Lesson Snapshot
BOTTOM LINE:
We need to love people who are hard to love.
OBJECTIVE:
Kids will be challenged to think of someone who is difficult to love and be encouraged to look for a way to be kind to them this week.
KEY PASSAGE:
1 Samuel 24:1-19, David Spares Saul’s Life
MEMORY VERSE:
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)
SUMMARY:
God chose David to be the new king himself. This made the current king, Saul, very angry. Saul tried to kill David. When David had the chance to get the jump on Saul, he chose compassion rather than anger.
Object Lesson
ITEMS NEEDED:
A pair of scissors
Avengers always have their weapons ready. Iron Man has his suit. Thor has his hammer. Captain Marvel has her fists ready to shoot lasers. David was armed and ready to fight as well when he was hiding in that cave. We don’t know whether he had a knife, a sword, or heck – a pair of scissors, but when he saw Saul come into the cave, he cut off a piece of the king’s robe – and felt very guilty about it.
It’s one thing to say we should love our enemies, but it’s another thing to actually do it. We can’t actually do it until we put away our weapons. We must put aside our anger by forgiving them for the things they have done to us. Only when we put down our weapons can we reach out an open hand and try to be friends with them.
I know it isn’t easy to love someone who is always mean, but you can’t shake someone’s hand when you have something in it. Let’s put away our weapons so we can befriend the people who probably need friends the most. Let’s choose love over anger.
Trivia