VERSES: 2 Samuel 2:1-3:39
MEMORY VERSE: 2 Samuel 3:1 "...the house of David waxed stronger and stronger..."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: Exodus. Write "Exodus" on small slips of paper and hand out to the students at the end of class.
PRAYER: We pray that we will choose our friends wisely that they might lead us away from God's Word, but instead draw us closer to God.
SPECIAL SONG: Be Careful Little Eyes (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 on this blog)
VISUAL AID: Make a large activity like the one below.
LESSON POINTS:
- After King Saul died, David asked the LORD if he should go up to Judah and the LORD say he should go up to a place called Hebron. David took all of his soldiers and their families to Hebron and he took his own wives, too. David left the city of Ziglag and lived in Hebron for seven years.
- The men of Judah surrounded David and anointed him king and, also, treated him as their king, but King Saul's uncle Abner, who had been one of Saul's closest friends and the captain over his army, did not want the kingdom to leave Saul's family. Abner thought that the crown and kingdom should go to one of Saul's sons named Ishbosheth. Ishbosheth was a weak man and the power he had did not come from ruling Israel well, but his power came from Abner. Abner was the one who really ruled over Israel, not Ishbosheth.
- So, for a short time the kingdom of Israel was divided into two parts: Israel and Judah. Ishbosheth ruled Israel through Abner and David ruled over Judah. All the time, David's kingdom was growing stronger and stronger, but Ishbosheth's kingdom was growing weaker and weaker.
- After a while, Joab and Abishai, two of David's soldiers, killed Abner out of revenge. When Abner died, Ishbosheth's power immediately dropped to nothing.
- Throughout history, there have been kingdoms set up by men who were not kings themselves, but acted as a king through another man who he had made king. This is called a "puppet king". Abner wasn't the king, but he was the one who made all the decisions and had much power. Ishbosheth wore the crown as a king, but made no decisions and he was afraid of Abner. The only thing that Ishbosheth had that Abner did not was King Saul's blood flowing through his veins.
Materials needed: 6" x 12" piece of tan construction paper, marker, crayons.
- Hand out paper to students.
- Holding the paper, length-wise, fold top edge of paper down two inches.
- Holding the 2" edge down, draw a king. Be careful not to draw the king's head below the 2" edge. This is Ishbosheth.
- Unfold edge.
- Draw Abner's head with mean eyebrows under the edge.
- Beside Ishbosheth's head (on the flap), write "Abner might have made Ishbosheth King over Israel,".
- Under the flap, beside Abner's mean face, write "...but Abner was the power behind Ishbosheth."
- Beside the king's shoulder, write " 2 Samuel 2:8, 9."
- Color.
- When telling the story later, the student can raise up the flap to show Abner really behind the king.
