LESSON 5: DAVID AND GOLIATH
Lesson 5 – David and Goliath
Jacob, the son of Isaac, came back from Padan Aram. God blessed him and named him ‘Israel.’ So, the generations of Jacob came to be known as Israelites.
Once the Philistines gathered their army together to battle against the Israelites. The men of Israel, under the guidance of Saul, made camps in the Valley of Elah. The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and the Israelites stood on a mountain on the other side with a valley in between them.
A champion came out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet, bronze coat of mail, bronze armor on his legs, and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.
He cried out to the armies of Israel, “Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he can fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”
When Saul and all of Israel heard these words, they were discouraged, hopeless, and very afraid. Goliath came for forty days — morning and evening. This was the time when David, the son of Jesse from Judah, came looking for his three brothers who came for the battle. He heard what Goliath said and asked, “For who is he to defy the armies of the living God?”
When Saul found out about this, he sent for David. David told Saul about an incident where he killed a lion and a bear to save a lamb. “I shall fight him. The Lord delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear. He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Seeing his belief in God, Saul agreed to let David fight with Goliath. He said, “Go, and may the Lord be with you!” Saying this, Saul gave David his armor and put a bronze helmet on his head. David was not used to using these items, so it was difficult for him to even walk, so he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, picked up five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag that he had. He took his sling and walked towards the Philistine. After looking at David, Goliath asked, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?”
Hearing this David said to Goliath, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. All the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. For the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
David ran towards the Philistine. He took out a stone from his bag, slung it, and struck Goliath’s forehead. The stone sank into Goliath’s forehead and he fell on his face to the earth. David then ran to Goliath and stood over him. He took his sword, drew it out of the sheath, and cut off Goliath’s head. When they saw that their champion was dead, the Philistines fled. David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem. As they were coming home, the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.
Note to Teachers:
- David was strengthened by his unshakable belief in God, which he used to defeat the champion Goliath.
- The students should understand that this unshakable belief must be there in each one of us which will help us overcome the tests of Satan.
