David Responds to Gods Promise Lesson 3

Bible Point God wants us to

thank and praise him.
Bible Verse
Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are
the people he watches over, the flock under his care (Psalm 95:6-7).

Growing Closer to Jesus

Students will n tell about nice things people have done for them,
n learn about Davids response to a promise from God,
n think about why theyre thankful to God and how to show their thankfulness, and
n commit to thanking and praising God during the week.

Teacher Enrichment
Bible Basis
n David responds to Gods promise.
2 Samuel After Saul was killed in battle, David became Israels king. Soon after moving into
the palace, David voiced his concern about the discrepancy between his grand
7:18-29 palace and the simple tent that housed the ark of God.
God told David to forgo building a temple. Instead, God promised David an
everlasting kingdom. David was clearly wowed by that promise. In this passage,
David expresses awe at how God could be so generous to him, as unworthy as he
felt. The verses include bountiful praise to God for what God has done for him and for the nation of
Israel.
Its interesting that after this event David was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write many of the
psalms, particularly those classified as Messianic psalms. These psalms portray many different aspects
of the life and ministry of the Messiah, Jesus, who was yet to come.
The closing verses of Davids prayer express his confidence that God will do what hes said he will
do. Through keeping his promises, God will not only bless David and Israel but show the rest of the
world how powerful and faithful he is (2 Samuel 7:25-26). When we publicly worship and praise
God, we declare his greatness in the same way.

Prayer
Read Psalm 100.
Reflect on all the things God has done for you. How can you praise and honor God in the way you
live?
Pray: God, you are so wonderful and so deserving of my praise! Help me to always praise and
honor you with my words and with my actions. As the children in my class see my praise and
honor of you, let them be encouraged to be worshippers also.

Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4 37

 Lesson 3

Before the Lesson

n Collect the necessary items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies
listed on the chart.
n Make photocopies of the Hands-On Fun at Home handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your students.
n Pray for your students and for Gods direction as you teach the lesson.

This Lesson at a Glance

What Students Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies
Attention Remembering Kindness Bibles, pencils, thin strips of
Grabber Remember nice things people paper
have done for them, and
read Psalm 107:1 to discuss
thankfulness.

Bible Praise ShakersMake rhythm Bibles, small snacks, small lunch

Exploration & instruments with words from
Application 2 Samuel 7:18-29, do a praise
rhythm, and sing a song from
Psalm 95:6-7.
bags, ribbon, colored markers,
strips of paper, tape, CD player,
beans or seeds

Perfect ProductsDevelop Bibles, rock, aluminum foil,

commercials for perfect permanent marker
products, and read Deuteronomy
32:4 and Psalm 28:7.

Thanks for Everything Bible, variety of Goldfish

Explore Gods perfect blessings, crackers, large bowl, tape,
and read 1 Thessalonians 5:18a markers, newsprint
and Psalm 100 to think of ways to
thank and praise God.

Closing Praise PactsCommit to Praise shakers from Praise

thanking and praising God during Shakers activity, pencils
the week.

Welcome
As kids arrive, ask them how last weeks lesson affected their lives. Ask
questions such as, What was it like trying to work out family conflicts? and
How did it feel to show love to an enemy or someone you disagreed with?
Tell kids that whenever you shake the noisemaker, they are to stop
talking, raise their hands, and focus on you. Explain that its important to
respond to this signal quickly so the class can do as many fun activities as
possible. Practice the signal two or three times.

38 Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4

 David Responds to Gods Promise

Attention Grabber
n Remembering Kindness
SUPPLIES: Bibles, pencils, thin strips of paper
Have kids form two groups. Give each group a pencil and lots of thin strips of
paper. Set the noisemaker at the front of the room so each group has access
to it. Have each group form a line on the opposite side of the room from
the noisemaker.
Say: If youre the first person in your group, write on a slip
of paper a nice thing that someone did for you. For example,
you might say that a friend helped you with a hard homework
assignment or your sister helped you do the dishes. When the
first person in line has written something, he or she should race up to the
noisemaker, shake it to show thanks, and return to the end of the line so
the next person in line can go. Lets see how many strips of paper you can
make in the time I give you. Hold on to your strips of paper for now.
After a few rounds, say: Everyone, find a partner from the opposite group,
and share with that partner what you wrote on your paper. Then return to
your group.
Have groups discuss these questions:
How hard was it to think of something to write? (It was easy; I felt too
much pressure to write and think fast.)
How many rounds of this game do you think you could have played
before running out of nice things to write? (I could have gone forever; a few.)
How do you feel when someone does something nice for you? (I feel
loved; I feel happy.)
When someone does something nice for you, how do you let him or her
know that you appreciate it? (I say thanks; I smile.) Every third- and fourth-grader has
blessings to be thankful for. Kids
When you do nice things for people, how do you like them to react? (I
often forget, though, to appreciate
like them to be happy; I like them to thank me.) what they have and the people
Make sure the kids keep the strips of paper to use in the next activity. Ask kids to who give to them. They often
open their Bibles and read Psalm 107:1. Then have groups discuss these questions: fail to recognize the wonderful
What nice things does God do for us? (He loves us; he gave us the Bible; he things God does and to praise
sent Jesus to us; he gives us food and other stuff.) God. Use this lesson to help kids
acknowledge what God does
When God does nice things for us, how do you think we should react?
for them. Teach kids why they
Why? (We should thank God because the Bible says we should; we should praise God should react to God with humble
because he likes to hear our praises.) thankfulness and praise.
Why do you think its important to thank God? (It helps us remember that
all good things come from God; we need to obey when God says to thank him.)
Say: When we thank others, we recognize their efforts and let them know
we appreciate what theyve done. Being thankful shows that we might not
expect or even deserve something and that were glad someone thought
of us. In the same way, its good to let God know how much we appreciate
what he does. God wants us to thank and praise him. Lets learn more
about why and how to thank God by studying an example from the Bible.

Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4 39

 Lesson 3

Bible Exploration & Application

n Praise Shakers
SUPPLIES: Bibles, small snacks, small lunch bags, ribbon, colored markers, tape, strips
of paper, beans or seeds, CD player
Before class, put a small snack, such as a miniature candy bar or a
track 4
See p e 5.
handful of crackers, in a lunch bag for each student. Tie each bag with
ag
a ribbon.
Have kids remain seated with their groups from the last activity,
and hand each person a bag with a surprise snack in it. Let kids open
the bags, but be sure they keep the ribbon and the bag to use later in the activity. After
a few moments, ask:
How did it feel to receive this surprise? (Great; I felt like you really like me.)
What are ways to show appreciation for a nice surprise? (People give
hugs; say thank you; shake hands.)
Let kids munch their treats as you say: David received some surprises, too. In
our last lesson, we learned about some tense moments between King Saul
and David. Later, David became the king of Israel. David was very thankful
to God for his success, and he wanted to build a temple for God as a way to
say thank you. The temple would be a beautiful place where people could
worship God.
Then God told David that he was very happy with Davidso happy that
he made David an amazing promise. God promised that Davids kingdom
would last forever! And God kept his promise through Jesus, who was born
to Davids earthly descendantshis childrens childrens children. In fact,
the writers of the New Testament often refer to Jesus as the Son of David
to show that Jesus fulfills this promise God made to David!
Ask: How do you think youd respond if God surprised you with such an
amazing promise? (Id sing and shout and tell everyone I know; Id say a prayer
of thanks.)
Say: Lets find out how David responded to this surprise promise from
God. Have kids get into groups of four. Make sure students have their Bibles. Give
each group colored markers and about five narrow strips of paper.
Have each group appoint Readers, with the other students acting as Recorders.
Explain to kids that the Readers will slowly read aloud 2 Samuel 7:18-29. The
Recorders will listen carefully and write on each of the paper slips a different phrase of
thanks and praise David used to show God how he felt about the surprise promise.
When groups have finished reading and recording, have them discuss the following
questions:
Based on what you read and wrote, how did David feel about the
promise God made to him? (Amazed; happy; surprised.)
How did David show his appreciation to God? (He praised and worshipped
God; he thanked God.)

40 Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4

 David Responds to Gods Promise

Do you think David responded well to Gods surprise promise? Why or

why not? (Yes, because he really loved God; yes, because God deserves our worship.)
Say: David understood that Gods promise to him was a very special, very
unusual promise. He was thankful for the surprise promise, and he knew
that God wants us to thank and praise him. When he heard what God had
promised, he immediately went to thank and praise God. We know from
another verse in 2 Samuel that David sometimes used music to praise God.
Have a volunteer read 2 Samuel 6:5.
Ask: What are some of the instruments mentioned in this verse? (Lyres;
harps; tambourines; castanets; cymbals.)
Say: Lets make our own praise instruments with the things from your
surprises and use them to thank and praise God.
Hand each group some beans and tape. Have the children put some of the beans into
the bags that held their surprises and tie the bags securely with the ribbon. Have them
tape the paper strips they made in the Remembering Kindness activity, as well as the
strips from this activity, to the outside of the bags and decorate the bags with the markers.
Have the kids form two groups.
Say: Lets learn a praise rhythm to review what we just learned about
David and to praise God ourselves.
Teach the following praise rhythm to the entire group for use in the reading below.
Practice it several times. Choose a child with strong reading and speaking skills to be
narrator, or read those lines yourself. The praise rhythm will always be preceded by the
entire group saying, Give thanks and praise to God!

Praise Rhythm:
All: Clap once.
Praise Shakers: Shake two quick beats, pause one beat, shake one final beat.
All: Clap once.
Praise Shakers: Shake two quick beats, pause one beat, shake one final beat.
All: Clap once.
Praise Shakers: Shake two quick beats, pause one beat, shake one final beat.
All: Clap once. Most kids have about a seven-
When the Narrator points to the group, kids should respond by saying, Give minute attention span. That means
thanks and praise to God! while waving their shakers above their heads. The kids you need to be ready to move on
should then do the praise rhythm. to the next activity before kids get
bored with the current one.
Narrator: God promised David that he would make his name great! (Point.)
All: Give thanks and praise to God! (Do praise rhythm.)

Narrator: God promised David that he would set Gods kingdom through
Davids children. (Point.)
All: Give thanks and praise to God! (Do praise rhythm.)

Narrator: God promised David that David would help fulfill Gods promise
that the whole world would be blessed. (Point.)
All: Give thanks and praise to God! (Do praise rhythm.)

Narrator: David praised God for telling him about the future. He was so
thankful that he wanted to build God a beautiful temple so that people could
worship him. (Point.)

Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4 41

 Lesson 3

All: Give thanks and praise to God! (Do praise rhythm.)

Narrator: David praised God and told God that he was great! David realized that
there is no one like God. David praised God for saving his people in Israel. (Point.)
All: Give thanks and praise to God! (Do praise rhythm.)

Narrator: David thanked God for performing great and awesome wonders. (Point.)
All: Give thanks and praise to God! (Do praise rhythm.)

Narrator: David offered God a prayer to praise and thank God for the good
things he had promised. (Point.)
All: Give thanks and praise to God! (Do praise rhythm.)

Say: Lets sing a praise song and use our shakers. This song is based on
our Bible verse for this week, Psalm 95:6-7. Ask a volunteer to read aloud Psalm
95:6-7, and have everyone repeat it: Come, let us worship and bow down. Let
us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he
watches over, the flock under his care. Lead the kids in singing Come, Let Us
Worship (Psalm 95:6-7) (track 4). The lyrics are in the back of your teacher guide.
Then have kids gently shake their bags in time to the song. Finish by praying:
Praise you, Lord, for you are good. Thank you for giving us the Bible so we
can learn from people like David that you want us to thank and praise
you. In Jesus name, amen.
Set aside the praise shakers to use during the closing activity.

HANDS-ON BIBLE
Have kids form groups of three or four. Give each group a
handful of cotton balls and a sheet of heavy paper or cardstock.
Direct kids to open their Hands-On-Bibles to Psalm 95 and complete
the Why Worship? activity. (Kids will scatter cotton sheep with the
paper.) Then discuss together:
How are we like sheep?
Why do we need God to shepherd us?
How can you show thanks to God for being your shepherd?

n Perfect Products
SUPPLIES: Bible, rock, aluminum foil, permanent marker
Before class, make a small, simple shield
from a square of aluminum foil. Youll also
Its important to say the Bible Point need a rock. Use a permanent marker to write
just as its written in each activity. Psalm 28:7 on the shield. Then write,
Repeating the Bible Point over and Deuteronomy 32:4 on the rock. Put the
over will help kids remember it and
shield and the rock out of sight.
apply it to their lives.
Say: Now lets learn more about why
we should thank and praise God. Have kids
form groups of four, and give each group one of the following Learning Lab items:

42 Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4

 David Responds to Gods Promise

balancing bird, smiley face bouncy ball, inflatable baseball bat, bloom ball, snapper hand,
gotcha grabber, super skrunch, or balloon racer. Say: Your group is a sales team, and
you have a few minutes to come up with a commercial about the product I
gave you. Think of a great use for your product, and then try to convince
WARNING:
us through your commercial why we need the product and how perfect
CHOKING HAZARD
your product is. Make sure that everyone has a role in performing the Children under 8 yrs. can choke
commercial. or suffocate on uninflated
Give kids about five minutes to develop their commercials, and then have each or broken balloons. Adult
group perform its commercial for the class. After all the groups have performed, ask: supervision required. Keep
Is anyone convinced that you need one of these products? Explain. (Yes, uninflated balloons from children.
I really like the balancing bird and need it to show my friends; no, I like some of them Discard broken balloons at once.
Balloons may contain latex.
but dont need them.)
Is anyone convinced that one of these products is really perfect?
Explain. (No, theyre just toys and can break; they really arent important.)
Do you think any product is truly needed? truly perfect? Explain. (Yes,
some things are really made great; no, everything can break or stop working.)
Then say: I have two items that represent something we all truly need
and something that is truly lasting and perfect. Ask a volunteer to come to
the front of the class and hold the rock up high. Ask a second volunteer to read aloud
Deuteronomy 32:4.
Ask: Why do you think this writer compared God to a rock? (God is
unbreakable; God is strong; God doesnt change.)
What does this verse say about God? (His work is perfect; he is just; he does
Be creative in your use of
no wrong.)
classroom space. Move your table
Why do you think we need someone like that? (Because no person is perfect aside so kids can move around
and no one can love us and take care of us like God can.) freely and work in groups. Have
Ask a third volunteer to come to the front of the class and hold the aluminum-foil chairs available, but be willing to
shield high. Ask a fourth volunteer to read aloud Psalm 28:7. have kids sit on the floor as well.
Ask: Why do you think this writer compared God to a shield? (God loves Chairs can be a distraction, and
moving them around slows down
us and wants to protect us.)
your lesson.
What does this verse say about God? (God helps us; God protects us.)
Why do you think we need someone like that? (Bad things can happen, and
we need someone to help us.)
What did this writer say is a good response to God, who is our perfect
rock and our perfect shield? (To burst out in songs of thanksgiving; to praise God.)
Do you think this is a good response? Why or why not? (Yes, God likes us
to thank him; no, I am not a good singer.)
Say: God wants us to thank and praise him. And because God is faithful,
just, upright, strong, and all-around perfectunlike any product or person
on earthits easy to understand why we should thank and praise him. Lets
think about what God has done in each of our lives and how we can thank
and praise him.

Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4 43

 Lesson 3
If someone drops a balancing bird
during the relay, have that person
gently spin the bird again and
continue with the relay.
44 Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4
n Thanks for Everything
SUPPLIES: Bible, variety of Goldfish crackers, large bowl, tape, markers, newsprint
Say: God always wants whats truly best for us
and because he knows us perfectly, he always knows
whats best for us. That means that whatever God
gives us is just the right thing. Lets start by thinking
about the very best things God ever gave us.
Ask: What do you think that might be? (He gave us
life; he gave us Jesus.)
Say: The very best that God gave us was his
absolutely perfect Son, Jesus. Not only was Jesus perfect in
everything he did, Jesus is the perfect answer to what we all need.
Ask: What has Jesus done for you? (He died for me; he lives in my
heart; he helps me make good choices.)
Say: Now lets think about some of the other things God has
given us.
At one end of the room, tape a sheet of newsprint to a wall, and
place some markers below the sheet. Then write, Be thankful in all
circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18a) on the newsprint.
Ask: Why do you think were supposed to give thanks no
matter what happens? (Good things always will come from bad; it
makes us think about God.)
Why is it sometimes difficult to give thanks? (Things make us feel sad; we
get grouchy and forget.)
Say: When our hearts are thankful, we see the good things God and
others do for us.
Ask: What happens when our hearts are not thankful, when our hearts
are ungrateful? (We dont appreciate the good things people do; we complain a lot;
people wont want to do nice things for us anymore.)
Ask kids to line up single file at the end of the room opposite the newsprint.
Explain that on go, the first person will walk to the sheet of newsprint, write
something he or she is thankful to God for, and then walk back. Tell kids that each
person will need to write something different. Say: Heres the catch: Youll be
holding a spinning balancing bird. Youll need to carefully balance the
spinning bird on the perch as you walk and write, and then youll hand the
bird to the next person in line. Have the first person in line balance the balancing
bird on the perch and start it spinning. Then say: Go!
When each person has had a chance to write, call time. Then gather kids in a circle
and ask:
Was it easy or difficult to think of things to write? Why? (It was easy because
I like thanking God; it was hard because I had to work so hard not to drop the bird.)
How did concentrating on the balancing bird distract you from
thanking God? (I couldnt think about God because I was afraid I would drop the
bird; it didnt distract me too much.)
 David Responds to Gods Promise

How is that like concentrating on things in life that distract us from

thanking God? (Sometimes my work at school distracts me from whats important;
life gets too busy sometimes, and we forget to give thanks.)
Say: Sometimes its hard to thank and praise God. We might feel too sad.
We may even feel like God isnt there. But we can always find something to
praise God for.
Bring out a large bowl of Goldfish crackers. It should be a mixture of several
different varietiescolorful, pizza flavored, pretzel, nacho cheese, and chocolate, for
example. Pass the bowl around the circle and let kids each take a handful.
When everyone has some Goldfish crackers, ask:
What is one thing all these fish have in common? (Theyre all smiling;
theyre all yummy.)
Ask if anyone has found a cracker that isnt smiling. They should all have smiley
faces. Let kids eat their crackers as you continue the discussion.
Ask: How are the smiley faces similar to how we should praise God? (We
should be grateful to God always; we should praise him no matter what.)
Say: Even when its hard, God wants us to thank and praise him. We
should always face him with praise, just as the Goldfish crackers are always
smiling when they face us.
Have the class form two groups, and have a volunteer read aloud Psalm 100. Then
say: In your groups, think of five ways you can thank and praise God for the
blessings he gives uspraying or singing, for example.
After a few minutes, have groups share ideas. Add the responses to the newsprint.
Ask: How can you be sure to thank and praise God, no matter what
happens, despite all the other things going on in your life? (Ask God to help
me; take time at the beginning of each day to think about God.)
Say: As our lists show, we have a lot to be thankful for! God wants us to
thank and praise him, and its important for us to remember to do that.
Keep the newsprint up for a few weeks to remind kids to thank God no matter
what happens.

Closing
n Praise Pacts
SUPPLIES: Praise shakers from Praise Shakers activity, pencils
Have kids form groups of four, and pass out the praise shakers kids made earlier.
Tell kids each to remove one or two paper strips from the shakers. In their groups, have
kids take turns putting into their own words what the words or phrases written on the
paper strips mean.
Then have kids each turn to a partner in their group and tell the partner why
theyre thankful for him or her. Pass out pencils, and have pairs talk about what they
can do to thank and praise God. For example, kids could write, Thank God for the
little things, or Show Gods love to my little sister. Have kids write their ideas on the
strips of paper and commit to thanking and praising God during the week. Be sure kids
take their paper strips home as reminders to follow through with their commitments.

Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4 45

 Lesson 3

Growing closer to Jesus extends

beyond the classroom.
Photocopy the Hands-On Fun at Home handout (at
the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home
with your kids. Encourage kids and parents to use the
handout to spark meaningful discussion on this weeks
topic.

46 Hands-On Bible CurriculumGrades 3 & 4

 LESSON 3

God wants us to thank and praise him.

Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care
(Psalm 95:6-7).

Have each person answer the following

questions:
Read Psalm 8.
Why should we thank and praise God?
What things around you remind
____________________________________________________ you to thank and praise God?
What do you have to be thankful for?
____________________________________________________ Read Acts 16:16-26.
In what way is your life better today than it was a month ago? a year ago? Think about a bad situation you
____________________________________________________ face. How can thanking and
praising God change how you feel
about the situation?
Practice thankfulness at mealtimes this week.
When you ask someone to pass something to
you, thank that person for something first. For
example, when you ask your brother to pass the
Notables
Cut out this certificate to
salt, you could say, Tommy, thanks for playing baseball with me this afternoon. It was let someone know that
your appreciation for
really fun. Please pass the salt. With everyone thanking each other before asking for him or her reaches
something, mealtimes can be peaceful and pleasant. the stars.

Create a
ic a te o f Th a nks
scrapbook of Gods blessings Certif ____ ___________
,
to you. Take photographs, draw Thanks, ____ me! I especially
ll you do for
pictures, or cut out pictures from
for a
it when you
magazines that show things youre
appreciated
___________________.
______________________
thankful for. Glue each picture onto a sheet of paper, and
write a sentence, such as Im thankful for Grandma
because she loves me, on each page. Youre a star!
When you have several pages assembled, use a
paper punch so you can put the pages in
a three-ring binder. Add to your
scrapbook anytime youre
thankful!
Permission to photocopy this handout from Groups Hands-On Bible Curriculum, Grades 3 & 4, granted for local church use.
Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com 47