June 20-26
2 Samuel 5-7; 11-12; 1 Kings 3; 8; 11
"Thy Kingdom Shall Be Established For Ever"
Materials: video (link below), Coloring page and utensils.
Opening Song: "Keep the Commandments" (Children's Songbook, 146)
Opening Prayer:
**Special Note: This lesson deals with maters pertaining to immorality including fornication, adultery, and pornography. These are the matters discussed in the manual for this week. I feel it is important to teach children about morality from an early age, and I feel that the manual also highlights that this week. Please feel free to adopt this lesson to your individual family needs.
Attention Activity: Use the object lesson #1. The Driver's License and the Dream Car which can be found at this link.
Lesson:
After David slew Goliath, the King and his sons died in battle. The Lord chose David to be King of the Israelites. David was a good King. He listened to the Lord and his people respected him.
One day, David saw a beautiful woman bathing, named Bathsheba. David was convinced he had to be with her, but she was already married to a man called Uriah. David sent for her, slept with her, and she became pregnant. As King, David had control over his armies. So David concocted a plan. He sent Uriah into battle to the front lines where Uriah would die fighting against Israel's enemies. After Uriah died, David called Bathsheba to the palace and married her.
The Lord was angry with David. He sent a prophet, Nathan to counsel David to repent. David felt bad for what he had done. He had committed horrible sins and spent the rest of his days asking the Lord for forgiveness.
This is one of the saddest stories in the scriptures. It highlights the fact that everyone, even people with strong testimonies can succumb to temptation and make mistakes. But it is also an amazing story that teaches us about godly sorrow and repentance.
We don't know the particulars, but we do know that David stared at Bathsheba as she was "washing herself". David was viewing a kind of pornography. What is pornography?
Activity: Have family watch the video "What should I do when I see Pornography?" from churchofjesuschrist.org (5:45)
At the end of the video it gives some steps we can do when we encounter pornography. The steps were: 1. Call it what it is 2. Turn it off and turn away 3. Talk to a trusted adult about it 4. Pray to Heavenly Father and ask him for help. (You may want to talk to your family about scenarios they may encounter or have encountered and discuss a plan of action of what they can do in each scenario.)
David also committed the sin of breaking the law of chastity. The law of chastity is God's law that no one should have sexual relations outside of marriage. David had sexual relations with Bathsheba when they were not married. It is important to note that although this is a serious sin, you can always make things right again through repentance.
David's last sin is the most troubling. David broke the commandment, "thou shalt not kill" by knowingly sending Uriah to die in battle. Hopefully, none of us will commit such serious sins, but if we do, what should we do? What can we learn from King David?
"David’s downfall was not determined by one fatal mistake but rather a series of increasingly unwise and selfish decisions. It is important to remember that at any time during this devastating progression, David could have chosen to humble himself and seek repentance. Tragically, however, David admitted his guilt only after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan (see 2 Samuel 12:13). And while the Lord offers forgiveness to those who fully repent, He does not necessarily remove the negative consequences of sinful behavior. As President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) taught, “It is better to prepare and prevent than it is to repair and repent" ("What We Can Learn from King David's Fall," Frank Judd Jr. Ensign Oct. 2018).
Optional Activity: Coloring Page
Closing Song: "More Holiness Give Me" (Hymns, 131)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: Lemon Buddies recipe here
