King David Dances Before the Ark of the Covenant - Sunday School Lesson

What does the word "presence" mean?

Not like gifts, but like being in the presence of someone. What does that mean?

Right, it means to exist or to be somewhere.

Today we are going to talk about being in the presence of God. But before we do that, I want you to imagine with me for a second.

 

What if, right now, Olaf (from the movie Frozen) came walking through the doors and into this room? What if you were in Olaf's presence?

What would you do? What would you ask him?
 

It would be pretty cool to be in his presence, huh?
 

What if, instead of Olaf, the President of the United States came through the doors? Regardless of how you feel about him, I bet we all would show him respect. The room would probably be very quiet and we all would watch as he walked to the front.

Being in the presence of a President is a big deal!
 

I have one more for you. Imagine with me for a moment, if right here, right now, we were in the presence of God. What do you think that would be like? What would we say?
 

Well, a couple thousand years ago, we know about one group of people who experienced the presence of God.

They were called the Israelites. After leaving Egypt they went into the wilderness and built a beautiful tent called the Tabernacle. This was the place where they would meet with God. Inside the Tabernacle was a gold box called the Ark of the Covenant.

 

This ark was where a small part of the presence of God would come and visit. So whenever the people saw this Ark of the Covenant, they were reminded of the presence of God.

One day, the Israelites are in battle and things aren't going very well. In fact, things are going really bad:

The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield.

  ~ 1 Samuel 4:2

The Israelites are fighting the Philistines and they are losing. They have to do something to turn this around. So they have an idea:

 

 

Let us bring the ark of the Lord's covenant from Shiloh, so that he may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.

  ~ 1 Samuel 4:3b

They say, "Let's go get the Ark of the Covenant (God's presence) and bring it to the battlefield. That way we will win this fight."
 

This sounds like a good idea, right? They are saying that God's presence will help them. They want God to fight for them.

But here's the problem. The only reason they are interested in God is because they are in a bad situation. They are losing the battle, so they turn to God.
 

They are treating God's presence as a lucky charm. They are interested in God's presence only because they are in trouble, not because they always depend on Him. They've tried fighting by themselves and that hasn't worked; so now they will try God. Maybe that will work.

So they hope by bringing the Ark of the Covenant to the battlefield that they will turn the war around and end up winning. They are hoping God's presence will bring them good luck.
 

So they go to Shiloh, they get the ark, and they set it on the battlefield. Then...

"all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook..."

      ~ 1 Samuel 4:5b
 

Everyone shout with me!

The Philistines heard them and realized what had happened. They knew that Israel's God had come to the battlefield.
 

The fighting continues and sure enough...

"So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his
tent....and the ark of God was captured.

                ~ 1 Samuel 4:10a, 11a

So the Philistines win the battle and take the Ark of the Covenant. But they didn't want to worship God or have His presence near. No, what they wanted was to add to their collection of gods. In a lot of ancient cultures, there wasn't one god that everyone worshipped, there were many gods they worshipped. So when the Philistine army captured the Ark of the Covenant they figured they'd add it to their collection.
 

So the Philistines put the ark in front of one of their most powerful gods, Dagon. I guess they figured Dagon would look after it.
 

But the next morning they woke up and saw Dagon had completely fallen over. They were horrified! They set Dagon back up and when they came back the next day he had fallen over again, and this time he was in pieces.

 

 

 

What was causing the statue of Dagon to fall over? Did someone come in and secretly push him over?

No! It was the presence of God!
 

Well, the Philistines had to get the ark away from Dagon, so they start passing it around to different cities. And everywhere the ark goes it causes mayhem. People get sick, they have terrible things happen to them, and pretty soon word spreads and nobody wants the ark anywhere near them.

So eventually the Philistines give it back to Israel. They throw some extra gifts on a wagon, and a couple animals haul the cart back to Israel. The Philistines want nothing to do with it!

For the next 80 years the ark sits in silence.

Saul becomes the king and isn't that interested in God's presence. He is more interested in himself. And so, during his time as king, no one really sees the Ark of the Covenant.
 

Eventually, God chooses another king - a shepherd. You remember his name?

That's right! King David takes the throne.

And one of the first things he does is move the ark, which reminds people of God's presence, back to the capital city.
 

David wants the Ark of the Covenant back in Jerusalem.

So he gathers a whole bunch of men to get it.
 

I imagine David probably led the line of people carrying the ark back into the city.

One thing we do know is that David didn't dress like a king. In fact, he changed clothes to look like the other people. He didn't want to stand out. This moment wasn't about David. This was about celebrating the presence of God.
 

And they had a big parade!
 

First Chronicles 15 describes some of the people involved. They had singers. It says that Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed to sound with cymbals of brass... And it goes on to tell us who played the harps, and who sang, and who played trumpets.
 

There is a whole list of people who helped with the music in the parade.

Then David might have been the most excited of them all.
 

"Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David whirling..."

1 Chronicles 15:29a

So you know what David was doing? He was doing something like this:

 

 

That's right, David was dancing. The presence of God inspired David to dance!
 

So David finishes the parade, feeds everyone, and sends them all home.

After everyone has left, David goes home to his wife, Michal.

Now you have to understand; Michal is the daughter of King Saul, The king that David replaced. King Saul's daughter was Michal, who ended up marrying King David.
 

So David walks into his house to bless his family. He was excited to celebrate more when he got home!

So he walks in the door and Michal, I imagine, is just standing there.
 

She looks at David and says:
 

Look at the king making a fool of himself. What were you doing? What was all the dancing and carrying on for? You are the king! You should act like it! My father would NEVER have done that. What are you thinking?!!

David's wife is embarrassed and upset. She did not appreciate David's dancing and celebrating God's presence.
 

So David says something to his wife that I think is very helpful for us. This idea should be front and center in our minds when we think about the presence of God:

 

 

"It was before the Lord"

      ~ 2 Samuel 6:21a

I think that is like some of us here.
 

When we sing songs, when we pray, when we says verses out loud...anytime we worship the Lord we need to remember it is for the Lord.
 

Too often we are so concerned about being cool and looking good to our friends and not embarrassing ourselves. What we should really be focusing on is our God and our worship of Him.

You see David wasn't so concerned about what the people around him thought of him. David was focused on what God thought of Him. David's worship wasn't for the other people in the parade; David's worship was for God, alone.

God's presence is no longer inside the Ark of the Covenant. In fact, you know where it is now?

It's in us. God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is inside every Christian.

So in a very real way God's presence is in this room. I think it's time that we worshipped like it was.


*Sunday School lesson and images were submitted by author, Nathan Johnson.


**Feel free to share on your social media sites. Also, if you aren't receiving FREE stuff from us, be sure to add your email in the upper right side before you leave.

May God bless you.
 

Continue

I Am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N Song - Great Sunday School Song for Kids

Here is a song I remember singing as a child in Sunday school. With all the technology today, I think we forget about what made our childhood great - playing outside, getting muddy, swinging on vines, swimming in lakes, jumping in puddles and these good old Sunday school songs we still remember today!

Here you go. I hope you enjoy.

Remember, if you like this, please share it with others by using the share buttons at the bottom. Also, if you haven't already, be sure to sign up to the right to get FREE games, lessons, and songs!

 

Continue

Deborah Goes Into Battle - Sunday School Lesson

I love this bible story because not only does it show the bravery of women, but it also shows that God uses women as well as men. So, listen up girls and boys - God can and WILL use you no matter what age, color, or even if you are a boy or a girl. There are so many stories in the bible about God using women and children - like the story of Ruth or the little boy who gave his lunch to feed the 5,000!

Isn't that wonderful to know!!! If we allow God to use us, there is no telling what can happen.

Just like the bible stories above, the story of Deborah is also a true story of how God uses women to get the job done. In this Sunday School lesson, you'll learn how God not only uses one woman, but two and just how important they are.

Sunday School Lesson

The story of Deborah begins in Judges 4 when Israel turned away from God yet again when the Judge
Ehud died. Teachers - don't just go by the Sunday School lesson below. Turn to Judges 4 and read it for yourself. You may find more information about the story you'd like to share with your class.

Deborah Goes Into Battle

During this time, Deborah, who was a prophetess, began to judge the children of Israel. The bible tells us that she lived under a palm tree. Often, the children of Israel would come to her for help and for answers.

You see, the Israelites were afraid of Sisera who was the captain of the Canaanite army. Sisera had a strong army with 900 chariots of iron and thousands of men. The bible tells us that for twenty years he kept the Israelites under his control, or mightily oppressed them.

Finally, Deborah called for a man named Barak and said to him, "Barak, the Lord said for you to take 10,000 men into the mountains and He is going to lead Sisera's army down to the river. There the Lord will allow you to win the battle."

But, Barak didn't want to go even though the Lord said he would win!

Instead, Barak told Deborah, "If you will go with me into battle, then I will go. But, if you don't go with me, then I won't go."

Imagine, this big strong man who is more than capable of leading an army of 10,000 men is afraid to go into battle without Deborah by his side!

What do you think Deborah said to him?

Deborah knew the Lord would keep his word and that they would win the battle, so she immediately said yes she would go would Barak. (Of course, I believe Deborah would have went whether or not she knew they were going to win because she loved the Lord and wanted to do his will.)

But before they left, Deborah told Barak, "You must know that the Lord is going to let a woman take care of Sisera the captain of the Canaanite army. You will not have the honor of killing him yourself."

The Battle

Just as the Lord said, Barak and Deborah led the Israelite army up to the top of a mountain. The Lord led Sisera and his army down near the river.

When every thing was in place, Deborah said to Barak, "UP! For this is the day that the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand!"

What did this mean?

It meant that it was time for Barak to take his men into battle! It was time to charge! The Lord had said that today was the day the Israelites were going to win the battle against Sisera and his army! It was time!

We know they win, but how did it all happen?

Well - When Sisera and his army saw Barak and his men coming down off that mountain, the bible tells us that the Lord confused Sisera and his army so badly that Sisera jumped down off his chariot and took off running. While Sisera's army was confused, Barak and his army took care of them all. There was not a single man left.

Now, while this was going on, Sisera was still running. He ran until he came to a tent. There was a woman inside the tent named Jael. Jael told Sisera he could come into her tent and when he did, he laid down and she covered him with a blanket.

Sisera told Jael he was very thirsty so she gave him some milk to drink.

After he finished drinking, he said to Jael, "You stand by the door of tent and if anyone comes looking for me, you tell them no one is here."

So Jael waited. Finally, Sisera fell fast asleep because he was so tired and worn out from all that running away.

While he was asleep, Jael took a tent stake and killed Sisera. Which is exactly what Deborah had said, remember? Deborah told Barak that Sisera would be killed by a woman.

Now, Barak was still chasing after Sisera and came to the tent where Jael was. When Jael saw Barak, she told him, "Come into my tent. There you will find the man you are looking for."

A Final Note

Depending on the age children you have, you may want to tell them exactly how Jael killed Sisera. The bible tells us that she took a tent stake and drove it deep into his temple and fastened it into the ground.



**Note: There are many times in the bible where God allows people to kill and often children and adults wonder how this is so when one of the Ten Commandments clearly states - Thou shalt not kill. When the scrolls were translated, the word kill was actually the word murder. What does this mean? It means that God commanded us - Thou shalt not murder. We are not to let hatred fester inside of us where we devise a plan to murder someone.


If you like this Sunday School lesson, please share it with others. Also, be sure to add your email in the upper right side to get free Sunday school games and lessons!
 

Continue

Teach Kids to Pray - Sunday School Lesson

How many times have you heard a child say, "I don't know how to pray" or "I don't know what to
say" when you ask them to pray? While this may be all right for very small children, it is extremely important for kids to learn to pray as soon as possible - actually, for us ALL to know how.

For most of us, we pray without giving it a second thought about if we are doing it right or wrong. And for the most part, as long as we are talking to God, it can't be truly wrong. But, it can be so much more right!

In this Sunday school lesson, you'll find out what your Sunday school kids know about praying and may learn a thing or two yourself - I did.

Sunday School Lesson on Prayer

 

Before beginning your lesson, ask the kids if they have anything they would like the class to pray about. While taking prayer requests, take a few notes on what the kids say. You'll probably hear things like: pray for my mom and dad, my dog is sick, a kid in my class got hurt, my daddy's working, or even I'm sick.

Write these things down as you will use them later in the lesson.

Once you've taken prayer requests, go over the following verse.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV

Pray without ceasing.

After you go over this verse a few times, ask the kids what it means to pray without ceasing. You'll

find that often kids will repeat bible verses without actually thinking about what they mean. As they process the meaning, you may get a few questions about how you can pray all the time or pray without stopping.

This is where you want your kid's train of thought to be as you start the Sunday school activity below. This activity will be your lesson as well. You'll find that by doing this activity, the kids will learn so much more about praying than by just 'telling' them how to do it.

Let's begin.

Note: The following activity was inspired by a lesson from Kids' Travel Guide to the Armor of God.

Gather these items or come up with some of your own: pencils, paper, a picture of your pastor, a photo of your church, food items, drinks, articles of clothing, and a mirror.

Divide up the items into stations around the room. Then, divide the kids up into groups for each station.

Tip: The pencil and paper can be used to draw family members, friends, pets, etc. You can decide on this by what the prayer requests were at the beginning.

The purpose of these stations is to get kids thinking about what God has given them and what each one means to them. For instance, the articles of clothing may spark thoughts of having warm clothes to wear or money to buy the clothes. But what about, the child that sits next to them in school that doesn't have many clothes or kids in other countries that don't have socks or warm coats to wear?

The mirror will represent them looking inside themselves. Kids may think about the outward appearance, but what about how they can be better Christians or live the way God wants. Maybe some kids have trouble controlling their temper or always are wanting something they don't need.

The food and drinks will let them see that God gives this to them and they need to be thankful. Also, there are many who don't have food and water. This is something we need to pray about as well.

Get the kids thinking outside the box!

Walk through the stations with your kids and talk about each one before you let them begin their own journey through each station. By walking through each one with them, you will be able to talk about each one and give them some things to help them think outside the box.

Remember to pray for your pastor. The kids can pray for his health, but also that God gives him wisdom to lead your church as God needs it led or any number of things your pastor may need prayer for.

Once you have walked through the stations, let the groups go through each one taking time to kneel down and pray.

It may feel awkward to them at first, but by the time they get through each station it will be less awkward and you may find they are spending more time at each one.

Finishing the Lesson

After the kids have finished each station, have them come back to you and sit down. You will need your notes you took of prayer requests at the beginning.

At this time, you will be asking for prayer requests again here at the end of the lesson. You will find that once the kids have had time to think about the items in each station, their prayer request will have changed a bit.

This is a good thing as they will have realized that prayer is more about asking for stuff. It is about thanking and praising God for what they have and praying not only for themselves, but for others. Of course, it is good to ask God to help yourself because we can't do it alone! Actually, we can't do it by ourselves at all!


A final request:

Please pass this along by clicking on one of the social media links below. I love the Lord and want to share my posts with as many Sunday school teachers as possible. Thanks and have a great day!


 

Continue