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Work through the confirmation Lesson below. Do the best you can on your own. If you need help, or if you get stuck send me an email, (revrichm@gmail.com), text or call me (610-401-5602). When you're done, post your answers at the bottom. When we meet next I will go over this and we'll do an exercise to have some fun with it.
King David
My
Faith Story
The BIG Question: Do
you have to have David-like courage and trust to be useful to God?
Think about a time
when you were called to do something but fell short. It may be a humorous story
or something very serious. How did you feel when you messed up? How did others
respond to your actions? Were they surprised that you made a mistake? Where was
God in all of this? Does God use imperfect people to do amazing things?
Open
the Bible
As Saul, the first
king of Israel, continues to falter as a leader, God rejects him and is now
ready to choose a new king. Read 1 Samuel 16:1–13 to see who was involved in
selecting David as the new king. There wasn't any fanfare or even a voting
process; God did the choosing and Samuel made it official.
• What does God look
at when choosing someone to serve God? (See verse 7.)
• Why would God choose
the youngest candidate and a lowly shepherd boy to be king?
• How could David be a
successful king with no leadership experience and probably no people skills
since he was living with the sheep?
Look again at 1 Samuel
16:13. David is king because God says so, and David is equipped with the Holy
Spirit to enable him to do the job. This secret anointing of David tells us
that God knows what leadership qualities David has, even though his family
doesn't recognize them.
Now, turn your Bibles
to 1 Samuel 17. This is the familiar story of David and Goliath. What do you
already know about this story? Write
down what you remember of the story on a piece of paper. Then, using the story
from chapter 17, look at your paper and fill in any gaps. This was the first of
many triumphs David had on the field of battle. Among other things, David was a
renowned soldier and leader of men in battle.
Question 1: If you
were an Israelite, how would you have reacted when young David volunteered to
challenge the giant Goliath?
Question 2: Why was it
such a big deal that David killed Goliath?
Question 3: Why do you
think the Philistine army fled once Goliath died?
Question 4: Would you
follow David after witnessing this miracle?
When David first
became king, it was of the small southern tribe of Judah. Read about that in 2
Samuel 2:1–7. Next read 2 Samuel 5:1–10. What's happening in these verses? This
is the second time David has become king. This is the first time that people in
the lands of both Judah (Southern Kingdom) and Israel (Northern Kingdom) have
recognized the same leader. This shows not only how God's people desired unity
but also how well liked David was. In a shrewd political move, David makes the
city of Jerusalem the capital of the united kingdom, making the city both the
center of power for the nation and the religious center for the people of God.
Question 5: Who are
some leaders today who strive for unity?
Question 6: Why is it
important for the people of God to be unified?
Lutheran Study Bible
page 2103: On the "United Kingdom of Israel" map, you can see how
David expanded the kingdom from what was originally Saul's kingdom. Locate
Jerusalem on the map. If you also locate Jerusalem on the "Kingdoms of
Israel and Judah" map on page 2105, you can see that the city, even though
in the Southern Kingdom, was close to the border with the Northern Kingdom.
David's decision to make Jerusalem the religious center when uniting the two
kingdoms was a wise one.
With a new king of
Israel, the nation experienced peace. God made a promise to David, telling him
that someone from his family would always be king and that his son would be the
one to build a temple for God. Read about this promise in 2 Samuel 7:1–17. This
promise will be a lasting promise. Read Isaiah 9:6–7. God's promise comes up again
in these verses. This time it is the promise of a new king coming from the
family of David, the promise of a Savior, the Prince of Peace.
Open
the Catechism
To learn of
confession, we will go as a group in to our church and kneel down—at the
communion rail, on kneelers found in the pews, or on the floor. Those who are
unable to kneel can sit or stand. The act of confessing our sins while kneeling
is an ancient practice that is not commonly used today. But confession is still
important for us just as it was for David when he sinned and needed God's
forgiveness.
Student Book page 306:
Read together "How people are to be taught to confess" to learn what
Martin Luther had to say about confession. Read the three questions and the
answers. Invite questions from the students and emphasize the importance of
their personal, private confession and public confession and absolution in
church.
Cartoon
Connection
Question 7: What’s the double meaning in the title of the cartoon?
Question 8: David had
many skills besides stand-up comedy. What were some of them?
Question 9: What
qualities of leadership did David have?
Life
Connection
Whether we realize it or not, we have talents and abilities that
can be put to use right here in our church. Think of ways you can use your
gifts to assist in an upcoming worship service. You could perform a skit, sing
a song, play instrumental music, read the lessons, be an usher, serve food,
greet people as they enter worship, or many other things. Pick one,
and know that God is using you to do amazing things.
Quiz Show
1. David was
named king after __________ ruled.
a. Solomon
b. Saul
c. Paul
d. Nathan
2. David's
relatives included . . .
a. Jesus, Ruth, and Abraham.
b. Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
c. Paul, Timothy, and Nathan.
c. Groucho, Harpo, and Chico.
3. David
grew up as the son of . . .
a. a poor Bethlehem farmer.
b. a wealthy landowner.
c. the king of Judah.
d. Saul.
4. David
became well-known early in his life because . . .
a. he was a man of large physical size and
strength.
b. he killed the giant Goliath.
c. he was an excellent weapons maker.
d. he was a great musician.
5. One of
David's friends was the prophet . . .
a. Jeremiah.
b. Ezra.
c. Isaiah
d. Nathan.
6. David was
king of . . .
a. Judah.
b. Israel.
c. both Judah and Israel.
d. Finland.
7. David
felt it was important to bring __________ to Jerusalem.
a. the finest meat and bread
b. the weapons of the whole nation
c. the Ark of the Covenant
d. Noah's ark
8. The story
of David reminds us that . . .
a. God only loves perfect people.
b. God has a hard time forgiving people
when they mess up.
c. not everyone is cut out to be a leader.
d. God uses imperfect people to do amazing
things.
