David and Goliath: Teaching Bible Stories to Our Children

The story of David and Goliath is probably the most familiar account in all of Scripture and is likely one of the first Bible stories your children learned. It’s without a doubt one of my personal favorites, too! Besides Jesus Christ himself, no names are more familiar, and no story is referenced more. Situations throughout history pitting “the little guy” against overwhelming odds are referred to as “David vs. Goliath” moments.

But the original David and Goliath story is not simply about the little guy overcoming powerful odds stacked against him. It’s about so much more, and it shouts certain vital truths to us that are often missed when we teach the well-known stories of Scripture to our kids.

Following the typical method of teaching these stories can often result in our kids missing the most important truths that the Holy Spirit intended to communicate through them. Some of the most simple and foundational truths in all of Scripture are at the core of these accounts. How can we as dads encourage our kids to read and ponder these stories? What should stand out to them? What should those stories teach them? As fathers, we must show them what to look for so that they recognize the truths in each well-known story that are so important for their growth.

I’d like to use the account of David and Goliath here as an example of how to guide our young children in their study and understanding of the well-known stories of the Bible. Before you continue, I’d encourage you to read 1 Samuel 17 (yep, the entire chapter!) and have it open beside you as you read what’s to follow.

The Typical Pitfalls

Here are just a few common misconceptions or missteps that can often lead us to miss the most foundational truths found in stories like David and Goliath. These pitfalls aren’t just typical in children; we can all be innocently susceptible to these!

First of all, even the use of the term “story” can communicate that accounts like 1 Samuel 17 are something less than timeless, true narratives inspired by God himself. I’m not advocating that we never use the word “story” and instead wordsmith with some other creative term. This is simply an opportunity to underscore with our kids that this account isn’t like the other fictional stories they may read and love. This story really happened and is a gift from God to teach us vital truths about himself, his plan, and ourselves.

Once we get past that subconscious hurdle, we can still often view stories like David and Goliath as stand-alone accounts. How we teach these stories may accidentally reinforce this pitfall, especially for children who may not have developed an understanding of the Bible as a whole. The Old Testament isn’t a bunch of individual stories; it’s one central story, the story of God’s creation, man’s fall into sin, and God’s advancing plan to fix the mess that sin caused. It’s vital that we help our children place each well-known Bible story in its important place in the broader story arc of Scripture. More on that later.

Here’s another typical pitfall. It’s easy for us to turn these well-known Bible stories simply into examples of morality for us to follow. For example, we could easily read 1 Samuel 17 to our children and conclude with, “Kids, do you see how courageous David was? Do you see how he stood alone for what was right?” None of that is untrue; David is a sterling example of all of that in this story. But as we’ll see below, there are much more foundational truths our children need to see that far outshine David’s exemplary but human traits.

Guiding Them to Foundational Truths and Principles

Instead, what aspects or themes should we teach our children to look for as they read stories like David and Goliath? Let me suggest just a few.

1. God is always the main character in the story

The Bible is God’s Book. It is one big story, and it’s all about him and his redemptive work in Christ. Through it he reveals himself to us, his character, his plan, and how we are to respond to and interact with him. No matter how central or captivating the human agents of the story are, God is the ultimate actor. Each account of Scripture reveals him to us and serves the purposes he intends.

So while David is quite a captivating character with exemplary traits, God’s revealed character and purposes are actually behind all of David’s actions. God is sovereignly guiding all aspects of the story to accomplish his desired outcomes in the situation (bringing glory to his own name by delivering his people).

This is true of every single well-known Bible story your children learn and love. God is in control of every story and the hero of every story. And he wrote every story to show us that! Don’t overhype the humans! We are at best flawed instruments God uses to bring about his plan and bring himself glory. It’s so important for our children to develop that humble, God-centered perspective when reading Bible stories because that will reinforce their understanding of their humbling and God-enabled role in God’s plan for them.

2. The gospel of Jesus Christ is connected to the story

As mentioned above, each Bible story is not a stand-alone account. The Bible isn’t a collection of loosely connected stories; it’s one big story. Each account your child loves is a step in that story. As dads, we get to help them see where in the story arc it falls.

The centerpiece of the Bible’s big story is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news that God accomplished a sovereign, loving plan to meet rebellious humanity’s greatest need: deliverance from sin. So every account, in some way big or small, can and should direct us in some way to think of the work of Jesus. It can direct us to think about truths such as our great need for a deliverer, God’s unwavering plan to provide that deliverer, his power to fulfill his promise to deliver, and his loving patience and mercy toward sinful people.

Many of these Old Testament stories can also foreshadow Christ’s work that had yet to happen, as is the case in 1 Samuel 17. David is a foreshadowing of Jesus. We need to identify ourselves not so much with David as with the cowardly weak powerless soldiers looking on. And we need to view David as a picture of the champion we could never be in our own spiritual battles with sin. Our champion is Jesus. The champion rescues, then enables the rescued ones to follow in his example of victory! We are delivered through his finished work. It’s Jesus’ victory we can claim today.

3. I need to change because of the truths taught to me in the story

Finally, our children need to see that well-known stories like David and Goliath are not merely meant to be enjoyed and remembered (though those things are good!). They are meant to be transformative. These stories are vital parts of God’s revelation to us, and that revelation is designed to have an immediate, daily, and eternal impact on us as believers. Simply put, we need to train our children that learning Bible stories must result in change in their hearts.

The only sense in which David is exemplary in this story is in how he submitted to God. Every one of David’s conscious, imitable qualities in this account flows from David’s burning desire for the main character, God, to accomplish what he wills for his glory. All his actions were motivated by his relationship with and passion for God.

Speak with your children about what truths about God and us are revealed in their favorite stories. This story reveals that you’re weak and on your own you will be defeated by sin. This story reveals that God is strong, and you can trust him. This story reveals that he is stronger than your enemies. This story reveals that he enables any good that you do and wants the glory for it. And this story reveals that you have been given a champion that has won the victory for you, and your only reasonable response is to love and serve him by obeying his Word and choosing to fight your sin with the help he’s already provided.

Conclusion

Why do stories like David and Goliath stick with us? It’s such a compelling account; the details make it stand out. There’s vivid narrative detail. A giant warrior against a shepherd boy. Overwhelming odds that are overcome. Many other well-known accounts in Scripture have some of the same characteristics. These accounts feature remarkable, unusual and even supernatural aspects that are unforgettable. At the same time, deep emotional themes and identifiable characters make the stories so relatable, too.

These stories like 1 Samuel 17 are gifts from God that show us who he is and that, if he can accomplish great things for his glory on behalf of his people in these amazing ways, he can certainly work in my life, helping me live for him. As our children read and study these stories, let’s expose them to those realities!