Goodness and Mercy

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- David and the Amalekites

  • Pray.
  • Introduce Psalm 23:6 and practice saying it a few times.
  • The last time we read about David, he had just been sent away from the Philistines whom he had been staying with for over a year. They were getting ready to go into battle against the Israelites, but the leaders of the Philistine army did not want David to go with them for fear that he would double-cross them and help his own people.
  • Read 1 Samuel 30:1-6.
    • What did David and his men discover when they returned to Ziklag?
    • How was everyone feeling about this? What did David’s men consider doing?
  • Read 1 Samuel 30:7-20.
    • Did David get overtaken by his fears and worries this time? Look back at verse 6. What did he do?
    • How does a person strengthen himself in the Lord?
  • Read Psalm 27:13-14. These are verses from a Psalm that David wrote.
    • David trusted in God. He took courage and waited on God.
  • Song
    • Listen to “Goodness of God” by Bethel Music

Day 2-David Becomes King

  • Pray.
  • Practice Psalm 23:1-6.
  • We are going to be hopping around through several chapters of 2 Samuel today, so get ready by playing some hopping games.
    • How long can you hop on one foot?
    • How far can you hop?
    • How high can you hop?
    • Can you hop while saying the ABC’s? (younger)
    • Can you hop while saying some math facts? (older)
  • The Israelites and Philistines went to war again. David wasn’t involved in this battle, but Saul and three of of his sons, including Jonathan, were. The battle went the Philistine’s way, and King Saul and all three of his sons who were fighting that day died. (1 Samuel 31:1-6)
  • When David heard the news, he was very sad. (2 Samuel 1:11-12) He knew he had a job to do. Remember, God had chosen him to be the next king. (1 Samuel 16:12)
  • Read 2 Samuel 2:1-4a.
    • What wise action do we see David take? (verse 1)
    • David asked the Lord what he should do. He needed God’s guidance about where to start as the new king.
    • Where did God tell him to go? Note: Hebron is a town in Judah. It had the highest elevation in Judah’s territory.
  • Even though David was now the anointed king in Judah, not all of Israel was ready to have him be king over them.
  • Read 2 Samuel 2:8-11.
  • Eventually, war broke out between the two kingdoms.
  • Read 2 Samuel 3:1.
  • Finally, Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, sent messengers to David saying that he would help David to get all of Israel to recognize him as king. (2 Samuel 3:12-13)
  • Read 2 Samuel 3:20-21.
  • While this was good news that Saul’s side seemed to finally be coming around, Joab, the commander of David’s army didn’t trust Abner. He killed him. David was grieved by Abner’s death and did not want things to end that way for him, even though he had fought against him on Saul’s side. David handled Abner’s death very honorably, and because of this all the people noticed and were pleased (2 Samuel 3:36).
  • Read 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 10-12.
    • David recognized that the Lord was with him. God established David as king and was blessing him for the sake of His people, Israel.

Day 3- David Asks God What He Should Do About the Philistines

  • Pray.
  • Practice Psalm 23:1-6.
  • Read 2 Samuel 5:17-25.
    • Before David responded to the Philistines’ attempts to attack, what did he do?
    • What did God do when David called out to Him?
    • Finish this sentence: When I pray, God _________________.
  • Read these Psalms that David wrote about God regarding battles that he faced.
    • Psalm 17:7, 9
    • Psalm 143:1
    • Psalm 144:1
    • Psalm 145:18
  • What stands out to you?
  • 1 Peter 5:7 tells us that we can cast our cares on the Lord because He cares for us.
  • Philippians 4:6-7 Tells us not be anxious, but to pray and give our requests to God, being thankful to Him. He will give His peace that guards our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus.

Day 4-David’s Reign is Established

  • Pray.
  • Practice Psalm 23:1-6.
    • Have the kids try to say the chapter all by themselves with you, the parent, not speaking but doing the signs with them to guide them.
  • Review what happened yesterday in our Bible time: David asked the Lord how he should handle the Philistines. The Lord told him just what to do and that He would go out before Israel’s army. David followed the Lord’s instructions, and they defeated the Philistine army there.
  • Read 2 Samuel 8:1-2, 14b (just the last sentence in verse 14), and verse 15
    • What was the key to David’s success? (see verse 14b)
    • With the Lord’s help, David was able to defeat the armies that were against Israel.
  • Read 2 Samuel 7:1-3.
    • What was David wanting to do?
    • David had a palace to live in (2 Samuel 5:11), but the ark of the covenant was in a tent. Remember that the ark of the covenant (AKA ark of the Lord/Ark of God) was the special box that represented God’s presence with His people. It served to remind them of all the ways God had taken care of His people. It had contained the stone tablets on which God wrote the 10 commandments, a jar of manna, and Aaron’s rod (Hebrews 9:4). At this time, it probably only held the 10 commandments (1 Kings 8:9)
    • David wanted to make a more special place for the ark of God to dwell. Nathan, the prophet, thought this sounded like a fine idea, so he gave his approval. Neither David nor Nathan consulted the Lord on this matter though.
  • Read 2 Samuel 7:4-7.
    • God didn’t want a permanent temple at this time, and He didn’t want David to be the one to build it (1 Chronicles 22:8, 28:3). But God had a promise he wanted Nathan to share with David.
  • Read 2 Samuel 7:8-17.
    • Talk about it.
      • God reminded David that He had been with David and had helped him every step of the way, from his time as a shepherd to the times he was defeating his enemies.
      • He promised to make David’s name great and to give David rest from his enemies.
      • He promised that one of David’s sons would be king and that he would build a house (temple) for God.
      • He promised David that his throne would be established forever.
    • Which son of David’s ended up becoming the next king after David died? Solomon
    • God had a bigger plan in mind when he was making these promises to David. Do you know another King that came from David’s family line? JESUS, the Messiah, came from David’s family and His throne and His Kingdom have no end! (Luke 1:31-33)
    • David was so grateful and amazed that God would reveal all of this to him. He prayed to God and praised Him.
  • Read 2 Samuel 7:18, 21-22, 25-26, 28-29.
    • What are some things David said about God?
    • David prayed that God would fulfill the promises He made so that God’s name would be magnified (be made known for all to see) through them.
  • Activity Idea
    • Collect items from outside (grass, leaves, bark, bugs, flowers, etc.) and look at them under a magnifying glass.
    • What happens when you look at an object under a magnifying glass?
    • David prayed for God’s name to be magnified forever (1 Samuel 7:26). What does this mean?
  • Song
    • “Christ Be Magnified” by Cody Carnes

Day 5-David Was Not a Perfect King

  • Pray.
  • Practice Psalm 23.
    • If you have been making a Psalm 23 book, complete the last page.
  • Even though David was a good king, he was still human. What do we know about every human? We all ______. (Romans 3:23)
  • Read or tell in your own words 2 Samuel 11. Note: This chapter deals with mature content.
    • Read the last sentence of 2 Samuel 11. How did God feel about what David had done?
  • Read 2 Samuel 12:1-4. God sent Nathan to David to tell him a story that would help David understand his sin.
  • Read 2 Samuel 12:5-6.
    • What does David think about this situation that Nathan describes?
  • Read 2 Samuel 12:7-11a, 13.
    • After all that David had done wrong, what did he do right? (verse 13)
    • How do we see God’s grace?
    • God forgave David’s sin, but the consequences of the sin remained.
      • The baby that was born to Bathsheba got very sick and died. (2 Samuel 12:14-19)
      • David’s family experienced many violent deaths. (2 Samuel 13:28-29, 2 Samuel 18:14-15, 1 Kings 2:24-25)
      • David received evil from his own family. (2 Samuel 13:1-14, 2 Samuel 13:28-29, 2 Samuel 15:1-12)
  • Psalm 51 is a psalm that David wrote after Nathan confronted him about his sin.
    • Read Psalm 51:1-3, 6, 10-11, 17
    • Later he wrote Psalm 32, which speaks of God’s forgiveness and David’s trust in God.
  • David was a good leader for the people, he was a shepherd to them and led them in the ways of the Lord. But, as we saw today, he wasn’t perfect.
  • Next week we will read about Jesus-the Good Shepherd.