David Was Anointed and Fought Goliath
Today’s story is a pretty familiar one, but do you really know what this story teaches us about God? The story your kids heard today is the story of David being anointed as the next king of Israel and his little battle with a very tall man, Goliath. David was the youngest of eight sons. After God had rejected Saul as king, God sent Samuel to find the next king of Israel. God directed Samuel where to find him and when Samuel came to the family of Jesse, he looked on the eldest son and thought surely this was God’s anointed one. God directed Samuel in the right way and soon it was revealed that David—the shepherd boy out in the field with the sheep—would be the next king.
David was anointed by Samuel, and soon Saul was being tormented by a spirit that could only be calmed by music. It so happened that David was skilled at playing the harp, and he was ushered into the king’s presence to calm his spirit with the harp music. David got to serve in the court of Saul as a young man, and learn the ropes of running a kingdom. Soon David was taking food to his brothers and ran across a battle line with a giant named Goliath. David heard Goliath disrespecting God and decided to battle the giant himself. Saul, who had all but given up on Israel, agreed to let David fight the battle. David took five smooth stones—and the power of the one and only God—and defeated the giant in the name of the Lord!
Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, was quite a formidable opponent. The Philistines had oppressed the Israelites from way back when the judges were leading the nation. (Remember Samson?) God gave David the power to kill the giant and free the Israelites from the Philistine oppression. David is a reminder to us of Jesus, who came to save us from our greatest enemies: sin and death. Jesus provides not only salvation, but also grants us eternal life.
David Was Anointed and Fought Goliath
1 Samuel 16–17
Saul was not going to be king of Israel anymore. He had disobeyed God. Israel needed a new king, a better king. God told Samuel to visit a man in Bethlehem named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons, and one of them would be Israel’s king.
Samuel did what God told him to do. He went to Bethlehem to meet with Jesse and his sons. Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab, was tall and handsome.
“This must be the one God chose to be king,” Samuel thought.
“Samuel, he’s not the one,” God said. “Do not pay attention to what he looks like. You look at what you can see on the outside, but I see the heart.”
One by one, Jesse’s sons approached Samuel, but God had not chosen any of them.
“Do you have any more sons?” Samuel asked.
“Yes,” Jesse said. “My youngest son, David, is in the field taking care of the sheep.” Jesse sent for David. When David arrived, God told Samuel, “He’s the one!”
Samuel poured oil on David’s head and the Spirit of the Lord was with David. Then Samuel went back home.
The Spirit of the Lord was not with Saul anymore. In fact, Saul was bothered by an evil spirit. Saul’s servants suggested Saul find someone who could play the harp. Hearing beautiful music might make Saul feel better when the evil spirit bothered him. One of Saul’s officials knew just the person to play the harp—David, son of Jesse. David came to Saul and whenever Saul felt troubled, David played his harp and Saul felt better.
At this time, Israel’s enemies, the Philistines, got ready for war.
They were going to attack a town in Judah. King Saul got his army ready to fight. The Israelites camped on one hill while the Philistines camped on another. There was a valley between them.
The Philistines had a great warrior named Goliath. At 9 feet 9 inches tall, Goliath was their hero. Goliath shouted at the Israelites, “Why are you lined up, ready for battle? Send me your best man, and we’ll fight one-on-one.” But none of the Israelites wanted to fight Goliath. They were afraid of him.
Jesse’s three oldest sons were part of the Israelite army camped on
a hill. Jesse sent David to check on his brothers and to give them something to eat. David saw Goliath and watched the Israelites run away in fear. David heard that Saul had offered a great reward to the man who killed Goliath, and David volunteered to fight.
“You don’t stand a chance against Goliath,” Saul argued.
“I have killed wild animals,” David explained. “God will keep me safe.”
Saul allowed David to fight Goliath. He offered his armor to David, but David could hardly move. He took off the armor and chose five smooth stones from a nearby stream. David was armed only with the stones and a slingshot.
Goliath saw David and made fun of him because he was just a boy.
“You come to fight with a spear and sword,” David replied, “but I come to fight in the name of God! You have insulted Him, and God always wins His battles!”
David ran toward Goliath. He slung a rock at Goliath, and the rock hit Goliath in the forehead. Goliath fell facedown, and David killed him without even having a sword.
Christ Connection: The Israelites were up against their toughest enemies, the Philistines. They didn’t stand a chance against Goliath, the mighty Philistine warrior. God gave David power to defeat Goliath. David reminds us of Jesus, who came to save us from our greatest enemies: sin and death. Jesus, the ultimate hero, gives us salvation and eternal life.