NBC Sunday School Manual For December 10, 2023 :Topic – THE FAITH OF DAVID.
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SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR YOUR PREPARATION
NBC SUNDAY SCHOOL OUTLINE
Theme for the Month: “PROFILE OF FAITH.”
DATE: SUNDAY, 10TH DECEMBER, 2023.
TOPIC: THE FAITH OF DAVID.
Devotional Reading: Psalm 27.
Background Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:1-58.
Lesson Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:31-37, 45, 48-50.
GOLDEN TEXT: “The LORD who rescue me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of the Philistines.” 1 Samuel 17:37a
OBJECTIVES:
By the end of the lesson, class members should be able to:
● Discuss David’s courageous trust in God against Goliath who trusted in his power;
● Compare and contrast the act of expressing one’s faith in God and the display of arrogance;
● Demonstrate their faith in God by facing life’s challenges with confidence like David.
INTRODUCTION:
Grandpa was a good story teller. The last time we visited him in the village, he told us a story about the way marriage choices were made in the olden days. He said once in a year, young ladies of marriageable age will be presented by the head of the community and men will combat in order to qualify to marry any of the ladies presented. At the end of the fight, the winner will be regarded as a suitable suitor as he makes his choice among the ladies. Similarly, wars in ancient times were sometimes decided by representatives who would engage in a combat whereby champions from each side would fight. The result of the fight usually determines the winner of the battle while the defeated party automatically become slaves to the other party. Perhaps this was the genesis of the fight between the Israelites and the Philistines. While the Philistines gathered their forces for war and encamped at Sokoh in Judah, King Saul and the Israelites encamped in the valley of Elah with a valley between them. The Philistine’s champion named Goliath was ten feet tall, fully armed and well trained for battle. He was filled with disdain for the Israelites and the God of Israel. Even though Goliath’s terror demoralised the Israelites’ army, David was ready to engage him in a battle. He was confident in his God as Goliath was scornful of God’s people.
Today’s lesson focuses on the faith of David and the victory God gave His people, Israel, over Goliath through him. His victory thrilled the nation of Israel and eventually, he became the king’s son in-law according to the promise he had earlier made (v. 25), and the nation’s popular hero.
✍️ THE LESSON EXPLAINED…
A. DAVID VOLUNTEERS TO FIGHT:
[1 Samuel 17:31-37]
The Philistines had been in constant opposition to the Israelites. They were neighbouring nations yet, they longed for offences against Israel probably because of their expertise to fight and win battles. This caused Goliath’s arrogant, threatening, rude and irreverent attitude towards God and the Israelites. For 40 days, Goliath called out, to taunt King Saul and the Israelites asking for a fight (1 Samuel 17:8-17). Unfortunately, no one could match Goliath’s intimidation and threat except David even though he was discouraged by King Saul because of the age difference, body size and Goliath’s expertise. In spite of the seemingly differences, David volunteered to engage the Philistine giant in a battle. When his persistence was reported to King Saul, he discouraged him and said, ‘You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth’ (v. 33). Supposedly, David was naive, ignorant though patriotic about saving his people Israel from the hands of the Philistines and Goliath in particular.
The contrast King Saul made between David and Goliath is clear in the passage. While David was quite a young man who was inexperienced in war, Goliath had been a warrior from his youthful days. Nevertheless, the differences did not reduce David’s confidence to continue with the fight. Even though King Saul presumed that he does not have what it takes to fight Goliath, he was confident of winning the battle. Unknown to King Saul, David had been equipped and empowered by God the One in whom he puts his trust (v. 37a). Therefore, his desire to fight with Goliath was not based on patriotism or family loyalty but his faith in God and love for his people. David’s volunteer and passion to defend his people, the Israelites from the Philistines should serve as encouragement to us as believers on the need to always defend our faith without necessarily engaging in physical battle. We should be ready to speak, pray when necessary with the assurance that God will give us victory over our enemies.
DISCUSSION TIME:
1. How can Christians build their faith and courage in order to gain victory in times of difficulty like David in the passage?
2. What exactly was David’s source of courage to fight Goliath in verse 32?
B. DAVID’S TESTIMONY AND FAITH:
[1 Samuel 17:34-37, 45]
The words of elders are words of wisdom. King Saul’s counsel to David not to engage Goliath in a fight was necessitated by two reasons: his age and Goliath’s long experience in wars (v. 33). Interestingly, instead of David to be discouraged and probably withdraw, he became more courageous and ready to fight. In verses 34-35, David recounted his past victories of how he killed both lion and bear with his bare hands in order to convince the fearful Israelites. He said to them,’…this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the Living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of the Philistines’ (v.36). King Saul marveled at his confidence and faith in God to rescue his people. Therefore, he prayed for him and said, “Go, and the Lord be with you” (v. 37b).
David’s courage and faith in God to defeat Goliath together with the prayer of King Saul were key instruments for winning the battle against Goliath. His confession in verse 37 suggests that even though it was a difficult task to engage Goliath in a battle, he believed that by God’s enabling power, he will be victorious. He expressed faith in God for victory while Goliath was boastful, and arrogant about his professionalism. Goliath felt humiliated and was further angered by Israel’s choice of David to engage him in a battle considering his appearance and age (v. 42). The lesson is a reminder of the power of faith in God and the need to share testimonies of God’s faithfulness in our lives. As believers, we should know that sometimes, our past experiences of God’s faithfulness and miracles can be vital instruments for handling the present difficulty. However, we should not be boastful, feel self-important or impress others rather, we should aim at glorifying God and edifying other believers through our testimonies and past victories.
DISCUSSION TIME:
1. Discuss the benefit of sharing testimony of God’s faithfulness among brethren.
2. Differentiate between boasting in our physical strength and having genuine trust in God to overcome challenges.
C. DAVID DEFEATS GOLIATH:
[1 Samuel 17:48-50]
David was prepared to engage Goliath in a battle. He took his staff, five smooth stones from the stream, a sling in his hands and approached the Philistine (v. 40). Goliath looked at David and saw that he was little more than a boy, so he despised him. He said to him in anger, ‘Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?’ and he cursed David by his gods (vv. 42-43). However, David’s expression in verses 45 to 47 suggests that he trusted in God to win the battle. Interestingly, he was strategic and proactive in his plan to attack Goliath. As the philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly towards the battle line to meet him. He reached into his bag and brought out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. Immediately, Goliath fell face down on the ground and David stood over him, took hold of the Philistine’s sword, killed him and cut off his head.
David’s triumph over the Philistine was by divine power. He acknowledged the fact that even though Goliath was fully armed with spear and javelin, he was no match for the power of the God of Israel. He tactfully attacked the Philistine in the name of the One true and living God who is Israel’s God. David’s reference to God and Goliath’s defilement of the people of Israel.shows that David’s confrontation was not a search for vain glory or pride. It was purely patriotism and national honour as well as concern for the welfare of his people. Furthermore, it was passion was for God’s glory to be revealed. In fact, David demonstrated faith in God when he said, “The Lord himself will hand you over to me” and it bears evidence to his source of courage. Indeed, it was a most humiliating defeat against an enemy thus; feeding him to the birds of the air was an appropriate response to Goliath’s disregard, arrogance and defilement of the God of Israel. David’s use of the sling and stone was an act of bravery and trust in God. The duel ended with Goliath’s own sword becoming the instrument for his beheading and end. David’s victory pleased the nation of Israel and it was a public proof of God’s power on behalf of those who put their confidence in Him (v. 47). David finally became the commander of Israel’s army and the nation’s hero.
DISCUSSION TIME:
1. David’s faith in God gave him the confidence and courage to defeat Goliath in battle. Discuss the lessons it teaches believers in fighting and winning battles.
2. Discuss what the stones of David can be equated with today.
Fellowship and Ministry Building Activity:
● Let a class member share a practical example of how his demonstration of faith in prayer became an effective weapon in spiritual warfare.
Take Home: Write down three (3) lessons you are taking home from today’s lesson:
● __________
● __________
● __________
Commitment:
● Based on today’s lesson, make a commitment to demonstrate faith in God and boldness to overcome the challenges of life.
Happy Sunday in Advance.
Remain Inspired & Be Lifted!