David and Goliath

Children's Sermon: David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17:1-49)

Guess what I have in this bag. (Pause for guesses, and then open the bag and begin to pull out the rocks.) It’s five smooth stones. These stones make me think of something that happened in the Bible with two men named David and Goliath. 

You may already know about the boy named David who fought and killed a giant named Goliath. Goliath was a mighty warrior who was more than nine feet tall! Can anyone show me how tall that is? (Pause for kids to respond.) I guess it’s hard for any of us to show that height, but we can use a measuring tape. (Run the measuring tape up a wall to show nine feet.) 

Goliath wasn’t only tall, but he also wore strong armor on his whole body, and he had a sword and spear. The armor weighed one hundred pounds. His armor weighed more than each of you!

David, on the other hand, was a young shepherd boy. He had no armor; it was too heavy for him. And he had no sword or spear. David's weapon was a slingshot and his ammunition was five smooth stones which he picked up from a nearby stream. But David defeated that giant who all the Israelite soldiers were afraid to face! 

We might not face a nine-foot giant, but we face giants of other kinds, like insecurity, loneliness, and failure. And we can remember David’s five stones to help us defeat the giants we face.

The first stone represents COURAGE. (Pass around the first stone until it comes back to you.) David was not afraid to face the enemy. "Don't worry about a thing," David told Saul. "I'll go fight this Philistine!" (1 Samuel 17:32) You will use courage to face giants in your life.

The second stone represents CONFIDENCE.  (Pass around the second stone until it comes back to you.) As a shepherd, David protected the sheep from wild animals; so he had confidence to face Goliath. "The LORD who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!" (1 Samuel 17:37) Like David, you can have confidence that God will help you overcome the problems you face.

The third stone represents PREPARATION.  (Pass around the third stone until it comes back to you.) David didn't face the giant unprepared. He went to the stream and collected five smooth stones in his bag. Armed with his shepherd's staff and slingshot, he went to fight Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:40) It’s important for you to prepare to face the challenges in your life, too.

The fourth stone represents TRUST.  (Pass around the fourth stone until it comes back to you.) David didn’t trust in his own ability. When Goliath shouted at David, cursed him, and was ready to kill him, David said, "You come to me with a sword and spear, but I come to you in the name of the LORD God Almighty." (1 Samuel 17:45) When you face problems, put your trust in God, not in your own ability.

The fifth stone represents VICTORY.  (Pass around the fifth stone until it comes back to you.) "It’s God's battle, not ours," David said. (1 Samuel 17:47) That’s why David had victory over the giant with only a stone and sling. When you turn your battles over to God, you’ll have the victory over the giants in your life.

So the next time you’re facing a giant in your life, remember David and Goliath and the five smooth stones. (Invite kids to repeat courage, confidence, preparation, trust, and victory after you.)

Dear God, just as You gave David the victory in his battle with Goliath, we know that when we put our trust in You, You will give us the victory over the giants we face in our daily life. In Jesus’ name, amen.