Summer Family Connection 1999
Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church

The Objectives of the Class times are:

2. To present in simple form the Daily Bible story, appropriate to the age of the class. While telling the story with an open Bible, so the children know it is a Bible story; don't just read it. Narrate it simply, highlighting the feelings of the characters, the troubles and problems they experienced, and the deliverance God provided. The stories will require simplifying especially for the younger children. Aids such as pictures may be used.

3. To focus briefly on the memory verse for the day.

4. To do an exercise or activity that applying the Biblical qualities that meet these needs to the lives of the children, and any individual needs they have brought up in connecting with their troubles. The qualities are: Courage (Day 1), Loyalty (Day 2); Trust in God's Word (Day 3); Mercy (Day 4) and God's Faithfulness - Salvation (Day 5).

To prepare for teaching; each teacher should become familiar with the stories of David's conflicts with Saul contained in 1 Samuel 15 - 31. (See my Interpretive Outline of 1 Samuel 9 - 2 Samuel 5 for more help in developing these Bible stories.) I get frequent requests for written Bible stories and lessons, but I think the teachers will profit greatly from developing their own tailored to their particular classes and age groups. Reading David's Psalms, which were written during these experiences, will also help the teacher comprehend his sense of troubles and God's provisions for his children both in and in overcoming them.

Psalm 7:1-17 (1 Sam 19:11)
1 A shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning Cush, a Benjamite. (Saul was a Benjamite, and Gibeah was in Benjamin)

Psalm 59:1-17 (1 Sam 19:11)
1 For the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." Of David. A miktam. When Saul had sent men to watch David's house in order to kill him.

Psalm 56:1-13 (1 Sam 21:10)
1 For the director of music. To the tune of "A Dove on Distant Oaks." Of David. A miktam. When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.

Psalm 57:1-11 (1 Sam 22:1)
1 For the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." Of David. A miktam. When he had fled from Saul into the cave. (of Adullum)

Psalm 34:1-22 (22:1)
1 Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left.

Psalm 52:1-9 (1 Sam 22:9)
1 For the director of music. A maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: "David has gone to the house of Ahimelech."

Psalm 54:1-7 (1 Sam 23:19)
1 For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, "Is not David hiding among us?"

Psalm 142:1-7 (1 Sam 24:1f)
1 A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. (of Engedi) A prayer.

It is also suggested that Psalm 27 and Psalm 31 could have been written during this period in David's life, though the Psalms' titles don't specifically state such.

Take note in 1 Samuel 19--26 of David's uncertainties, his requests of God, and the ways God answered them, and the element of trust on David's part. And Saul's schemes and plotting and his pursuit of knowledge concerning where David was - and the treacherous providers of such information - Doeg the Edomite (Doug Edom), the men of Keilah, and the Ziphites.

An Adult study group would find Gene Getz' book on David a good Bible Study. You might consider having a study group for staff and teachers before the VBS starts, or having an Adult or Teen class during an Evening VBS program.

The Life of David by A. W. Pink - ISDN 0801070619 - is avilable through Christian Book Distributors - Stock no. 70619. and now in an online e-text as well.

The David Story : A Translation With Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel by Robert Alter (W W Norton & Co; 1999) ISBN: 0393048039

Worksheets are one way of provoking the children to think about each lesson. They need to be prepared with your class in mind - their ages, life situations, etc. Most VBS materials do this already - but since it is your class and you know best their needs (and since this is a "Do it yerself" curriculum) - you are encouraged to prepare these with your lessons. One page can be printed on the back of the daily Cowtown News each day which you should distribute during class. Activities are another way of generating some consideration and discussion of each days lesson.

Since each lesson looks at a problem/ challenge area in life and then offers the virtues through which God enables us to overcome - these two aspects will be dealt with in your classes. There is an ongoing contrast between Saul and David in regard to the way the Man after Men's hearts and the Man after God's heart responded to the troubles in their lives. Try to relate their struggles with these matters to the struggles your children also have. Dealing with friends, bullies, parents. Coping with the violence or abuse we are constantly exposed to on the news and TV. The jealousies or anger they might feel, the decisions they are forced to make and the challenge of doing the "right thing" instead of the easy thing. The wrong choices that even David made, and how Jesus delivers us from our sins and troubles.

One approach: Take a piece of paper - Draw a slash across it. On one side write each day's Trouble, then list some ways they manifests themselves in your children's lives. On the other side write the Virtue and some ways the children can use it to meet their problems.

Then generate an written activity that will get the children thinking about each side of the line to fit those spaces - Fill in the blanks, crosswords, word searches, acrostics, puzzles, etc. there are all sorts of possibilities. Use the western theme, if possible. For smaller children, you might want to use coloring pictures, etc. Add some western fonts and spot clip art to each page.

You will note that in reading the Cowtown News together each day will give you some "springboards" for discussion both of David's troubles and of the daily themes. The Melodrama, if you use it also deals with these themes on a day by day basis.