King David Broke a Bad Habit
Teach children how God breaks the power of sin in their lives.
Prayer. “Lord, please use this study about David and Bathsheba to help the children break harmful habits in their lives.”
Prepare by reading in 2 Samuel chapter 11 and 12:1-23 how God broke the power of adultery in David’s life.
Let an older child read or tell the story from memory. Then ask these questions from 2 Samuel 11:1-17. [Answers appear after each question.]
·
What
did the king take that did not belong to him?
[Answer: See verse 4. David became accustomed to taking
whatever he wanted,
because he was the king. This was a sinful habit. As a result, he
committed
adultery.]
· How did King David try to deceive Uriah? [See verse 8.]
·
How
did one sin cause David to commit other sins?
[See verses 13 and 14. Often, when we try to cover up one sin, we do
worse
sins. When David tried to cover his sin, he lied and murdered.]
Questions from 2 Samuel 12:1-14.
·
What
did the prophet Nathan tell David to help him recognize his own sin?
[See verse 1. He told a story. God often uses wise people to
help us to
recognize our sin, to pray for us, and to help us to accept
responsibility for
our actions.]
·
What
did David have to do before God broke the power of sin in his life?
[Verse 13]
·
Did
God forgive David?
[Verse 13]
·
What
was the result of David’s sin?
[Verse 14]
Dramatize parts of the story of David and Bathsheba.
· Arrange with the leader of the main congregational worship for the children to present this drama.
· Let the older children help the younger ones to prepare.
· Let older children or adults play the parts of Nathan, David, Bathsheba, Uriah and the Narrator who summarizes the story and helps children to remember what to do.
· Let younger children play the Archer, Rich Man, Poor Man, Pet Lamb and sheep.
· Try to do this drama with as few words as possible.
·
If
your group is too small, then omit the sheep (the rich man pretends to
count
them).
Narrator: Tell Part 1 of the story from 2 Samuel 11:1-17. Then say, “Hear what David says to himself.”
David. Strut around proudly, saying, “I am the king. I can do anything I like. I can have anything I want.”
Bathsheba. Walk in front of David. Then pretend to wash your arms.
Uriah. Stand near your wife Bathsheba, but look the other way, not toward her or David.
David. Watch Bathsheba, and then look around to see if anyone is watching. Then beckon to her with your hand.
Bathsheba. Go to David and walk away with him.
Archer. Go near Uriah and pretend to shoot arrows at him. Make noises like the ‘twang’ of a bowstring.
Uriah. Grab your chest, scream in pain and fall to the ground, dead.
Narrator: Tell the Part 2 of the story from 2 Samuel 12:1-14. Then say, “Hear what the Prophet Nathan tells King David.”
Nathan. “King David, please watch. I have a story to show you.”
Pet Lamb. Go to the Poor Man on hands and knees, making sheep noises.
Poor Man. “Nice little lamb!” Pet the lamb fondly.
Sheep. Go like sheep and crowd around the Rich Man.
Rich Man. Count your sheep in a loud voice. Then say, “I want a sheep to eat!” Point at the Poor Man’s pet lamb and say, “That one!” Go get it. Pretend to cut its throat with a knife. It falls on the floor.
Nathan. “King, this is what you have done! You took what was not yours. You deserve to die!”
King David. “I repent. May God, forgive me! This sin was getting bigger and bigger in my life, but now God has used you to break its power. I will behave better from now on.”
Nathan. God forgives you, but your sin will bring bad results. Bathsheba’s baby will die.
——
Questions. If the children dramatize this story for the adults, let them also ask the adults the questions listed above.
Draw a picture of a thistle among flowers.
Let the children show their pictures to the adults during the worship time.
Let the children explain that this shows how a sin, like a weed in a garden, spread and produces other sins, if we do not remove it. God frees us from the power of sin, when we are sorry for our sins and ask Him to forgive us.
Discussion. Let the children and adults cite other examples of ways that God has broken the hold of bad habits in people’s lives.
Poem. Let four children each recite a verse from Psalm 51:14-17.
Let older children write a poem or song that uses words or ideas from Psalm 51.
Memorize: Psalm 51:12.
Prayer: Lord, sometimes there are sins in
our lives that
keep getting bigger and bigger. We cannot seem to break their power.
Help us to
repent of them and find wise people to help us stay away from them.
Give us
your power to live pure lives, in Jesus’ name.”