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| God always wins His battles - JSB 126 |
Ornament: Sling and stone1 Samuel 17:1-58;
2 Samuel 7:1-29;
Revelation 22:16
Verse: 1 Samuel 17:47 "For the battle is the Lord's ..."
Christmas Song: Once in Royal David's City
Hymn: A Mighty Fortress is our God
(another great hymn would be This is My Father's World)
Big Picture Story Bible: Going into God's Place (158-166))
Jesus Storybook Bible: The Young Hero and the Horrible Giant (122-129)
The Biggest Story: Chapter 6 (80-85)
The Ology: The Holy Spirit Helps Us Fight Against Sin (175)
The Gospel Story Bible: David & Goliath (114-115)
David and Goliath - one of the most beloved stories in the Bible or certainly most famous. Children love exciting battles. If you were to drop over to my house on any given day, you would probably find us playing that we are part of some kind of epic battle like David and Goliath. Thankfully, we switch roles, so I don't always have to be Goliath (whew!!!). Some of my dearest memories these past few months have been hearing my son's voice as he plays the character of David, "I come to you in the name of the Lord. God always wins His battles!" This is followed by mommy falling over after being hit by a pom-pom in the head. Giggles ensue, and he begs to play the battle scene just one more time with his sister being Goliath. The challenge for me is to teach him that this story is more than a game, more than a sling and stones, more than a giant. The thing is - this story really isn't about David and Goliath. The truth within this story is that God is the hero - as He always is for His people. We so often teach our children to identify with David. We teach them that God will help us fight our giants in life. And although, God will help us, this is hardly the point the author intended to be applied from this story.
The broader context of this story is that Israel had not been listening to the Word of God, and neither had its king, Saul. A bunch of really awful things had happened, all because of disobedience to God's Word. Enter David. He comes onto the scene in chapter 17 ready to fight all those who defied the living God. This is a story of God defending His Word and rescuing His people through David.
So, instead of teaching our children to identify with David, we should teach our children to identify with the people of God. They were utterly helpless and in terrible trouble. We are also unable to save ourselves. Our sin has left us helpless and seemingly hopeless. Salvation must come from an outside source. We, like God's people of old, need a rescuer. Just as God sent David to rescue His people from their enemies, so also God sent Jesus to permanently save us from our enemy of sin and death. And God ALWAYS wins His battles. His Word is powerful. His Word is strong. Only God can rescue. Only God can save. And He DID! This is GRACE in all its fullness. A Rescuer has come!
God's chosen king, David, came forward as God's instrument to rescue God's people ... when no one else would. But this was only a beautiful foreshadowing of a glorious day to come: God's chosen True Forever King would come forward as God's instrument to rescue His people ... when no one else could. So, play David and Goliath with your children. But remember, there is something far greater than us pretending to be David, the giant slayer. We are the ones in need of rescuing. Jesus has done what we could never do!
Tidings and Tidbits:
Hymn: A Mighty Fortress is our God
(another great hymn would be This is My Father's World)
Big Picture Story Bible: Going into God's Place (158-166))
Jesus Storybook Bible: The Young Hero and the Horrible Giant (122-129)
The Biggest Story: Chapter 6 (80-85)
The Ology: The Holy Spirit Helps Us Fight Against Sin (175)
The Gospel Story Bible: David & Goliath (114-115)
David and Goliath - one of the most beloved stories in the Bible or certainly most famous. Children love exciting battles. If you were to drop over to my house on any given day, you would probably find us playing that we are part of some kind of epic battle like David and Goliath. Thankfully, we switch roles, so I don't always have to be Goliath (whew!!!). Some of my dearest memories these past few months have been hearing my son's voice as he plays the character of David, "I come to you in the name of the Lord. God always wins His battles!" This is followed by mommy falling over after being hit by a pom-pom in the head. Giggles ensue, and he begs to play the battle scene just one more time with his sister being Goliath. The challenge for me is to teach him that this story is more than a game, more than a sling and stones, more than a giant. The thing is - this story really isn't about David and Goliath. The truth within this story is that God is the hero - as He always is for His people. We so often teach our children to identify with David. We teach them that God will help us fight our giants in life. And although, God will help us, this is hardly the point the author intended to be applied from this story.
The broader context of this story is that Israel had not been listening to the Word of God, and neither had its king, Saul. A bunch of really awful things had happened, all because of disobedience to God's Word. Enter David. He comes onto the scene in chapter 17 ready to fight all those who defied the living God. This is a story of God defending His Word and rescuing His people through David.
So, instead of teaching our children to identify with David, we should teach our children to identify with the people of God. They were utterly helpless and in terrible trouble. We are also unable to save ourselves. Our sin has left us helpless and seemingly hopeless. Salvation must come from an outside source. We, like God's people of old, need a rescuer. Just as God sent David to rescue His people from their enemies, so also God sent Jesus to permanently save us from our enemy of sin and death. And God ALWAYS wins His battles. His Word is powerful. His Word is strong. Only God can rescue. Only God can save. And He DID! This is GRACE in all its fullness. A Rescuer has come!
God's chosen king, David, came forward as God's instrument to rescue God's people ... when no one else would. But this was only a beautiful foreshadowing of a glorious day to come: God's chosen True Forever King would come forward as God's instrument to rescue His people ... when no one else could. So, play David and Goliath with your children. But remember, there is something far greater than us pretending to be David, the giant slayer. We are the ones in need of rescuing. Jesus has done what we could never do!
Tidings and Tidbits:
- Here is a link to a great blog for today. Love anything Paul Tripp does!
- For the ornament, we just went out and found a stick and put a rubber band on it. Simple and fun!
- Stay tuned for more resources coming in the next couple of days for the new year!
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