Heroes of the Bible · Lesson 5
David
1 Samuel 17
Long before he was a king, David was just a shepherd boy — the youngest in his family, too small for armour, too young for the battlefield. But when a giant stood in Israel's way and nobody else would face him, David did. This lesson is about what happened when someone small stepped forward with something even smaller — five stones and a sling — trusting God to do the rest.
Main Focus
David was just a shepherd boy — small, young, and completely overlooked by everyone except God. He didn't defeat Goliath because he was strong. He didn't have armour, a sword, or years of training. He had five smooth stones, a sling, and complete trust that God could use something small to do something mighty. That's what this lesson is about: we might feel small or weak too, but in God's hands, small things become mighty. So do we
Memory Verse
Big Movement Game
Build towers of paper cups — one for each team. Using the slingshots you just made, take turns trying to knock down the opposing team's tower. For extra fun, stick a photo of Goliath's head on top of each tower, so you're not just knocking down cups — you're taking down Goliath, just like David did with nothing but a sling and a stone
Discussion Questions
- Why do you think nobody else wanted to fight Goliath, but David did?
- David didn't have armour or a sword — just a sling and some stones. Why do you think God chose to use something so small?
- Have you ever felt too small, too young, or not good enough to do something important? What happened?
- What's one 'small' thing about you that God could use in a mighty way?
Object Lesson
You'll need a single flat sheet of paper and a heavy book. Show the children the flat paper and ask if they think it could hold up the book on its own. Lay it across two cups or blocks and place the book on top — it collapses instantly. Talk about how, on our own, we can feel small and weak, unable to do anything great for God. Now fold that same piece of paper back and forth into a tight, fan-like accordion shape, and lay it across the same two supports. Place the book on top again — this time it holds the weight easily. The paper hasn't changed into something stronger; it's still the very same paper. But reshaped, it can carry a load it never could before. That's what God does with us — He doesn't need to make us into something else. He takes our weakness and shapes it, and through Him, we become able to carry far more than we ever could alone.
Craft & Activity
Make your own David-style slingshot! Cut the top off a balloon and the bottom off a paper cup, then stretch the balloon over the cut end of the cup and secure it with tape or an elastic band. Drop a cotton wool ball or ping pong ball into the cup, pull the balloon back, and let it fly — just like David and his sling. A simple, fun craft that turns straight into a game once it's made!
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for showing us through David that we don't have to be big, strong, or important for You to use us. Just like You took five small stones and a boy nobody expected anything from, and did something mighty — help us believe that You can use us too, exactly as we are. When we feel small or weak, remind us that in Your hands, small things become mighty. Help us trust You with whatever we have, even when it feels like it isn't enough. Amen.
Leader Prep & Tips
Do the craft first in this lesson — the slingshot needs to be made before the game, since you'll be using it to knock down the paper cup towers straight afterward. As you lead the session, keep coming back to the heart of it: God uses the weak things of the world to show His glory and His strength. David wasn't chosen because he was the strongest or most impressive — he was chosen in spite of being the smallest, the youngest, the most overlooked. Help the children see that their own size, age, or ability was never the qualification God was looking for. Weave this through the discussion and the object lesson especially, since both are built to make the same point: what looks small and weak in our hands becomes mighty in God's.