young David with sling

David and Goliath, by Steve Nethercott

June 13–19

1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15–18

“The Battle Is the Lord’s”

As you prepare to teach, remember that class members have likely had meaningful experiences studying the scriptures at home. What can you do to build upon those experiences?

Record Your Impressions

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Invite Sharing

To encourage class members to share what they learned this week, give them time to think about any impressions they had about 1 Samuel 8–10; 13; 15–18. Then ask them to share a verse that inspired an impression.

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Teach the Doctrine

1 Samuel 9:15–17; 10:1–12; 16:1–13

God calls people by prophecy to serve in His kingdom.

• The accounts of God choosing Saul and David by prophecy and revelation could help class members understand how people are chosen to serve in the Church today. You could invite class members to read 1 Samuel 9:15–17; 10:1–12; and 16:1–13, looking for passages that could help them understand what it means to be “called of God” (Articles of Faith 1:5). What difference does it make, for the people called and for those who sustain them, to know that God chooses people to serve in His Church?

  Samuel anointing Saul

  Illustration of Samuel anointing Saul, © Lifeway Collection/licensed from goodsalt.com

1 Samuel 13:5–14; 15

“To obey is better than sacrifice.”

• To discuss why it is important to be obedient to the Lord, you could invite the class to review 1 Samuel 13:5–14 and look for attitudes and behaviors that led to Saul’s downfall. What can we learn from Saul’s mistakes?

• While we don’t know all the reasons Saul was commanded to kill all of the Amalekites and their animals, there are lessons to learn from his response to that commandment. To help class members identify these lessons, you could write on the board To obey is better than … and invite class members to ponder this phrase as you review together events from 1 Samuel 15. What are some good things we do in our lives that we sometimes choose instead of obeying God? Why is obedience to God better than those other good things?

1 Samuel 16:6–7

“The Lord looketh on the heart.”

• After reading 1 Samuel 16:6–7, class members could share their thoughts about what it means to look “on the heart” (verse 7). How can we learn to see the way the Lord sees? Class members could share experiences that taught them the importance of looking on the heart rather than the outward appearance.

1 Samuel 17

The Lord can help us overcome any challenge.

• In this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families, class members may have pondered the words of various people found in 1 Samuel 17. Consider asking the class to share what they learned from this activity. In particular, what did they learn about David?

• Some members of your class are likely facing challenges that may seem as daunting as Goliath did to Saul and his army. How can you use the story of David and Goliath to help class members face their challenges with faith in the Lord? Perhaps you could display a picture of David and Goliath (such as the one in this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families). Class members could then list on the board some things that might be “Goliaths” in our day. Then they could find verses in 1 Samuel 17 that demonstrate David’s faith, which enabled him to defeat Goliath (see also the statement in “Additional Resources”). Perhaps class members could share experiences in which they felt the Lord helping to fight their battles.

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Additional Resources

Overpowering our Goliaths.

President Gordon B. Hinckley taught:

“There are Goliaths all around you, hulking giants with evil intent to destroy you. These are not nine-foot-tall men, but they are men and institutions that control attractive but evil things that may challenge and weaken and destroy you. …

“… But you need not fear if you have the slingshot of truth in your hands. … You have the stones of virtue and honor and integrity to use against these enemies who would like to conquer you. Insofar as you are concerned, you can hit them ‘between the eyes,’ to use a figurative expression. You can triumph over them by disciplining yourselves to avoid them. You can say to the whole lot of them as David said to Goliath, ‘Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied’ [1 Samuel 17:45]” (“Overpowering the Goliaths in Our Lives,” Ensign, May 1983, 46, 51).

Improving Our Teaching

Your call is inspired. As a teacher, you have been called by God to bless His children. As you live worthy of His help, He will give you the revelation you seek. (See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 5.)