(All material is original to the author with the exception of songs and activities which have been borrowed from various sources. All studies are free for public use.)
God Will Defeat My Giants
Scripture Reference: I Samuel 17:45
Related Scripture Reference: I Samuel 17
(Compiled and written by Martin W. Wiles)
Objectives: To teach children that God is bigger and more powerful than any giant they will ever face.
Say: Today, we will study a very familiar story—the account of David and Goliath. How many of you have heard this story before? David’s giant was an actual person, but some of our giants may be things other than people. (Choose one child to tell their account of the story. Then let other children fill in details the first child may have overlooked. Pay attention to the details of the story so you can correct any mistakes.)
Say: (Write the following verse on paper and display it where the children can easily see it.) Let’s say our memory verse together. David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.” (I Samuel 17:45 NLT)
Reflection: Ask the children if they have ever seen a giant. (Goliath was a giant but not in the sense some of the children may imagine. He was simply a tall man and not the type of giant they may have seen portrayed on television shows or video games.) There are no evil giants, but there are some people who are very tall. Have the children think of things other than people or animals that could be giants. As a teacher, you may have to help them with suggestions.
If you had a sickness the doctors couldn’t cure, it would be a giant.
When someone is born blind and there is nothing the doctors can do to restore their sight, this is a giant.
When children have moms and dads who fuss and fight or who divorce, this can be a giant.
When you have a teacher at school that you might not particularly like and you have to keep going to class anyway, this can be a giant.
If you have trouble making good grades in school even though you study hard, this may be a giant.
If you have classmates who make fun of you for some reason—perhaps because you go to church and try to do the right thing, this can be a giant.
If you want to do something in church but are afraid, this can be a giant.
Bible Story Time:
Be prepared to tell the children the story of David and Goliath:
David was a young shepherd boy who tended his father’s sheep and also played music when King Saul got upset. David had seven brothers, three of whom served in King Saul’s army that was fighting their enemies the Philistines. One day Jesse told David to take some food to his brothers and also check to see how they were doing.
When David found his brothers, he discovered that they, King Saul, and all the army of Israel were frightened. The Philistines had a giant fighting for them. Every morning and evening, this giant named Goliath would come out and make fun of God’s people. He would tell them if they could find a man to defeat him then his people would serve the Israelites. But no one was brave enough to face him—until young David came along.
Not only did Goliath make fun of the frightened Israelites, he also made fun of God. As David was giving the food to his brothers, he heard this giant making fun of God, and he got angry. He wanted to know who he thought he was that he could laugh at God like he was doing. David told his brothers he wanted to go fight him. David’s brothers laughed at him and told him to go back home and tend to his sheep, but David refused. He went to King Saul and told him he wanted to fight Goliath.
When David told King Saul what he wanted to do, Saul laughed at him too. He said, “You’re just a boy. You can’t fight a giant.” But David wasn’t dissuaded. Saul finally agreed to let him fight Goliath but told him to put on his personal armor to protect himself. Since David was just a young boy, the armor fell off. It was too large. David told Saul not to worry though. God had protected him from lions and bears, and he would protect him against this giant too.
Goliath saw this small boy walking toward him and laughed. David had nothing to fight with but a sling and some rocks he had chosen from a stream and placed in his shepherd’s bag. Goliath roared, “Am I a dog that you come at me with a stick?” He threatened to kill David and throw his body to the birds and wild animals. David wasn’t afraid though. He knew God was going to help him. And he did.
David carefully chose a stone from his bag, placed it in his sling, whirled it round and round, and let it sail through the air. His aim was perfect. The stone sank into Goliath’s head, and he fell to the ground. David ran over to Goliath, took his sword, and cut his head off. When the Philistine army saw what had happened to their hero, they ran away in fear. God’s people had won the battle by letting a young boy lead them.
Ask: What does this story teach us about facing our giants? (Possible answers are: trust God, pray to God, don’t be afraid because God is with you, always stand for what’s right no matter what, don’t worry when others make fun of you, remember God is more powerful than any giant you may face.)
Activity Break: (15 minutes)
Game: Stalking Goliath
Kids will enjoy playing this fun hunting game.
(This may have to be modified depending on the number of children present) Form pairs. Have pairs play this game one at a time. Blindfold the first pair and have the partners stand on either side of a table. Remove all the chairs from the playing area.
Designate which partner is Goliath and which partner is David.
*Say: Goliath's job is to keep away from David. David's job is to catch Goliath. You can't move away from the table at any time. But you can try to fool each other by giving false signals.
Kids who are watching will have fun, but tell them not to give any clues. When David catches Goliath, or after two minutes, let another pair play.
Transition
Let’s sing a song to remind ourselves how powerful God is.
Song:
D-A-V-I-D
(Sung to the tune of B-I-N-G-O.)
There was a boy who would be king
and David was his name-o,
D-A-V-I-D, D-A-V-I-D, D-A-V-I-D
and David was his name-o
Verse 2
There was a shepherd with his sheep
and David was his name-o,
D-A-V-I-D, D-A-V-I-D, D-A-V-I-D
and David was his name-o
Verse 3
There was a boy who killed a giant
and David was his name-o,
D-A-V-I-D, D-A-V-I-D, D-A-V-I-D
and David was his name-o
Verse 4
There was a King who wore a crown
and David was his name-o,
D-A-V-I-D, D-A-V-I-D, D-A-V-I-D
and David was his name-o
Wrap Up:
Give children a blank sheet of paper and let them draw and then color a picture of David and Goliath.
Take Away:
• Let each child tell one thing they learned from the story of David and Goliath.
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