Sunday School Lesson for March 29, 2020

The Anointing of King David

Video

Song

Craft

Craft

Discussion Starters

• What qualities do you think make someone a good leader? List as many as you can think of.
• Are these the same qualities you look for in a friend? Why or why not?
• Are these the same qualities you try to have? Why or why not?
• What qualities make someone a bad leader? List as many as you can think of.
• Would these qualities also make someone a bad friend? Why or why not?
• Is everyone meant to be a leader? Why or why not?
• What responsibilities does a leader have?

When the people of Israel had been living in the Promised Land for a few generations, they decided that they wanted a king. God warned them that kings would cause all kinds of trouble for them, but they didn’t believe him. God chose a man named Saul to be the first king of Israel. He looked just like the people thought a king should look. He was tall and handsome. He looked powerful and in charge. But before long, he decided that being king meant he did not have to obey God. So God decided it was time to choose another king for his people.

Read 1 Samuel 16:1-5

• What did God ask Samuel?
• What was Samuel afraid of?
• What did God tell him to say?
• Do you think Samuel had reason to be afraid?
• What do you think would happen if you started traveling around the country saying you were looking for the next president? Not someone to run in the next election, but someone to replace the current president?

Read Samuel 16:6-13

• How many sons did Jesse have?
• What did God say when Samuel wanted to anoint the oldest son?
• How many sons did Samuel go through before God showed him which one was to be king?
• What made this son so special?  

                 Sometimes when we are picking out who should be leaders or who we want to follow, we look at the wrong things. Maybe we want to be around the person who is the cutest or the smartest or the best at sports or has the best games. Maybe we want to be around people who will do stuff to help us. We don’t always know what kinds of leaders would be best, and neither did Samuel.

                But God knew what kind of king Israel needed and he knew who he wanted. David wasn’t the oldest son and he wasn’t the most handsome and he wasn’t the tallest. He was just a young kid when the Lord chose him. And sometimes he wasn’t a very good king at all. But David trusted God. No matter what else was going on and no matter how many things he did wrong, he always remembered that the Lord was the one in charge. God gave David the kind of faith he needed to be a good king.

                God gives you the kind of faith you need to be one of his people too. He didn’t pick you out because you were the best at everything. He picked you because he loves you, and once he picked you he gave you all the faith you need to be his child.