“Lesson 28: David and Goliath,” Primary 6: Old Testament, (1996),120
• Have you ever used
stepping-stones to cross a
stream or puddle?
• I need a volunteer to
demonstrate how this is
done using the three flat
“rocks” that are on the
floor.
• Stones can help us, but they can also
cause us to stumble and fall if we aren’t
careful.
• I need a volunteer to read
the label by the first stone.
• How could this challenge
be a stumbling block?
• How could this challenge
become a stepping-stone
to make us better people?
• Now, let’s read and discuss the labels
by the other two stones.
• The challenges in our lives
can be stumbling blocks or
stepping-stones
depending on how we
handle them.
• If we become unhappy
and angry because of the
difficulties we face in life,
they are stumbling blocks
to us.
• If we handle our
difficulties with a
positive attitude and
learn from them, then
we become better
people and our
challenges are like
stepping-stones to us.
• Our lesson today is
about a boy named
David who turned a
difficult challenge
into a steppingstone.
• God told Samuel to go
to Bethlehem. A man
named Jesse lived
there. One of Jesse’s
sons would be the next
king of Israel.
• Samuel went to
Bethlehem and asked
Jesse to bring his sons
to him.
• Jesse and his sons came
to Samuel. God had not
chosen any of them to
be king. Samuel asked if
Jesse had any more
sons.
• Jesse said his youngest
son, David, was not
there. Samuel told Jesse
to send for David.
• David was taking care
of the sheep.
• David came to Samuel.
David was a good boy.
God said he had chosen
David to be king.
• Samuel
anointed
David and
blessed him.
• David was filled with the Holy Ghost.
• David was anointed to become the
next king. Someday he would be the
king of Israel.
• King Saul and the
Israelites were at war with
the Philistines. David was
King Saul’s armor bearer.
• One of the Philistines
was a giant named
Goliath. He was very big
and strong. The Israelites
were afraid of him.
• Goliath shouted to
the Israelites every
morning and every
night for forty days.
• He told them to
choose a man to
fight him. None of
the Israelites would
fight him.
• David’s brothers
were in the Israelite
army. Jesse sent
David to take some
food to them.
• David saw the giant.
He heard Goliath
shouting. He saw
that the men were
afraid of Goliath.
• What could the
Israelites gain or
lose in the fight
with Goliath?
• Let’s read 1
Samuel 17:8–9
• They were fighting
to preserve their
freedom.
• Why didn’t any of the
Israelites want to fight
Goliath?
• Let’s read 1 Samuel 17:4–7
• Goliath was approximately 9
feet 9 inches tall (3 meters),
and it is estimated that his
armor weighed 150 pounds
(67.5 kilos).
• I’ve cut this yarn to 9 feet 9
inches (3 meters) long.
• Let’s attach this to
the wall or ceiling
so we can see how
tall Goliath was.
• Wow!!! That’s tall!
Enrichment Activity #1
• Goliath’s armor
weighed approximately
150 pounds (67.5 kilos).
• That would be about
the same about as two
or three of you would
weigh together.
• How would you feel if you had to fight
such an opponent?
Enrichment Activity #1
• David said he would fight the giant.
His brothers were angry and said he
should be taking care of the sheep.
• King Saul heard what
David said and David
persuaded him to be
allowed to fight Goliath.
• David had killed a lion and a bear
with his slingshot to protect his
father’s sheep.
• Why was David at
the battlefield?
• Let’s read 1
Samuel 17:17–18
• Why was David’s oldest brother
angry with him when he heard
David asking about Goliath?
• Let’s read 1 Samuel 17:26–28
• How did David’s brother
misjudge him?
• How can we
avoid misjudging
our brothers or
sisters?
• How can we overcome jealousy
of others’ strengths or abilities?
• What does David’s question,
“Is there not a cause?” tell
us about him?
• Let’s read 1 Samuel 17:29
• A cause is a situation that can be
resolved or made better by people
getting involved in a positive way.
• What was the cause David was
referring to?
• What righteous causes
do young members of
the Church have today?
–Sharing the gospel
–Obeying the Word of Wisdom
–Keeping a clean mind
–Being a good example
–Giving service to those in need
• What did David tell King Saul to
convince him that he could kill Goliath?
• Let’s read 1 Samuel 17:34–37
• Whom did David give credit to for
delivering him from the bear and lion?
• Let’s read 1 Samuel 17:37
• Whom should we give credit to when
we succeed in overcoming a stumbling
block?
• King Saul wanted David
to wear armor and carry
a sword, but David
didn’t want to wear it.
• He said he could not because he had
never used them before.
• David knew God would
help him. He picked up five
stones. He took his sling
and went to fight Goliath.
• Goliath saw that
David was very
young and became
angry.
• He shouted at David
and made fun of him.
• David shouted back.
He said God would
help him kill Goliath.
• How did Goliath
prepare for the battle?
• Let’s read 1 Samuel
17:5–7
• What weapons did
David use?
• Let’s read 1 Samuel
17:38–40
• What did David have that
Goliath did not?
• Let’s read 1 Samuel 17:45–47
• David’s real
weapon against
Goliath was
help from the
Lord.
• Let’s act out the
parts of David
and Goliath by
reading 1
Samuel 17:44
and 1 Samuel
17:45.
Enrichment Activity #3
• David’s courage came from his faith
in the Lord.
• We all have obstacles,
or “Goliaths,” in our
lives. They can block
our way to peace and
happiness, as Goliath
tried to block the way
for peace and freedom
of the Israelites.
Enrichment Activity #3
• The following story is about President
David O. McKay, ninth President of the
Church, when he was young and faced
an obstacle.
• “One night [when I was young] … I
awoke and soon imagined I could hear
footsteps near the window. … My fears
must have been at a pretty high pitch,
for I breathed heavily, and it seemed I
could hear my heart thumping. …”
Enrichment Activity #3
• “True to my mother’s training and
the natural yearning of my soul, I
sought the Lord in prayer. To me
there was only one way to pray and
that was to kneel at the bedside.
• “It was no small effort to get out of
bed and kneel in the dark, but I did
it, and prayed as never before for
God’s comfort and protection.
Enrichment Activity #3
• “Just as I said ‘Amen,’ I heard a voice
say as distinctly as I ever heard a
voice in my life, ‘Don’t be afraid,
nothing will hurt you.’
• “Immediately all fear left me. I felt
comforted at once and crept back to
bed to a sweet and peaceful sleep”
(“A Lesson in Faith,” Improvement Era, Aug. 1964, p. 637).
Enrichment Activity #3
• Whom should we depend on when
we face challenges?
• What do we have to do to be
worthy of that help?
• The Lord helps us if our desires,
like David’s, are righteous and if
it is the Lord’s will that what we
want to do should be done.
• Goliath came at David
to fight.
• Then David put a
stone in his sling and
threw the stone.
• The stone hit Goliath
in the head and he fell
to the ground dead.
• How did Goliath
react when he
saw David coming
to fight him?
• Let’s read 1 Samuel 17:42–44
• How did David kill Goliath in spite
of all the armor that Goliath was
wearing?
• Let’s read 1 Samuel 17:45–50
• While Goliath tried to protect
himself physically, David
protected himself spiritually.
• Most of Goliath’s body was
covered with armor, but since his
forehead was unprotected, his
physical armor was not enough
to save him.
• What can happen to
us if our spiritual
armor leaves us
unprotected in
some area?
• How can we better
protect ourselves
spiritually?
• David took
Goliath’s
sword and cut
off his head.
• The Philistines
were afraid
and ran away.
God had
helped David
kill the giant.
• Please put your
chairs in a circle
while I stand in
the middle.
• I want you to pass this
stone around the circle
while I hum a song.
• When I stop humming please stop
passing the stone.
Enrichment Activity #2
• I am Goliath and will tell you a
challenge.
• The person who ended up with
the stone must respond with a
positive solution to the challenge.
a. You have a younger brother or
sister who seems to get all the
attention. It makes you so angry
that you feel like hitting him or
her.
Enrichment Activity #2
• I am Goliath and will tell you a
challenge.
• The person who ended up with
the stone must respond with a
positive solution to the challenge.
b. Your best friends are starting to
swear and they make fun of you
because you do not swear. You
want to be accepted by them, but
you know it is wrong to swear.
Enrichment Activity #2
• I am Goliath and will tell you a
challenge.
• The person who ended up with
the stone must respond with a
positive solution to the challenge.
c. You have a very difficult time
doing well in school.
Enrichment Activity #2
• Choose “Goliaths,” or
challenges, in your
life you would like to
overcome and write
them on the giant.
• Now, think of ways
to overcome your
challenges and write
them on the paper
stones.
Enrichment Activity #4
• Not all challenges
can be overcome,
but if we ask
Heavenly Father for
his help, he will give
us strength to cope
with them.
• Choose a challenge that you can work
on and include faith and prayer as
part of the solution.
Enrichment Activity #4
• 1. Dare to do right! Dare to be true!
You have a work that no other can do;
Do it so bravely, so kindly, so well,
Angels will hasten the story to tell.
• Chorus
Dare, dare, dare to do right;
Dare, dare, dare to be true,
Dare to be true, dare to be true.
• 2. Dare to do right! Dare to be true!
Other men’s failures can never save you.
Stand by your conscience, your honor, your faith;
Stand like a hero and battle till death. Enrichment Activity #5
•
Words: George L. Taylor, b. 1835 Music: Arr. by A. C. Smyth, 1840–1909
• I appreciate Heavenly
Father for the help I
have received in
overcoming my
personal “Goliaths”.
• I testify that if we will
pray, have faith, and
do our part, Heavenly
Father will help us.
• Images and clipart are from lds.org,
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websites indicating the images were in the public
domain. The hymns, lesson and scripture story are
from www.lds.org.
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• The presentation is intended to supplement, not
replace, the lesson manual or scriptures. Teachers
should refer to the manual and other resources
when preparing and conducting the lesson.