Children's Teacher: October- December 2020

By R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation

Children’s Teacher is a teacher’s quarterly for children 11 and under. In addition to the exposition of the printed text, each of the thirteen lessons includes the purpose of the lesson, extensive teaching plans, lesson introduction, background of the lesson, meaningful insights, and related activities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Sep 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781681677675

Book preview

LESSON 1 FOR WEEK OF OCTOBER 4, 2020

STAND BY ME

UNIFYING TOPIC

Love Protects Others

LESSON SECTIONS

I. Saul Plots Against David (1 Samuel 19:1)

II. Jonathan Stands by David (1 Samuel 19:2–5)

III. Saul Listens to Jonathan (1 Samuel 19:6–7)

KEY VERSE

Jonathan called David and related all these things to him. Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before. (1 Samuel 19:7, NRSV)

BIBLICAL EMPHASES

1.King Saul was jealous of David’s popularity and wanted to kill him.

2.Saul told his son Jonathan about the plan, but Jonathan was a good friend to David.

3.Jonathan protected his friend and persuaded his father not to kill David.

UNIFYING PRINCIPLE

Although families are important, family dysfunction can skew our priorities and lead us to ruin. Is there a greater priority than family? Jonathan opposed the unjust intentions of his father, King Saul, in order to offer support and protection to David.

LESSON EMPHASES

•Good friends always protect each other and follow what is right.

•Jealousy can lead to bad actions.

Target Emphases

PRESCHOOLERS: Preschoolers allow conflicts between peers to happen quickly.

YOUNGER CHILDREN: Younger children are beginning to understand what it means to be a good friend.

OLDER CHILDREN: Older children want to honor their parents and guardians, even when they don’t like or agree with their actions.

Materials Needed to Teach

FOR FURTHER REFERENCE, SEE TODAY’S LESSON FROM BOYD’S COMMENTARY, NEW NATIONAL BAPTIST HYMNAL, 21ST CENTURY EDITION.

Need more teacher helps?

Visit rhboyd.com.

Suggested Teaching Plan

GROWING WITH JESUS

MATERIALS NEEDED: music player; crayons; drawing paper; a picture book about friendship; a crown to represent King Saul; and two strips of papers (one with David written on it and one with Jonathan written on it)

GETTING STARTED: Greet students as they enter the classroom. Start the class with a worship song. Ask students to sing along. Begin the class with prayer.

A GREAT BEGINNING: Tell students that today you will talk about two good friends. Ask each student to name a friend they have. Then read a story from the picture book about friends.

AN IMPORTANT LESSON: Ask students to repeat after you the names of the men in today’s lessons: Saul, Jonathan, and David. Tell them that Saul was the king of Israel. Place the crown on your head to symbolize a king. Then tell them that Jonathan was Saul’s son, and David was Jonathan’s good friend. Choose two students who are friends, and place the pieces of paper labeled Jonathan and David on their heads. Read the lesson story, pointing to yourself when you talk about Saul (the king) and the students when you read about Jonathan or David. Tell students that Jonathan was a peacemaker in this story. He told his friend about King Saul’s plan, and Jonathan persuaded his father not to harm David.

KEEPING IT GOING: Ask students how they can help others. Hand out paper and crayons, and have students draw a picture of themselves helping others. Allow each student to share what they have drawn. Allow time for students to complete the activities in their student books. Close the class in prayer.

JUST FOR YOU: Pray that your preschoolers will be peacemakers who learn to resolve conflicts.

YOUNG LEARNERS

MATERIALS NEEDED: music player; markers; paper with crowns drawn on them (or a pattern for students to draw crowns); safety scissors; tape; picture Bible

GETTING STARTED: Welcome students as they enter the classroom. Have Christian music playing. Begin the lesson with prayer. Tell students that today they will learn about the first king of Israel, Saul. Give them pieces of paper to make paper crowns. You can help them cut out the crowns and tape the ends together. Ask students to wear their crowns throughout the lesson.

JUMP START: Tell students a little about King Saul. Show them a picture of him from a children’s Bible. Then tell them that Saul was jealous of David, who would be king later. Ask students if they have heard about David and Goliath. If not, share a quick summary. Emphasize that David was not fearful of the giant because he trusted in God. David’s defeating the giant made him really popular, which made Saul jealous. Remind students that whenever we are jealous of someone else, we should ask to forgive us and to help us be happy with what we have; otherwise, jealousy can lead to bad actions.

THE LESSON STORY: Read the lesson story, explaining why Saul wanted to kill David. Then talk about how Jonathan intervened by first telling David about Saul’s plans and then encouraging Saul to change his mind. Ask students to explain how Jonathan showed true friendship.

TAKING IT HOME: Allow time for the students to complete the activities in their student books. Ask students to share ways they can be good friends. Help students to think of specific, practical ways such as being a good listener. Close the class in prayer.

ENERGY TO EDUCATE: Pray that your students will be good friends and stand up for their friends and family.

ADVENTURERS WITH JESUS

MATERIALS NEEDED: music player; markers; index cards

BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Welcome the students as they arrive. Have praise music playing as students enter the classroom. Invite them to join in singing. Open class with prayer, asking God to open your students’ hearts to His voice.

’NET CHECK: Discuss and complete the activity from www.rhboyd.com. Bring extra copies to class for those who don’t have one. Check and discuss the answers together.

INTRODUCTION: Have each student write a scenario on an index card that involves friends; the incident can be a positive or negative one, a real-life situation or a made-up one. Then have each student share the scenario and have the other students vote on whether or not the main character was being a good friend or a bad friend. Use the cards to discuss what it means to be a godly friend.

TODAY’S LESSON STORY: Read the lesson story aloud. Discuss the main characters: Saul, Jonathan, and David. Ask how Jonathan was a good friend to David. Was Jonathan also a good son to his father? Allow students time to discuss. Ask students if they would have approached King Saul if they had been in Jonathan’s position. Encourage students to always pray about their decisions, always be respectful, and seek the help of a trusted adult when dealing with sensitive issues.

LESSON REVIEW AND CLOSING: Allow time for students to complete the activities in their student books and review the key verse. Close the class in prayer.

— Lesson Overview —

Introduction

Sometimes when children show signs of courage, these are repressed by older kids, parents, or other adults. They can find themselves feeling not old enough or important enough to speak out when they see an injustice or wrongdoing taking place. During this lesson, remind the students that in this story, David was not much older than they are. It is important that children feel like their ability to speak out about wrongdoing is valid, even when they make a mistake or misjudge something. Children naturally stand up for their close friends. But if their opinions about what is happening to their friends or others are not taken seriously (or even punished), they will be more apt to keep quiet. Encourage your students to always help their friends and to speak out when they see something wrong happening.

In today’s lesson, Saul was king of Israel. David had been called as one of Saul’s armorbearers (1 Sam. 16:21). Because David was so helpful to Saul, the king loved him at first. David had stood up to Israel’s great enemy, the Philistine Goliath, and killed him. King Saul had sent David out against the Philistines during other ventures, and he had been victorious. This brought plenty of attention and praise to David, which made Saul jealous. First Samuel 18:7 explains that the Israelite women compared the two men, saying that David had killed many more enemies than Saul. Because of this, Saul wanted to kill his dedicated servant. However, Jonathan, Saul’s son who had become a loyal friend to David (1 Sam. 18:3), intervened to stop the king’s plans.

CREATE INTEREST: Ask the participants what might keep them from speaking up to help a friend.

I. Saul Plots Against David (1 Samuel 19:1)

Because of his jealousy toward David, Saul wanted to end the life of the one who had helped him defeat Goliath—and whose harp playing soothed him when an evil spirit came over him (see 1 Sam. 16:23). Instead of focusing on all the good David had brought into his life, Saul allowed his jealousy and anger to take over and compel him to hate his helper. The very one sent to serve him became a target of hatred for him. But God had another plan.

Younger children may have a more difficult time understanding why King Saul would want to kill David. Explain that King Saul often made bad, rushed decisions. Explain to the students that when we become angry, we should allow ourselves to calm down before we make any decisions. Explain that often, we don’t do things that please God when we are in the heat of an angry moment. God wants us to make decisions that show love to others, even when they make us mad.

II. Jonathan Stands by David (1 Samuel 19:2–5)