In this lesson, children learn that God wants his people to be peaceful and faithful, even when someone stirs up trouble. This lesson suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God helps us be peaceful and wise when others want to fight. A wise word can stop a lot of trouble before it grows.
Memory Verse
2 Samuel 20:19
I am among those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the LORD’s inheritance?”
(WEB)
Ask the children to put both hands together, palms facing each other, and then slowly move them apart and back together, like two people making peace. Say the verse with them as they move their hands.
The Story: 2 Samuel 20 for Kids
King David had a hard time in his kingdom. His son Absalom had caused trouble, and now a man named Sheba stood up and blew a trumpet. Sheba shouted that the people of Israel should go home and stop following David. Many of the men of Israel left David and followed Sheba instead.
King David was not happy about this. He sent his army leader Joab and his soldiers to chase after Sheba. They traveled fast, because David said Sheba could cause more trouble than Absalom did. Joab and his men came to a city called Abel of Beth Maacah, where Sheba had run to hide.
Joab’s army built a mound of dirt against the city wall and started to break it down. Then a wise woman from inside the city called out to Joab. She said, “Please listen to me. Our city has always been known for wise and peaceful choices. Why would you destroy a city that belongs to Israel?”
Joab explained that he only wanted the man named Sheba, who had turned against the king. The wise woman said, “Give us Sheba, and we will throw his head over the wall to you.” She went to all the people of the city and talked with them, and they decided to do the right thing.
The people of the city cut off Sheba’s head and threw it out to Joab. Then Joab blew the trumpet, and everyone went home to their own tents. Joab went back to Jerusalem to tell the king that the trouble was over, and peace came back to the land.
Read It Together
2 Samuel 20:16
Then a wise woman cried out of the city, “Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, ‘Come near here, that I may speak with you.’”
(WEB)
Point out that the wise woman called out to Joab and asked him to come close so they could talk. Explain that she chose to speak up and look for a peaceful way to end the fight, instead of letting the city be destroyed.
2 Samuel 20:21-22
21 The matter is not so. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against the king, even against David. Just deliver him, and I will depart from the city.” The woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.” 22 Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. They cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. He blew the trumpet, and they were dispersed from the city, every man to his tent. Then Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
(WEB)
Show the children how the woman spoke to all the people in her wisdom, and how the city chose to do what was right. Explain that a wise word from one person can help a whole group make a good decision.
2 Samuel 20:1
There happened to be there a wicked fellow, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite; and he blew the trumpet, and said, “We have no portion in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to his tents, Israel!”
(WEB)
Point out that Sheba is called a wicked fellow who blew a trumpet to stir up the people. Explain that some people try to make others angry or divided, and we can choose not to follow those who cause trouble.
Talk About It
- What did the wise woman do when Joab’s army came to her city?
- Why do you think the woman wanted to talk to Joab instead of just waiting for the army to break the wall?
- How did Sheba try to turn the people of Israel against King David?
- What is one way you can be a peacemaker at home or at school this week?
- How can asking God for wisdom help us when someone wants to start a fight?
Activity Ideas
Peacemaker Dove Craft
You will need white paper, crayons or markers, scissors, and glue. Have each child trace one hand on the paper and cut out the shape, then draw a dove on the palm. On the wings, write one peaceful word, like “kind,” “wise,” or “calm.” Hang the doves in the room as a reminder that God helps us make peace.
Trumpet Freeze Game
You will need a cardboard tube or a paper towel roll for a trumpet, and a open space to move. Give one child the trumpet and have everyone walk around the room. When the trumpet is blown, everyone freezes, and the child who blew it must say one peaceful thing out loud. Then play again so each child gets a turn.
Wise Words Take-Home Card
You will need index cards, a pencil, and a marker. Write the words “Be wise and peaceful” on one side of the card, and have each child decorate the other side with a drawing of a peaceful scene. Ask them to show the card to their family at home and tell one way they can be a peacemaker this week.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows how God can work through a wise and courageous person to bring peace to a divided people. The wise woman acts with faith and common sense, and her choice saves her city. It also shows the cost of stirring up rebellion and the sad results when people follow a troublemaker.
Be careful not to make the story sound gruesome or to present Joab as a model of good behavior. Keep the focus on the wise woman’s courage and the value of peacemaking, rather than on the violence in the chapter.
A Prayer to Close
Lord, thank you for helping us be peaceful and wise. Help us speak kind words when others want to fight, and give us courage to make good choices. Teach us to be peacemakers at home, at school, and everywhere we go. Amen.
