Lesson
87: 1 Samuel 17
---Before
class, prepare the following visual aids:
1.
To help students visualize Goliath’s actual size, make a life-size drawing of
him in the classroom or put a mark on the wall at nine feet, nine inches (three
meters).
2.
To help students understand what David used to defeat Goliath, draw a picture
of a sling or construct one by using any sturdy fabric or soft leather for the
pouch (an oval of about 3 x 5 inches [8 x 13 centimeters])
and something like shoelaces for the strings (any length from 18 to 24 inches
[46 to 60 centimeters]). Tie a knot in the end of one string and a small loop
in the end of the other.
---What
do you think are the biggest challenges youths face in our day?
---Write
their responses on the board.
---Think
about a challenge they are currently facing.
---Look
for principles that can help you know how to endure or overcome the challenges you
are facing as you study the account of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17.
---on
the board a simple picture depicting two mountains with a valley between them.
---The
Philistines stood on one mountain and the Israelites stood on the other
mountain.
---How tall was Goliath? (approximately
nine feet, nine inches tall.)
“According
to [1 Samuel
17:4],
Goliath’s height was six cubits and a span. The most widely accepted opinion of
the length of a cubit is about eighteen inches or, roughly, the distance from
the elbow to the tip of the extended middle finger. A span is said to be the
distance from the thumb to the end of the little finger when the fingers are
spread as wide as possible. These measurements would make the height of Goliath
approximately nine feet, nine inches! It is not too surprising that the
Philistines would have picked such a champion or that no man in Israel wanted
to be Saul’s champion. …
“Experts
have estimated the weight of Goliath’s armor to be about 150 pounds. A weaver’s
beam is a strong, thick piece of wood on which thread is strung in preparation
for weaving. The weight of Goliath’s spearhead has been estimated from twelve
to twenty-six pounds, depending on which authority is consulted and what weight
he selects for a shekel. … A greave is a protective piece of armor that fits on
the front of the leg and extends from just below the knee to the ankle.” A target is armor protecting the neck
---Come
to the front of the class and compare your height to the height of Goliath.
---What challenge did Goliath
give to the Israelites?
---How might you have responded
to Goliath’s challenge if you had been in the camp of the Israelites?
---According to verse 11, how did the
Israelite soldiers respond to Goliath’s challenge? What does dismayed mean? (the
Israelites were distressed and frightened by the challenge.)
---1 Samuel
17:12–18:
While the army of Israel was encamped against the army of the Philistines,
David was at home tending his father’s sheep. David’s father gave him food to
take to his brothers, who were soldiers in the army of Israel, with
instructions to see how they were doing at the battlefront.
---How was David’s reaction to
Goliath’s challenge different from the reaction of the Israelite soldiers? (he
was not afraid.)
---1 Samuel
17:27–31:
David’s oldest brother, Eliab, was angry and questioned David’s intentions when
he heard how David reacted to Goliath’s challenge. Despite his brother’s anger,
David continued to tell the Israelites that they should not be afraid of
Goliath. Some of the soldiers told King Saul what David said, and the king
asked to see him.
---How might Saul’s response to
David in verse 33 be similar to
what we sometimes feel when we face challenges?
---According to verses 34–36, what did David
say when Saul told him that he was too young to fight with Goliath?
---Write
the following phrase on the board: Remembering how the Lord has helped
us in the past will …
---How
would you complete this statement based on what you learned from David’s
response? …remembering how the Lord has helped
us in the past will strengthen our faith to endure or overcome our present
challenges.
---Why do you think remembering
how the Lord has helped us in the past will help us with our present
challenges?
---Think
about a time when the Lord helped you or someone you know endure or overcome a
challenge.
---Does
anyone want to share your experiences with the class?
---How
has that experience helped you with other challenges or how could that
experience help you with other challenges in the future?
---Remember
what the Lord has done for you in the past as you seek to endure and overcome
the challenges you are facing now and the challenges you will face in the
future.
---Read
1 Samuel
17:38–40
aloud looking for what was done to prepare David for battle against Goliath.
---Why did David decide not to
use King Saul’s armor? (“he had not proved it” in verse 39 means that David
was not used to wearing armor.)
---What did David do to prepare
for the battle?
---Show
students the sling you drew or constructed.
---Slings
were commonly used as weapons in David’s day. To become accurate with the
sling, a person had to spend a considerable amount of time using it. David had
used a sling to protect his father’s sheep. It is difficult to use a sling
effectively. (try it)
---The
loop goes over the index or third finger while the knot is held between the
thumb and index finger; the object is slung by swinging the sling over the head
and releasing the knotted string as the pouch begins its arc toward the target.
Timing is critical. (You may consider allowing other students to try this
activity at the end of the lesson.
---Invite
two students to come to the front of the class to represent David and Goliath.
Look
for phrases that show what Goliath thought of David. The word stave in verse 43 is referring to a
staff or pole.
---What did Goliath think of
David?
---If you were David, how might
you have responded to Goliath’s insults?
---David:
1 Samuel
17:45–47
Look
for how David responded to Goliath.
---How would you summarize
David’s response to Goliath?
---What does David’s response
reveal about him?
1 Samuel
17:43–47. The courage of David
Elder
Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that we should
have courage and faith when we face challenges:
“At
times all of us must stand against those who mock and revile. Some of us,
sometime, will face some earthly power as mighty as Goliath. When that happens,
we should emulate the courage of David, who was mighty because he had faith and
he went forth in a righteous cause in the name of the Lord of Hosts”
---How did David exercise his
faith in the Lord?
---What principles can we learn
from this story? (As we exercise faith in the Lord,
He will help us with our challenges.)
---What are some ways we can
exercise our faith in the Lord when we experience challenges?
---Read
the following statement from True to the Faith:
“Faith
is much more than passive belief. You express your faith through action—by the
way you live. … Your faith can lead you to do good works, obey the
commandments, and repent of your sins” (True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference [2004],
54–55).
---Explain
how someone with these challenges could exercise faith in the Lord to receive
His help:
1. A young man’s parents decide to get a
divorce.
2. A young woman is struggling to overcome
some addictions.
3. A young woman knows she needs to
forgive someone who caused her harm.
4. A young man has health problems that
limit the activities he can participate in.
---Ponder
what you can do to exercise faith so you can receive the Lord’s help to face
their own challenges.
---Consider
sharing an experience you have had when you exercised faith in the Lord and
received His help with a challenge.
---1 Samuel
17:52–57:
After David defeated Goliath, the Philistine army fled, and the army of the
Israelites chased after them. David took Goliath’s head to Jerusalem, and King
Saul marveled at David’s bravery.
---Think
again about a challenge you are currently facing.
1 Samuel 17.
The Goliaths in our lives
President
Thomas S. Monson explained that we must face our challenges in order to
overcome them:
“Is
there a Goliath in your life? Is there one in mine? Does he stand squarely
between you and your desired happiness? Your Goliath may not carry a sword or
hurl a verbal challenge of insult that all may hear and force you to decision.
He may not be ten feet tall, but he likely will appear equally as formidable,
and his silent challenge may shame and embarrass. …
“The
giant you face will not diminish in size nor in power or strength by your vain
hoping, wishing, or waiting for him to do so. Rather, he increases in power as
his hold upon you tightens” (“Meeting Your Goliath,” New Era, June
2008, 5).
---Answer
the following question in you class notebooks:
---What will you do to better
exercise your faith as you face your challenges?
---Does
anyone want to share with the class what you wrote, if it is not too personal?
---Conclude
by testifying of the principles you have discussed.
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