For You Are With Me

Memory Passage

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23

Day 1-Israel Wants a King

  • Pray.
  • Introduce Psalm 23:4 Say it a few times together, and then add the signs if you are using them. Teaching Kids how to memorize Psalm 23 – YouTube
  • Explain the verse.
    • We all have tough or scary things that we have to go through. Sometimes they seem like a valley (show with your hands what a valley is like if they don’t know). Valleys are low points in our lives where we feel surrounded by what is troubling us.
    • What was the valley like for David, who wrote this Psalm?
    • Sounds scary! But David knew he could walk through the valley. He wasn’t stuck in there; he just needed to keep going to get through it,
    • How was able to go through the valley and not fear the evil?
    • Because he knew that God was with him!
    • God was David’s shepherd. Shepherds stayed with their sheep and had their rods and staffs with them. The rod was for protection against enemies, and the staff would gently but firmly pull the sheep back if they started to wander and keep them going in the right direction.
    • How would a rod and a staff be a comfort to the sheep?
    • David was comforted because he knew his Shepherd would be with him through the valley. He would be David’s protection from evil and He would guide him through the valley.
  • Since David wrote the Psalm we are memorizing this summer, we are going to spend a couple weeks looking at his life so we can see how He came to call The Lord his shepherd.
  • But first, we need to backtrack a little. David was the second king of Israel. Do you know who Israel’s first king was?
  • Saul was the first king of Israel. Up until then, they had had judges who ruled them, but they wanted a king like the other countries around them.
  • Read 1 Samuel 8:1-9.
    • By asking for a king, the people were rejecting God as their true King (verses 19-20 go into greater detail), but God gave the people what they asked for.
  • Read 1 Samuel 9:1-2.
    • What do we know about Saul?
  • God told Samuel, a prophet (someone to whom the Lord spoke and he shared God’s message with the people) and a judge (ruler over the people), that Saul was the man to be king. Samuel anointed Saul with oil and told him of God’s plan to make him king.
  • Read 1 Samuel 10:9-11a.
    • What did God do to Saul (verse 9).
    • God was preparing him for being king. When it was time for Samuel to present Saul before the people as their king, he became overwhelmed and hid.
  • Read 1 Samuel 10:21b-24.

Day 2-The Lord Looks at the Heart

  • Pray.
  • Practice saying Psalm 23:1-4.
  • Yesterday we read that God chose Saul to be Israel’s first king. The Lord had done and was going to do great things through this people that He had chosen, and because of that, He had some requirements for His people and their King that needed to be followed.
  • Read 1 Samuel 12:13-15, 24.
    • What were God’s commands?
    • What if they disobeyed?
  • Well, King Saul eventually did what these verses said not to do. He rebelled against the Lord.
  • Read 1 Samuel 15:10-11.
  • Read 1 Samuel 15:23b to see what Samuel told Saul the next morning.
  • Even though Saul did not lead the people well, The Lord, the Good Shepherd, had a plan to use another shepherd to lead His people to follow Him.
  • Read 1 Samuel 16:1, 6-13.
    • Who did God choose to be Israel’s next king?
    • Why did God choose David? Was it because he looked like a king? Was it because he acted like a king? Hint: look at verse 7.
    • When Samuel anointed David to be the next king, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David, empowering him for the task ahead.
    • How do you see the Lord as a Shepherd in what we read today?
  • Activity Idea
    • Listen to these Paws and Tales episodes about King Saul.

Day 3-The Lord is at Work

  • Pray.
  • Practice saying Psalm 23:1-4.
  • Review
    • What is going on with Saul, the first king of Israel? (read 1 Samuel 13:13-14 for a reminder)
    • What did we read about yesterday?
    • Why did God choose David to be the next king? (1 Samuel 13:14, 16:7)
    • Do you remember what happened after Samuel anointed David? The Spirit of the Lord came upon Him. (1 Samuel 16:13)
  • Read 1 Samuel 16:14-23. If you have younger kids, read a couple verses at a time, pause to clarify what is happening and ask questions, and then continue reading.
  • Talk about it.
    • Saul kept resisting the leading of the Holy Spirit. He kept doing his own thing instead of trusting and following what the Spirit of the Lord was leading him to do, and because of that, the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul. This meant that Saul’s spiritual protection was gone, allowing Satan to trouble his mind and heart with anger and misery and delusion.
    • But God is sovereign. Do you know what that means? (Have older kids look it up) He has the final say. He has the ultimate authority. He allowed the evil spirit to bother Saul so that He could put David right where he needed to be to take his place as king one day.
    • How did Saul’s servant describe David? (verse 18)
    • How did God use David? What were his new jobs?
    • How does God show us that He is sovereign in what we read today?
      • God took a young shepherd and placed him in the king’s palace. He took the bad and used it for His good plan.
  • Activity Idea
    • Have you ever noticed how music has an effect on you? What happens when you listen to fast, loud songs? How do you feel when you listen to silly songs? What do you want to do when you hear a soft lullaby?
    • The music David played refreshed Saul and helped him feel better.
    • What are your favorite songs to listen to?
    • Have a music party. Start with some fast, loud, silly songs. Maybe have a dance party. Then, after they are all wound up, play some soft music and have your kids draw or color or play with play dough while they listen to calmer music.

Day 4-David and Goliath, Part 1

  • Pray.
  • Practice saying Psalm 23:1-4.
  • Ask, “What would you do if you saw a giant? How would you feel if he was wearing armor and carrying a heavy spear? How do you think this giant would sound when he talked?” Let’s read about David’s encounter with the giant Goliath.
  • The first part of our story today takes place where the Israelite army and the Philistine army are gathered and ready for battle.
  • Read 1 Samuel 17:1-11.
    • Tell me about Goliath.
    • How do Saul and the Israelites feel about Goliath?
  • Now, we are going to switch settings and learn about what David is doing while all of this is going on.
  • Read 1 Samuel 17:12-19.
    • David had two jobs at this point. He was a shepherd to his father’s sheep and he was an armor bearer for Saul.
    • What did Jesse tell David to do the next day?
  • Read 1 Samuel 17:20-37.
    • How does David show great faith in God?
    • How does he have such confidence in what God can do through him? (verses 34-37)
    • What are some things that David knew about God?
    • Are the things David said about God still true about Him today?
  • Pray., thanking God that He never changes. Thank Him that He is the living God, that He is with us, and that He comforts us and is able to deliver us from the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23).
  • Activity Idea
    • Use a tape measure to draw out how big Goliath would be: about 9 feet, 9 inches.
      • Use sidewalk chalk to draw him.
      • Tape a bunch of papers together and draw him.
    • Read books about lions and bears (younger kids).

Day 5-David and Goliath, Part 2

  • Pray.
  • Practice saying Psalm 23:1-4. Can each person say it by him/herself?
    • If you are making a Psalm 23 book, add a page for verse 4.
      • Write or trace the verse.
      • Illustrate or color a picture that goes with the verse.
      • Younger children can trace a few key words from the verse (walk, valley, shadow, death, fear, rod, staff, comfort). When they are done tracing, you can say a word and have them look at the beginning sound and try to point to the word you just said.
  • Let’s finish reading. Saul has just given David permission to go against Goliath.
  • Read 1 Samuel 17:38-51.
  • Talk about it.
    • Count how many times you see “the LORD” in what we just read.
    • What does David know about the LORD? Remember: LORD means the Boss; the One having power and authority.
      • the LORD of hosts = hosts means armies
      • the LORD will deliver him so that everyone will see God’s glory
      • the LORD does not deliver by sword or spear = God’s ways of taking care of business are sometimes different that ours
      • the battle is the LORD’S = God will take care of the outcome for His glory/so that people will recognize Him as LORD
    • Who is the star in the story of David and Goliath? The LORD.
  • Activity Idea
    • Act out the story.