Free Bible lesson for kids · The Kings
David Plays the Harp
After the Spirit of the LORD departed from King Saul, an evil spirit troubled him, and his servants looked for a man who could play the harp. One servant said he had seen a son of Jesse who was cunning in playing, and that the LORD was with him. So young David came to Saul, and whenever Saul was troubled, David took his harp and played, and Saul was refreshed and well.
- Bible passage
- 1 Samuel 16:14–23
- Big idea
- God can use the gifts He gives us to bring comfort to others.
- Memory verse
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 150:6 (KJV)- Ages
- Preschool to preteen (3 to 12), with tips for each age
- Time
- About 45 minutes
- Included, free
- Animated story film, coloring page, class sheet, teacher guide, questions and answers, a game
The story
The Spirit of the LORD left King Saul, and an evil spirit troubled him (1 Samuel 16:14). Saul’s servants said they should find a man who could play the harp well, so that Saul would feel better (1 Samuel 16:15–16). One servant had seen a son of Jesse who was “cunning in playing,” brave, wise and good-looking, and he added that “the LORD is with him” (1 Samuel 16:18).
So Saul sent word to Jesse: “Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep” (1 Samuel 16:19). Jesse sent David to Saul with bread, wine and a young goat (1 Samuel 16:20). Saul loved David greatly, made him his armor bearer, and asked Jesse to let David stay (1 Samuel 16:21–22). Whenever the evil spirit troubled Saul, David took his harp and played, and Saul was refreshed and was well (1 Samuel 16:23).
Read it in the Bible: 1 Samuel 16:14–23 (KJV)
14But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. 15And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. 16Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. 17And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me. 18Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him. 19Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep. 20And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul. 21And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. 22And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight. 23And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
Questions to ask
What kind of man did Saul’s servants look for?
A man who was a cunning player on an harp (1 Samuel 16:16).
What did the servant say about David?
He was cunning in playing, valiant, prudent and comely, and the LORD was with him (1 Samuel 16:18).
What happened when David played his harp?
Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him (1 Samuel 16:23).
What this story teaches
- Every good gift we have comes from God above (James 1:17).
- God can use our gifts to comfort and help others (1 Samuel 16:23).
- People can see when the LORD is with someone (1 Samuel 16:18).
- Whatever we do, we should do it heartily for the Lord (Colossians 3:23).
- Everything that has breath should praise the LORD (Psalm 150:6).
Jesus Comforts Troubled Hearts
David’s harp brought relief to troubled King Saul. Jesus gives us His own peace, so our hearts do not need to be troubled.
John 14:27
A 45-minute lesson plan
| 5 min | Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Thank God for the gifts He has given us, and ask Him to help us use them to help others. |
|---|---|
| 10 min | The story. Play the story film: each verse appears on screen in the King James Version while the scene plays. Pause to ask what happens next. |
| 10 min | Talk about it. Ask the three questions below. Then ask: “God can use the gifts He gives us to bring comfort to others.” What does that mean for us? |
| 5 min | Memory verse. Say Psalm 150:6 together, covering one word at a time until the children can say it alone. |
| 10 min | Activity. Younger children color the coloring page while you retell the story; older children do the class sheet (memory-verse fill-in, word search and questions). |
| 5 min | Pray and send home. Pray together and send the sheet home so families can talk about the first question this week. |
- Preschool: keep it short and physical. Act out the story, use a simple prop, and repeat the big idea in one sentence.
- Elementary: let children find the passage in their own Bibles. Ask “who, what, where” questions first, then “why.”
- Preteens: read the verses before and after the passage, and ask how this story fits the whole story of the Bible.
Game time
For kids · activity · indoors · about 15 minutes
Box Harp
You need: Tissue boxes or shoe boxes, rubber bands of different sizes
- Stretch rubber bands around the open box.
- Pluck them to make different notes.
- Play your harps together while singing a praise song.
When Saul was troubled, David played his harp and Saul was refreshed. Music that praises God brings peace.
For youth group · activity · indoors · about 20 minutes
Playlist Swap
You need: Phones, a speaker
- Each person shares one worship song that has helped them in a hard time, and why.
- Make a shared group playlist.
- Listen to one together and pray.
David’s songs helped a troubled king, and his psalms still help us today.
Pray
Thank God for the gifts He has given us, and ask Him to help us use them to help others.