but do not belong to Jesus. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Remember: there are those who desire to lead you off the true Christian path. Be careful of the company you keep.

    The man of God should have known to question this old prophet – to find out if he was a true prophet of the Lord. Instead, read what the man of God does. “So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water” (1 Kings 13:19). The man of God knew the king was godless, but he did not even question the man who claimed to be a prophet. The man of God was told that because he disobeyed the Lord, went back and ate bread and drank water, he would die (see 1 Kings 13:21-22). Wow! All because he disobeyed the Word of God. What happened? “And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase” (1 Kings 13:24). Did you notice something strange? The lion killed him, yet he did not eat the man of God. The lion and the donkey stood by his body. Read what this man of God was then known as: “…  It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him” (1 Kings 13:26).

    Remember, we read that the man of God was told that he would die for disobeying the Word of God. Read a warning we find in 1 John 5:16 that there is a “sin unto death.” That sin is different for each individual. For this man of God, it was disobeying this Word from God that brought about his unusual death. This helps us understand the importance of knowing and doing what God’s Word tells us to do – no matter what anyone else tells us. “LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am” (Psalm 39:4).

    Do you trust God and His Word, recognizing just how frail you are?

  • A Man After Mine own Heart

    “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
    James 4:17

    David is one of the most famous men in the Bible. God chose him when he was young to be the future king of His people. Although King Saul chased David wanting to kill him, David followed God, and God took care of him.

    When David became king, he was a great king. “And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them: as whatsoever the king did pleased all the people” (2 Samuel 3:36). We can read many places where David “enquired of God.” When David wasn’t sure what God would have him to do in a situation, he would enquire of God – and God would answer him. “And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him” (2 Samuel 5:10). The second book of Samuel is all about David’s kingdom.

    Everyone remembers David’s great sin. If you remember, he wasn’t where he was supposed to be. “And it came to pass …  at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 11:1). It was at this time that he took Bathsheba, who wasn’t his wife, and had her husband killed in battle. Although David knew this was completely wrong in every way, he did it anyway. “And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD” (2 Samuel 11:27). What made things worse was that after he made Bathsheba his wife, he continued in life as if nothing was wrong.

    God sent Nathan to speak to David. He told King David a story of man who took a beloved lamb from someone else that did not belong to him and killed it. After hearing the story, “And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die” (2 Samuel 12:5). David recognized that this man had sinned and deserved death. “And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man …” (2 Samuel 12:7a). Nathan proceeded to remind King David just what God had done for him, and his punishment for his great sin. “And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die” (2 Samuel 12:13). Although there were many consequences for this sin, because David immediately repented of that sin, God forgave him. David truly had a heart of repentance, and we can read his prayer to the Lord in Psalm 51.

    What more does the Bible tell us about King David? “And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will” (Acts 13:22). Have you ever considered that it might have been this moment in David’s life that caused God to call him “a man after mine own heart” knowing that when David was confronted with his sin, he would immediately repent? We know, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). However, read what David understood, long before it was written, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

    We can understand that God forgave David. However, see how great of a forgiveness it was. David wrote Psalm 103, which tells of God’s great forgiveness. “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12)

    Remember what else God tells us of King David, “Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus” (Acts 13:23). God sent, through the lineage of David, His only Son who came to die for man’s sin – if only they would come to him in repentance and receive His forgiveness. “6. Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7). 

    Are you one who is after God’s own heart?

  • Lesson 13 (Lesson 39): Jesus in the Old Testament: Jesus our Ruler

    Key Verse

    “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

     

    Read the Key Verse with your class.  Explain the memory verse using the following definitions:

    seek:  strive after, with earnestness

    first:  importance; first of all; chiefly

    kingdom:  the glorious reign of the Messiah; its basis from the prophecies of the OT where the coming of the Messiah and His triumphs are foretold

    righteousness:  conformity to all God commands; God’s uprightness to which man is expected to conform.

    Jesus taught us to strive, with earnestness and as most importantly, for the coming of the Messiah (Jesus) and his reign.  And seek to be able to conform to all of God’s commands.  When we can do these things, all of the things Jesus had been teaching them (heavenly treasures, provisions here on earth, etc.) would be added.

    Summary:  We have learned that God’s people rejected Him as their king.  They wanted a man.  So, God gave them a man, Saul, and he failed miserably as a godly king.  But God chose a man “after his own heart,” David.  He was a good king, and God made him a promise.  Because David wanted to do good for God to build God a house, God would build David a house, one that would last forever.  Today, we will see in whom that promise was fulfilled, Jesus.

    David believed God’s promise, and it was recorded in the Bible for us to read today.  All through the ages, men watched and waited for that “Promised One” to come.  Even the wise men of the Far East sought a new king that was born, and wanted to come and worship him.  We find John the Baptist proclaimed He had come, and He was God’s Son.  But even more than that, Jesus himself declared principles of His kingdom we must learn to adhere to.

    Encourage your students to bring their Bibles and use them!

    Emphasis:  Our job, today, is to seek God as most important in our lives, obeying His commands, making him our King that we will serve.  When we do that, we have nothing to worry about because He will take care of us.

     

    Optional Worksheets to be downloaded:

    Lesson 39 – Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet 1

    Lesson 39 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet

     

    Ideas for children:

    Stickers always work well with children. Often times I watch Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company for specials or deals on things I can use for crafts for Sunday School (i.e. foam sheets, Bible Story scene stickers, crowns, stick on jewels, construction paper, etc.).  I keep a stash and when I need something, I go search in my stash!  Pinterest always has great ideas!

    You could have a coloring sheet that goes with the lesson.

    One idea for today’s lesson:  (See picture below).  For today’s lesson I had a kit that made a shield (since we had been studying the kings of Israel) with a sicker for the middle that said “Christ is my Victory.”  It seemed to fit pretty well since we had been talking about the kings of Israel.  In today’s lesson we remembered the promise to King David that that Jesus was the promised King of Kings who would come.  We also learned a little of Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom that would come.

     

    Mural idea:

    Refer to the wall in your classroom that has become a mural.

    By now your class should be in a groove as to the direction and areas in which they need to focus and work on to improve their Christian lives.  Use this knowledge to help you address specific areas in each lesson that your class can discuss and share as you add new things to your mural.  Continue to watch as your class grows in their knowledge of not only God’s Word, but areas in their lives that can be corrected, drawing them closer to the Lord.

    Have them each add anything else they may have brought to add to the wall.  Encourage everyone to participate.

  • Lesson 10 (Lesson 36): II Samuel 6-10: David the Conqueror

    Key Verse

    “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”  I Corinthians 2:9

     

    Read the Key Verse with your class.  Children may have a hard time understanding today’s memory verse.  Ask them what David did for his father when he lived at home (he was a shepherd, tending his father’s sheep).  When God sent an evil spirit to trouble King Saul, who did he want to kill? (David)  Do you remember why? (Saul knew that David would be the next king.)  Do you think David was ever afraid? (yes.)  Do you think he ever wondered if he would ever become the king as God had told him? (probably.)  Last week, we saw that David was crowned as the king of Israel.  David probably never knew that he would be such a great king that the kings that followed him would be compared to him (II Kings 14:3; 18:3; II Chronicles 29:2, etc.)   Today, we see how great of a king David was.  Most importantly, we see that God was most important to David, and David became known as a man after God’s own heart.

    Summary: Today we continue in the life of David.  We see that God is important to David.  We then see that David is important to God.  When David kept God first in his life, we see that God established him as a conquering king.  He not only brought the enemies into subjection, but David was also revealed as a compassionate king.  He found a living relative of the former king, Saul, and brought him to his home and restored his land.

    Because of David’s faithfulness, God made him a promise:  II Samuel 7:12 & 16:  “12. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 16. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”  We will learn today that this is a promise not only of his son, Solomon, who became the next king, but a promise that God’s son, Jesus, would one day be King of Kings.

    Encourage your students to bring their Bibles and use them!

    Emphasis:  We see Matthew 6:33 lived out in David’s life, long before it was even written:  “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  We must live a life seeking God first, just as David did, and then we can see God bless our lives.

     

    Optional Worksheets to be downloaded:

    Lesson 36 – Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet 1

    Lesson 36 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet 1

    Lesson 36 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet 2

     

    Ideas for children:

    Stickers always work well with children. Often times I watch Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company for specials or deals on things I can use for crafts for Sunday School (i.e. foam sheets, Bible Story scene stickers, crowns, stick on jewels, construction paper, etc.).  I keep a stash and when I need something, I go search in my stash!  Pinterest always has great ideas!

    You could have a coloring sheet that goes with the lesson.

    One idea for today’s lesson:  (See picture below).  For today’s lesson I found a foam castle kit and modified it to fit today’s lesson.  In the doorway we glued the verses II Samuel 7:11b-12, 16.  In the crown sticker, we wrote the name Jesus to remind us that the promise extended past the immediate future into the very distant future when Jesus would finally be born.

    Mural idea:

    Refer to the wall in your classroom that has become a mural.

    By now your class should be in a groove as to the direction and areas in which they need to focus and work on to improve their Christian lives.  Use this knowledge to help you address specific areas in each lesson that your class can discuss and share as you add new things to your mural.  Continue to watch as your class grows in their knowledge of not only God’s Word, but areas in their lives that can be corrected, drawing them closer to the Lord.

    Have them each add anything else they may have brought to add to the wall.  Encourage everyone to participate.

     

  • Lesson 9 (Lesson 35): II Samuel 1-5: David Crowned as King

    Key Verse

    “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.”  Psalms 25:14

     

    Read the Key Verse with your class.  Help them understand the verse using the following definitions.

    secret:  Intimacy, conversation, consultation

    fear:  reverently fear

    covenant:  a pledge; a contract with promises of blessing for obedience, a curse for disobedience

    Today we will see the “secret” God had made with David many years earlier (that he would be king of Israel) come to pass.  We also notice that David’s relationship with God was one of reverential fear.  We see God show David that He will continue fulfilling His covenant with His people by establishing David as king.  This was pivotal in ushering in Jesus, the King of Kings (I Timothy 6:14-15).

    Summary:  Remember that we saw Saul became the first king of Israel, but had the kingdom removed from him and his family, forever, because of his disobedience to God’s words.  I Samuel 15:23:  “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”   I Samuel closed with King Saul’s death in battle.  We have now seen 3 of the 4 main characters in the books of Samuel have died.  We begin the book of II Samuel continuing in the life of David.  We open with David hearing the news, mourning, and Judah (one of the tribes of Israel – David’s tribe) anointing him as their king.  The rest of the tribes accept Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, as their king.  We see the nation in a state of conflict and turmoil as their king has died, and they try to go on.  Until they receive David, God’s choice for their king, there is no peace in the land.  Once David is established as king throughout Israel, they are prepared to move on as a nation.

    Encourage your students to bring their Bibles and use them!

    Emphasis:  David faithfully sought God’s will for his life.  He knew God’s word and obeyed it.  He then saw God do just what He promised.  We see David live Matthew 6:33 long before it was written:  “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

     

    Optional Worksheets to be downloaded:

    Lesson 35 – Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet 1

    Lesson 35 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet

     

    Ideas for children:

    Stickers always work well with children. Often times I watch Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company for specials or deals on things I can use for crafts for Sunday School (i.e. foam sheets, Bible Story scene stickers, crowns, stick on jewels, construction paper, etc.).  I keep a stash and when I need something, I go search in my stash!  Pinterest always has great ideas!

    You could have a coloring sheet that goes with the lesson.

    One idea for today’s lesson:  (See picture below).  For today’s lesson we made a crown as we remembered how God made David king of Israel.  You could either purchase pre-made crowns through someplace like Oriental Trading or make your own with gold or silver poster board.  Stick on jewels are the easiest to use to decorate the crowns.  Some children are creative and enjoy coloring their own crowns  with markers making their own jewels.

     

    Mural idea:

    Refer to the wall in your classroom that has become a mural.

    By now your class should be in a groove as to the direction and areas in which they need to focus and work on to improve their Christian lives.  Use this knowledge to help you address specific areas in each lesson that your class can discuss and share as you add new things to your mural.  Continue to watch as your class grows in their knowledge of not only God’s Word, but areas in their lives that can be corrected, drawing them closer to the Lord.

    Have them each add anything else they may have brought to add to the wall.  Encourage everyone to participate.

  • Lesson 7 (Lesson 33): I Samuel 8-15: Saul

    Key Verse

    “For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.”  Jeremiah 16:17

    Read the Key Verse with your class.  Help them understand that the verse tells that God’s eyes are upon everything.  Nothing happens that God does not know about; not even their iniquity (faults, mischief, and/or sin.)  There is no point in lying about something you may have done (or not done) because God knows it all and nothing is hidden from Him.

    Summary:  Today we will continue in the life of Samuel, but we will be introduced to the third main character in the book of I Samuel – Saul.  We learned last week, that when Samuel answered God’s call, God was able to use him to speak to the people for Him.  He was not only a priest, but he was a prophet of God.  Today we see that the people now verbally reject God as their king and want a man to rule over them.  God chose Saul.  He was, physically, everything a people could want in a king.  He was good looking, and he stood head and shoulders taller than anyone else.  Today we learn what kind of a man he really was, and why God removed the kingdom not only from him, but his family.

    Emphasis:  We must remember that God sees everything.  We must please God in everything we do, obeying His commands.  In order to know what God wants from us, we must seek Him – read our Bible and pray, faithfully.

     

    Optional Worksheets to be downloaded:

    Lesson 33 – Volume 1 Children’s Worksheet 1

    Lesson 33 – Volume 1 Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet

     

    Ideas for children:

    Stickers always work well with children. Often times I watch Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company for specials or deals on things I can use for crafts for Sunday School (i.e. foam sheets, Bible Story scene stickers, crowns, stick on jewels, construction paper, etc.).  I keep a stash and when I need something, I go search in my stash!  Pinterest always has great ideas!

    You could have a coloring sheet that goes with the lesson.

    One idea for today’s lesson:  (See picture below).  For today’s lesson we made a coloring book for each child.  Because Saul was the first king of Israel, there were many choices of coloring pages.  I chose some that told the story of Saul.  I had a book of construction paper cut and stapled together for them to glue the different pictures into in the correct order.  We colored some of the pictures in them with the time we had left.  They were then able to take their books home to color the rest of the pictures as they had time, helping them remember what we had learned in class that day.  We also colored the page that is today’s Children’s Reinforcement Worksheet and discussed what it meant.

     

    Mural idea:

    Refer to the wall in your classroom that has become a mural.

    By now your class should be in a groove as to the direction and areas in which they need to focus and work on to improve their Christian lives.  Use this knowledge to help you address specific areas in each lesson that your class can discuss and share as you add new things to your mural.  Continue to watch as your class grows in their knowledge of not only God’s Word, but areas in their lives that can be corrected, drawing them closer to the Lord.

    Have them each add anything else they may have brought to add to the wall.  Encourage everyone to participate.