On February 19th, we talked about King David - a strong, but flawed leader.  This topic gave us a chance to revisit the topic of temptation that was introduced in the last class period with Jesus' temptation in the wilderness, and also look at a bit of David's good side.  Below are additional resources to help you investigate the role David plays as one of our ancestors in the faith.

Download this weeks confirmation parents' page

Homework for next class, March 4:

1. Do at least one of the activities on the website to explore the book of Psalms. 
2. Complete at least one other of the activities on this page or the web.
3. Find time to do at least 4 Faith Form cards.
4. Don’t forget to work on the Confirmation Project.

Further Ideas and Resources:

1. Psalms- David was a musician.  When he was young, he played the lyre and sang to help comfort Saul (1 Samuel 16:14-23). Throughout his life he wrote songs, some of which are in the book of Psalms in the Bible.  In the Dead Sea Scrolls, it is said that David wrote more than 3600 Songs of Praise plus other songs!  More than 70 of the Psalms are attributed to David.  You can tell, because in the opening of the Psalm, it will say something like “a psalm of David”.  The Psalms are prayer songs that the ancient people collected.  They are all sung to God, but they cover the gambit of human emotion.    Here is some further information about the Psalms:
   • Psalms were always sung.  The book of Psalms was ancient Israel’s song book.  Some of the songs were for worship, some for private singing, some were to be sung as you traveled to the temple for worship.  Like our own song book, the red Evangelical Worship book, the songs are about different things and different feelings.  All we have left though is the words,  except for a few small clues we can’t say for certain how they were sung.  Over the centuries, the music has changed but the words have remained the same.  Here is an example of 
   • There are three very basic types of Psalms.  Each type has a lot of variety and some Psalms contain elements of different types.  They are: 
     • Praise and Thanksgiving Psalms.  These are songs that give thanks and praise to God.  A good example of a Praise Psalm is Psalm 150.  
     • Complaint or Lament Psalms. These are songs that tell God that you're upset about something.  An example is Psalm 130.
     • Wisdom Psalms.  These are songs that reflect on what is means to know God.  An example is Psalm 1.
   • Write your own Psalm.  Every generation has claimed the psalms for themselves: writing music for them, rewriting them in their own words, and using them as a template for new songs.  Sarah Fordham has written Psalm Readingsto help us explore writing the Psalms in our own words.  Answering a series of questions, she helps you explore what is at the heart of a Psalm.  Here are some examples of people making their own versions of the Psalms:
     • Psalm 1 - This video was made at a Summer Camp.  They worked together to rewrite Psalm one.
       
     • Psalm 40.  U2's song "40" is their interpretation of the Psalm
       
       
       Here is Sarah Fordham's interpretation of Psalm 40
     • Psalm 91 - a video created using animoto.com
       
     • Now try writing some yourself.  Download one or more of the following worksheets.  
       • worksheet for psalms 1 & 121
       • worksheet for psalm 10
     • Take it the next step.  Try recording your new Psalm, setting it to music, or making a video.  Here are some resourcesto help you do that.
       • Try making a new hymn.  The Psalms have often been a popular subject for hymns.  You can write your own version and then sing it to a familiar hymn tune in our hymnal if you pay attention to the meter.  Musical Meter is the number of syllables that are in a line.  Look in the lower corner of a hymn and you will see some numbers (Like 87 87).  That is the meter.  It means that the song is made up of two two line phrases.  The first line in each phrase has 8 syllables and the second has 7.  You may also see some initials like CM or LM.  Those stand for Common Meter (8 6 8 6) and Long Meter (8 8 8 8).  There are numerous songs written in those meters (Amazing Grace is in Common Meter).  If you write your psalm out following one of the popular meters, you will be able to sing it to any tune in the hymnal with the same meter.  Try it out, it's pretty cool.
   • Some Different Psalms.  Some Psalms have very unique characteristics.
     • Psalm 119 is an acrostic.  Each stanza begins with the next letter in the hebrew alphabet (22 letters).  The stanzas are each 8 verses long.  Try making your own acrostic Psalm.  Use a word like Grace, Faith, Jesus, or a feeling word that describes how you're feeling when you write the psalm.  Have each line begin with the next letter in the word.
     • Psalm 117 is the shortest Psalm - just 2 verses long.  It's also just ahead of the longest, Psalm 119, that has 176!  Explore Psalm 117 by writing down two things for which you praise God.
     • Psalms 57 & 96.  Twice we are told that David hid from Saul in a cave (1 Samuel 22 and 1 Samuel 24).  In the book of Psalms we have two poems that David wrote while he was hiding.  How would you feel if you were hiding in a cave because someone wanted to kill you?  How did David express his feelings in these Psalms?  Express your own feelings by writing a psalm about a time when you were fearful.
   • Hebrew Poetry.  Hebrew is the language in which the Old Testament was written.  Hebrew poetry is different than the poetry that we usually think of.  Rhyming is not important.  Here are some of the things to watch for in the poetry of the Bible.
     • Lines are paired.  Most of the poetry is composed of paired lines.  Sometimes the pairing is expanded to three if the thought is real important.  See if you can find an example of pairing of three.
     • Repetitions is common.  If the poet wants to make a point, it is repeated two or three times.  This is very common and you see it regularly.  The poet will make a statement and then make it again in another way.  For example "Praise God for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!"  Same thought said twice.    
     • There is a rhythm to the words where there will be an emphasized word followed by a series of unemphasized ones.  Sometimes this can be hard to find in English translations, but see if you can feel it.  It's almost like a drum beat.  Read through a psalm and see if you can develop a rhythm that works for you.
2. Anointing - In the Bible, anointing was a ritual for marking someone (or something) as holy, for setting them apart for a special purpose.  Kings and priests were anointed.  To anoint someone, perfumed oil was pour over their head.  This was a sign that they had been selected by God.  Large amounts of oil were used to show that God's favor for the person was large.  Only very special people were anointed.
   • 1 Samuel 16 - Samuel anoints David.  When God decides that a new king is needed he sends Samuel to anoint a new one.  Notice that David is not the one Samuel would have picked.  God tells Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’  What qualities do you think God looks for in a person who is to be anointed as king?
   • As Christians we believe Jesus Christ is the Messiah.  The words Christ and Messiah both mean "Anointed One".  We believe Jesus is the Anointed One because he was set apart for a special task - our salvation.  In the Gospels we are told how Jesus was anointed (Mark 14:3-9).
   • In Christianity, we believe that God now sets us all apart.  Through baptism God anoints all of us.  1 Peter 2:9 calls us a "royal priesthood", to be royal and to be a priest someone was anointed.  This is a spiritual anointing that God does for us through Jesus Christ.  But as a sign of this, at baptism, we anoint the person with perfumed oil with the sign of the cross on their forehead, saying, "name, child of God, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ's own forever."
   • Sometimes our baptismal anointing is repeated at confirmation as a way of reminding us that our confirmation is an affirmation of the covenant established in our baptism.
   • What does it mean to be anointed to you?  What do you think God has set you apart to do?
3. David's Connection to Jesus
   • 2 Samuel 7:12-17 records how God made a covenant with David that the Kingship would stay in David's family.  Isaiah 11:1-6 affirms the covenant God made with David that his house and kingdom would continue.  Isaiah is using the metaphor of a family tree to say that Jesus is part of David's family, Jesse is David's Father.  
   • In Judaism, David comes to be seen as the hope for a new Kingdom that will give them release from rule by foreign powers.  The more the Jews suffer, the bigger this hope and expectation becomes.  By the time of Jesus, this expectation was everywhere.  They expected a descendant of David to become a new king that will throw out the Romans and restore Israel to its former glory.   We see Jesus doing this very thing, but in a surprising way.  How might you think the people of Jesus day expected a new king to act and restore power?  How did Jesus do it?
   • The New Testament goes to great lengths to tie together David and Jesus.  This helps us see how God works throughout history.  It also helps us understand how God fulfills promises.  
   • There is nearly a 1000 years between David and Jesus.  700 years between when Isaiah said that God would bring a new shoot out of the stock of Jesse.  How does this affect how you think about how God works?  How many times during those 100's of years do you think that people said "now is the time"?  How does this affect how you look at what God might be doing today?  
4. The Judges
   • After Joshua brought the Israelites into the promised land and before King Saul, there was a period of time in which Isreal's leaders were called "judges".  Some of the stories of this period can be found in the Biblical book named Judges.
   • The Judges that led Israel were not really like Judges today who just listen to legal issues.  In addition to settling legal issues, they were leaders of the country, rulers and military commanders.  Sometimes they were also priests (like Eli in 1 Samuel) or prophets (like Samuel).  But they were not kings.  Their rule wasn't handed down from family member to family member and they weren't the ultimate authority, that was God.
   • During this time, God was seen as the King of Israel and when the people begin asking for a king so that Israel will look more like their neighboring countries, it is seen as a rejection of God.  Though the people are warned that a human king will not be nearly as merciful or just as God, they continue to insist they want one and God grants them their wish.  Read about it in 1 Samuel 8.
   • There are several famous Judges in the Bible.  Here are some to investigate more:
     • Deborah - the only female judge in the Bible, Judges 4 and 5.  Did you know that Israel had a female ruler?  For a long time the Church didn't allow females to be pastors or leaders in the church.  But long before that, God used Deborah to lead Israel.  What does this story make you think about how women and men should be treated in the church?
     • Samson - known best for his long hair, Samson is a powerful figure in Judges 13-16.  Samson's power doesn't come from his hair, but rather the fact that he has made a covenant to serve God.  In ancient Israel there was a special type of minister known as a nazarite.  As a symbol of their vow, they didn't cut their hair.  Samson looses his power because the vow or covenant is broken.  What do you think was the source of Samson's great strength?  
     • Samuel - the last of the judges.  Samuel's story is important, because he is the one God uses to anoint both Saul and David as King over Israel.  His story is one of deep faith before God.  Read the story of his call in 1 Samuel 3.  Do you think this is how God calls people today?  If not, how does God do it?
5. David the Leader- The Bible depicts David at a great, albeit flawed, leader.  We are told that under his leadership, Israel is brought together as a single nation that becomes quite powerful.   What can we learn from David about being a good leader?  Here are a few stories about David in the Bible and what we might learn from them.  Can you think of other leaders who possessed these traits?  How do you posses them?
   • Leaders respect others - 1 Samuel 24.  When Saul was still king and trying to kill David, David had the chance to kill Saul, but didn't.  He spared Saul's life because he was still the annointed king and David needed to respect that.  In this act, even Saul saw the great leadership that David exercised. 
   • Leaders know it's not about themselves - 1 Samuel 17.  David was very confident and very skilled, but he also knew that there were others who possessed those traits too.  What gave David his real power was that he knew it was about doing God's will not his own (1 Samuel 37).  David wins over Goliath because he's not thinking about himself, but rather God and others (his family and kindred in Israel).  Do you remember the two greatest commandments?   
   • Leaders acknowledge their mistakes and repent - 2 Samuel 11 & 12.  David made mistakes - bad ones - but he also acknowledged his mistakes and repented of them.  It takes a really big person who trusts in more than themselves to do this.  Why do you think it is hard for leader's to acknowledge when they make mistakes?
   • Leaders are good friends - 1 Samuel 18:1-8 & 1 Samuel 20.  David and Jonathan (Saul's son) become very good friends.  On two separate occasions, Jonathan saves David's life. Without that good friendship, David may not have survived to become king.  What role do friends play in your life?
   • What other traits do you think good leaders need?  Can you think of a Biblical character that possess that trait?  If not, see if you can stump pastor with the question.