This lesson teaches children that God can help them do brave things even when they feel small, using the story of David and the giant Goliath. It suits children aged about five to eleven and takes twenty to thirty minutes, including time for the activity.
Big Idea
God is bigger than any problem, and when we trust Him, He helps us be brave even when we feel small.
Memory Verse
1 Samuel 17:47
And that all this assembly may know that the LORD doesn’t save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
(WEB)
Have children stand tall, put both fists on their hips, and shout “The battle is the Lord’s!” together while pumping one fist into the air. Repeat it three times so the words and the motion stick together.
The Story
Long ago, the army of Israel stood on one side of a valley, and the Philistine army stood on the other. Every morning a giant named Goliath walked out in front of his army. He was over nine feet tall and wore heavy armor. He shouted at the Israelites and said, “Pick a man to fight me. If he wins, we will be your servants. If I win, you will serve us.”
Nobody in Israel wanted to fight him. Everyone was scared, even King Saul and his strongest soldiers. For forty days, Goliath came out and shouted, and still no one stepped forward. The soldiers felt very small.
One day a young shepherd boy named David came to the battlefield. His father had sent him with food for his older brothers, who were soldiers. David heard Goliath’s shouting and asked, “Who is this man who dares to defy the army of the living God?” He was shocked that no one was standing up to him.
King Saul heard about David and called him in. Saul said, “You are only a boy, and this man has been a soldier since he was young.” David answered, “I have protected my father’s sheep from lions and bears, and God helped me. He will help me against this giant too.” Saul agreed to let him try.
David did not wear the king’s heavy armor, because it was too big for him. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream, took his sling, and walked out to meet Goliath. Goliath laughed at him and said, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” But David looked the giant in the eye and said that he came in the name of the Lord.
David ran toward the giant, put one stone in his sling, and let it fly. The stone struck Goliath on the forehead, and the giant fell to the ground. David had trusted God, and God had given him the victory.
Read It Together
1 Samuel 17:32-37
32 David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” 34 David said to Saul, “Your servant was keeping his father’s sheep; and when a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after him, and struck him, and rescued it out of his mouth. When he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and struck him, and killed him. 36 Your servant struck both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 David said, “The LORD who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go! The LORD will be with you.”
(WEB)
Point out that David speaks up when everyone else is quiet. Ask children what David remembered about God’s help with the lions and bears, and how remembering God’s past help gave him courage for the present.
1 Samuel 17:45-46
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today, the LORD will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you, and take your head from off you. I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines today to the birds of the sky, and to the wild animals of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel…
(WEB)
Show children that David did not brag about his own strength. He said plainly that the battle belonged to God, and he wanted the whole earth to know that Israel had a true God.
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
(WEB)
Explain that God looks at the heart, not just outward size or appearance. This is a good way to remind children that being small on the outside does not mean God cannot use them.
Talk About It
- What did the people of Israel feel when they saw Goliath, and how did David feel differently?
- What helped David remember that God was with him, even when he was young and small?
- Why do you think David chose to use his sling instead of the king’s heavy armor?
- What is a big problem you have faced, and how can you ask God to help you with it?
- Who are some people who have been brave because they trusted God, and what can we learn from them?
Activity Ideas
Giant and Shepherd Drawing
Give each child a sheet of paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask them to draw a tall giant on one side of the page and a small shepherd boy with a sling on the other. Encourage them to add a stone flying through the air. While they draw, talk about how God makes the small one strong.
Stone Toss Game
Gather five soft balls or rolled-up socks and a laundry basket or bucket. Draw a large paper giant on a wall or taped to a chair. Have children take turns standing a few steps back and tossing one ball at the giant, saying “God helps me be brave” before each throw. This gets them moving and reinforces the story.
Brave Stone Take-Home
Provide a smooth stone or pebble for each child, plus a marker. Ask them to write or draw a small word that reminds them of God’s help, such as “Brave” or “God is with me.” Encourage them to keep the stone on their dresser or in a pocket. When they feel small or scared during the week, they can hold the stone and remember David’s story.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this story shows that God often uses people whom others overlook, and that courage grows out of trust in God’s character and past faithfulness. David’s confidence came from remembering how God had helped him before, and that same faithfulness is available to believers today.
Avoid suggesting that children will always win every fight or that trusting God guarantees an easy outcome. Emphasize that God is with us in hard things, and that faith means trusting Him even when the result is unclear.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You that You are bigger than any giant we face. Help us to be brave like David and to remember that You are with us every day. When we feel small, help us trust You and do the right thing. Amen.
