Theme: David the songwriter.
Scripture: 2 Samuel 22
Main Point: Sing! God is worthy of our praise!
Supplies: Rock star outfit, Poster board (with song written out), Markers, Index cards (with verses on them)
Lesson Overview
Teachers: Take this lesson, study it, and make it your own. Allow the truths of the Scripture to sink into your own heart. Know what you are saying and say it with confidence. Repeat the main point over and over again.
Main Point: Sing! God is worthy of our praise! (Have the kids hold out a hand and open their mouth wide like they are hitting a high note.) Repeat this over and over again. Get the kids to say it with you. This should be the one thing that the kids remember from the day.
I. Introduce It – David was a master songwriter. Get the kids thinking about writing songs by doing a mad lib together.
II. Explain It – Take this time to allow the kids to split into groups and act out David’s songs for each other.
III. Connect It – Why should we sing to God? In response to who he is and what he’s done for us. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit deserves our praise.
Introduce It
If you’re comfortable with it, you may want to dress up like a rock star for this lesson (sunglasses, tighter blue jeans, guitar, scarf – even though it’s hot, ironic t-shirt, etc.).
Hello everybody! Can anyone guess who I’m dressed up like? I’m a rock star! I write my own songs and I sing them loud! Does anybody know who was a rock star in the Bible? Believe it or not, David was kind of like a rock star in 1000BC.
Who can tell me some of the amazing things that we have learned that David did? (He was chosen by Samuel, he defeated Goliath, he delivered the ark, he asked for God’s forgiveness.) Today we’re going to learn that David was a great songwriter.
The main point of today’s story is Sing! God is worthy of our praise!
Let’s write our own song – using a mad lib. A “mad lib” is a story or song that you get to help write one word at a time. So you guys give me words, and then I’ll sing the song for you guys. Write the song on poster board and then show it to the kids after you get all the words from them. Write the words on the poster board if possible. Younger grades may need help with their parts of speech. Don’t tell them it’s Jingle Bells until after you get the words from them.
Actual lyrics to help you remember how to sing it:
Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bob tails ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to laugh and sing
A sleighing song tonight
Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Get the Kids to come up with the following types of words:
Action ending in “ing”:
Plural Thing:
Number:
Animal:
Place:
Action ending in “ing”:
Plural Body Part:
Color:
Action:
Action:
Food:
Animal Sound ending in “ing”:
___________________ through the __________.
(Action ending in “ing”) (plural thing)
In a _______ ______ open sleigh
(number) (animal)
O’er _____we go
(place)
___________________ all the way
(Action ending in “ing”)
Bells on _____________ ring.
(Plural body part)
Making spirits _____.
(color)
What fun it is to _____ and _____.
(action) (action)
A sleighing song tonight.
Oh, jingle ____, jingle ____.
(food) (food)
_________________________ all the way.
(Animal sound ending in “ing”)
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a _______ ______open sleigh
(number) (animal)
Jingle ____, jingle _____.
(food) (food)
_________________________ all the way.
(Animal sound ending in “ing”)
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a _______ ______open sleigh
(number) (animal)
Explain It
At the end of David’s life, he wrote a song about how God had delivered him from all his enemies. We’re going to act this song out together.
Split the kids into groups. Ideally, you will have one adult leader in each group, but some groups may share an adult leader. Hand each group an index card with several verses of 1 Samuel 22 on it. Each group is to have one member read the card while the other members act out what the card says. At the end they should all say the tag line together. Allow the teams 5 minutes to devise the skit and then have all the groups share with each other.
Card 1:
v. 2-4: The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior –
from violent men you save me
I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise,
And I am saved from my enemies
All together: Sing! God is strong!
Card 2:
v. 5-7: The waves of death swirled about me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave coiled around me;
The snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called to the LORD;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
My cry came to his ears.
All together: Sing! God hears our prayers!
Card 3:
v. 8-16: The earth trembled and quaked,
the foundations of the heavens shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
Consuming fire came from his mouth,
Burning coals blazed out of it.
He parted the heavens and came down;
Dark clouds were under his feet.
He mounted the cherubim and flew;
He soared on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his canopy around him –
The dark rain clouds of the sky.
Out of the brightness of his presence
Bolts of lightning blazed forth.
The LORD thundered from heaven;
The voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot arrows and scattered the enemies,
Bolts of lightning and routed them.
The valleys of the sea were exposed
And the foundations of the earth laid bare
At the rebuke of the LORD,
At the blast of breath from his nostrils.
All together: Sing! God defeats His enemies!
Card 4:
v. 17-20
He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
He drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
From my foes, who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
But the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place;
He rescued me because he delighted in me.
All together: Sing! God loves to rescue people.
Card 5:
v. 31-37
As for God, his way is perfect;
The word of the LORD is flawless.
He is a shield
For all who take refuge in him.
For who is God besides the LORD?
And who is the Rock except our God?
It is God who arms me with strength
And makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
He enables me to stand on the heights.
He trains my hands for battle;
My arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You give me your shield of victory;
You stoop down to make me great.
You broaden the path beneath me,
So that my ankles do not turn.
All together: Sing! God’s Word guides me!
Card 6:
v. 47-51
The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior!
He is the God who avenges me,
Who puts the nations under me,
Who sets me free from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
From violent men you rescued me.
Therefore I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations;
I will sing praises to you name.
He gives his king great victories;
He shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,
To David and his descendants forever.
All together: Sing! Tell all the nations about our God!
Connect It
The main point for today is Sing! God is worthy of our praise!
Our memory verse for the day says it like this:
Psalm 96:2– “Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.”
In the song we just acted out, David wrote about how God had rescued him from some really hard situations. Have you ever been in a tough situation? You should turn to God like David did.
Why should we sing to God? (Allow for answers) We should sing to God because he is amazing and he does amazing things! He deserves our singing! We don’t just sing because it’s fun, but we sing in response to who God is and what he’s done. Let’s say that together: We sing because of who God is and what he’s done.
Can anyone tell me what the most amazing thing we can praise God for is? We can praise God for Jesus! Jesus is God. He came to earth as a man and lived a perfect life. Then he died the death of a sinner—a horrible terrible death by hanging on the cross. But on the third day he rose from the dead! This is the death that we deserve to die! By believing in Jesus God Gives us new life! Sing! God is praiseworthy!
Written by: Fletcher Lang
Resources: ESV Study Bible, Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible
