Lesson 078
David Is Anointed King By Samuel
1 Samuel 16:1-13
MEMORY VERSE
1 S AMUEL 16:7
“For the LORD does not see as m an sees; for m an looks at
the outw ard appearanc e, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
Yarn (enough for several strips) and a bag (one that can’t be seen
through).
As many small prizes at the number of children in your class.
Red construction paper, brads (paper fasteners), markers and
scissors.
Construction paper, crayons, dry pasta in a variety of shapes and
glue.
ATTENTION GRABBER!
The Chance Game
People come up with many ways of choosing what or who is the
best for something. But God does things very differently than we
do. He goes beyond guessing and is very personal in the lives of
those He chooses to do great things for Him. In today’s lesson we
are going to learn that God looks at our hearts, not our
outward appearance.
For this activity you will need yarn and a bag. Cut the yarn into
several different sizes. Cut enough pieces so that there is one for
each child. Make sure that there is only one of the longest pieces of
yarn. Place all of the pieces into a bag and have each child pick one
string. The one with the longest string wins. Give them a small
prize.
Explain to the children that this person was selected by “chance.”
No one looked at whether he deserved to be the winner, it simply
happened. God doesn’t choose this way. He will always look at our
hearts to see if He can use us. Next, pass out small prizes to the rest
of the class for participating.
LESSON TIME!
How many of us have looked at someone else and formed an
opinion about them (good or bad) without really knowing them?
Maybe you’ve seen someone and thought “they look like a doctor
or a musician.” But you never really met them or got to know them,
you only saw them. Well our story today is a really good lesson on
how God looks at the heart and not the outward appearance.
David is often referred to as “a man after God’s own heart.” God
didn’t choose David to be a king because he looked like a king or
even acted “kingly”, He chose him rather because of his heart.
David had a heart that longed for God and desired to serve Him.
The Lord doesn’t look at these things the way we do. God looks a t
our hearts, not our outward appearance.
We need to look at others in the same way. We shouldn’t make
judgments based on what others look like. We shouldn’t make up
our minds about other people based on whether they look good on
the outside or not. The important thing to the Lord is the same
thing that should be important to us. What is in our hearts? Let’s
learn how God looks into our hearts!
1 S AM U E L 1 6 : 1
N ow t he LOR D said t o S am u el, "How long w ill you
m ou rn f or S au l, seeing I hav e rej ec t ed him f rom
r ei gn i n g o v er Is r ael ? Fi l l y o u r h o r n w i t h o i l , an d go ; I
am send ing you t o J esse t he Bet hlehem it e. For I hav e
p rov id ed M yself a k ing am ong his sons
This passage opens with Samuel mourning, or being sad over the
Lord’s rejection of Saul as king over Israel. The Lord spoke to
Samuel and said to him, “How long will you mourn for Saul?” Then
the Lord gave him an assignment. God tells Samuel that he has
provided a king for Israel among the sons of Jesse. He tells Samuel
to fill his horn with oil and go to the House of Israel.
God had rejected Saul as king because he refused to repent, he
would not confess his sin and turn back to God. God had used
Samuel to confront Saul with his sin, but Saul would not make a
heart change. Samuel was grieved at seeing Saul fail. Saul was a
leader chosen by God and yet he had hardened his heart against
the Lord.
God looks at our hearts, not our outward
appearance.
In the midst of Samuel’s mourning over Saul, the Lord gave Samuel
more to do. In essence God was saying, “Samuel, I’ve rejected Saul
but I’m not through yet.” The Lord wanted to keep Samuel busy
serving Him and focused on what He was going to do next.
1 S AM U E L 1 6 : 2 , 3
An d S a m u e l s a i d , " H o w c a n I g o ? I f S a u l h e a r s i t , h e
w i l l k i l l m e . " An d t h e L O R D s a i d , " T a k e a h e i f e r w i t h
you , and say, 'I hav e c om e t o sac rif ic e t o t he LOR D .'
"Then inv it e J esse t o t he sac rif ic e, and I w ill show
you w hat you shall d o; you shall anoint f or M e t he
one I nam e t o you ."
Samuel asks “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” Notice
that Samuel doesn’t respond right away in obedience to go. He was
concerned with the danger or risk involved if Saul were to find out.
He was worried that Saul would kill him. But the Lord promised to
lead Samuel through the difficult situation and that He would
show him what to do.
God never asks us to do something that He won’t lead us through.
Sometimes it may seem like what He is asking us to do is really
difficult (just like Samuel) but God promises Samuel and us that
He will be with us and show us what to do. The Bible promises that
He will never leave us or forsake us. We can rest in that, no matter
what we are asked to do.
1 S AM U E L 1 6 : 4 , 5
S o S am u el d id w hat t he LOR D said , and w ent t o
B e t h l e h e m . An d t h e e l d e r s o f t h e t o w n t r e m b l e d a t
h i s c o m i n g, an d s ai d , "D o y o u c o m e p eac eabl y ?"
An d h e s a i d , " P e a c e a b l y ; I h a v e c o m e t o s a c r i f i c e t o
t he LOR D . S anc t if y you rselv es, and c om e w it h m e t o
t he sac rif ic e." Then he c onsec rat ed J esse and his
sons, and inv it ed t hem t o t he sac rif ic e.
Samuel did what the Lord said and he went to Bethlehem. The
Lord had given Samuel a legitimate reason for going so that he
would not attract attention. He told Samuel to go and make a
sacrifice and invite Jesse to the sacrifice and the Lord would show
Samuel whom to anoint.
Samuel was a well known prophet and so it was probably a concern
for him that he would attract attention and people may question
why he was in Bethlehem. It says that the elders of the town
trembled at his coming. It was a heavy thing when Samuel came
into town.
1 S AM U E L 1 6 : 6 , 7
S o i t w as , w h e n t h e y c am e , t h at h e l o o k e d at El i ab
an d s ai d , "S u r el y t h e Lor d 's an oi n t ed i s bef or e Hi m ."
Bu t t he LOR D said t o S am u el, "D o not look at his
ap p ear an c e o r at t h e h ei gh t o f h i s s t at u r e, bec au s e I
hav e ref u sed him . For t he Lord d oes not see as m an
s ees ; f or m an l ook s at t h e ou t w ar d ap p ear an c e, bu t
t he LOR D look s at t he heart ."
Samuel looked at Eliab (David’s older brother) and said to himself,
“Surely this must be the Lord’s anointed one.” But the Lord said to
Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature
because I have refused him.”
When Samuel saw Eliab he was must have been very “kingly
looking” and Samuel thought he must be the one. He chose him
based upon his outward appearance. He had his own idea of what a
leader should look like and yet he overlooked the heart. Samuel
was spiritually mature and yet he made a mistake. God corrected
Samuel’s mistake and tells him, “Don’t look at his outward
appearance.”
God looks at our hearts, not our outward
appearance.
Inside The Heart
You will need red construction paper for this craft. Allow each
child to do the following. Fold two pieces of red construction
paper in half. Cut out 2 large hearts. Take 1 heart, fold and cut in
1/2. On the whole heart, write the memory verse. Take the heart
that is cut in half and set the two halves on top of the whole heart.
Punch a hole at the bottom, and use a brad (paper fastener) to hold
the pieces in place. Have the children write their name on the
outside pieces. Explain that God can see inside of our hearts. Talk
about some things that they would like the Lord to see inside of
their heart. What kinds of things do they think was in David’s
heart?
Remind the children that God looks at our hearts. No matter how
we or someone else acts on the outside, the most important thing is
what is in our hearts.
1 S AM U E L 1 6 : 8 - 1 1
S o J e s s e c a l l e d Ab i n a d a b , a n d m a d e h i m p a s s b e f o r e
S a m u e l . An d h e s a i d , " N e i t h e r h a s t h e L O R D c h o s e n
this one."
T h e n J e s s e m a d e S h a m m a h p a s s b y . An d
"N eit her has t he LOR D c hosen t his one."
he
said ,
T h u s J es s e m ad e s ev en of h i s s on s p as s bef or e
S a m u e l . An d S a m u e l s a i d t o J e s s e , " T h e L O R D h a s n o t
c hosen these."
An d S a m u e l s a i d t o J e s s e , " Ar e a l l t h e y o u n g m e n
h ere?"
Then
he said , "There rem ains
yet
the
y o u n g e s t , a n d t h e r e h e i s , k e e p i n g t h e s h e e p . " An d
S am u el s ai d t o J es s e, "S en d an d br i n g h i m . For w e
w ill not sit d ow n till he c om es here."
After Eliab was rejected, Jesse called each of his sons to pass before
Samuel and each time one passed by Samuel said, “neither has the
Lord chosen this one.” Jesse had seven of his sons pass before
Samuel but none of them was the one that God had chosen. Then
Samuel asked Jesse “Are these all of your sons?” Jesse answered
Samuel by telling him that there still remained his youngest son
who was out keeping his sheep. Samuel asked Jesse to send for
him and he even said, “We will not sit down until he comes.”
You would think that after all of Jesse’s sons had passed by Samuel
and he had not anointed any of them that Jesse would speak up
and say, “Oh, well it must be David.” But he doesn’t. In fact, it’s
Samuel who breaks the silence and asks Jesse if there is another
son. Maybe Jesse never figured that his son David could be a king
because he was young, or not as talented as his brothers.
It is interesting to study the people that God chooses. He rarely
chooses the powerful, the beautiful, or the naturally talented ones.
He often chooses the weak and the outcast to do amazing things for
Him. He even chooses young boys and girls who have a heart to
serve Him and are willing to obey Him. God looks at our hearts,
not our outward appearance.
1 S AM U E L 1 6 : 1 2 , 1 3
S o h e s en t an d br o u gh t h i m i n . N o w h e w as r u d d y ,
w i t h b r i g h t e y e s , a n d g o o d - l o o k i n g . An d t h e L O R D
s a i d , " Ar i s e , a n o i n t h i m ; f o r t h i s i s t h e o n e !"
Then S am u el t ook t he horn of oil and anoint ed him
i n t h e m i d s t of h i s br ot h er s ; an d t h e S p i r i t of t h e
LOR D c am e u p on D av id f rom t hat d ay f orw ard . S o
S am u el arose and w ent t o R am ah.
When David was brought before Samuel the Lord told Samuel that
he was the one and to anoint him, so Samuel took the horn of oil
and anointed David in the presence of his brothers; and the Spirit
of the Lord came upon David from that day on.
David was considered just a little sheepherder but God saw his
heart. David had been faithful with the little things appointed to
him, the sheep. And God gave him more; He made him a ruler over
His people. David may have been just a sheepherder and a boy, but
he did his very best with what was entrusted to him. The two
things that made David a great king were 1) his heart was right
before God, and 2) he was filled with the Holy Spirit. God looks a t
our hearts, not our outward appearance.
Pasta People
For this craft you will need construction paper, crayons, dry pasta
in a variety of shapes and glue. Give each child a piece of
construction paper. Allow the children to draw a person on their
paper. Then glue different shapes of pasta on his figure to make
clothes, hair, arms, legs, feet and so on.
After each child has made their “Pasta Person” talk about the
following. Who made people? Who were the people in our story?
What happened? Tell some ways in which people look different.
Sometimes we decide what a person is like by looking at the
outside. What does God look at? How are you like other people in
your family? How are you different?
PRAYER
Lead the children in a prayer of commitment to search their own
hearts to make sure that they are right before the Lord and when
they look at others, to make sure to look at the heart and not at
outward appearances. If there are any children who have not yet
responded to the gospel, give them opportunity to do so.