Eat Your Way Through The Bible - David and Saul
Overview:
Students will make En Gedi Cave rolls and use Play-Doh to retell the story of David and Saul.
Memory Verse: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation.” (Psalm 18:2 , NIV)
Materials List:
- Play-Doh (one container per student)
- Laptop computer/ TV
- Download of YouTube video "Psalm 18 Song - "I Will Call Upon the Lord"
- Ingredients for En Gedi Cave rolls (see below)
Intro:
The climax of this month’s story about David and King Saul takes place in a cave out in the Judean wilderness called En Gedi.
Do you remember why David fled to this wilderness cave?
Answer: King Saul was trying to kill him because he had become jealous of David and was afraid that David would try to steal his throne. (1 Samuel 18:10-11)
Because of his fear, David fled from Saul. Instead of being strong as a rock, David’s fear made him feel soft and vulnerable as a marshmallow. David was right to fear King Saul. Once after fleeing Saul, David sought refuge at the Tabernacle (the Lord's sanctuary) in Nob. King Saul learned that David had been there and that the priests who took care of the Ark of the Covenant had helped him out. In a fit of rage, King Saul had all of the priests at the Tabernacle killed in revenge (1 Samuel 22:11-21).
And so, David traveled to the Judean wilderness, to a place where only wild goats lived, to hide him and his followers from King Saul and his army. Yet, David was not alone, even in his fears. Psalm 18:1-6 are lyrics written by David that express that even in his fear, David knew that God was with him to give him protection. At the cave and during his encounter with King Saul, David remembered his own anointing by God to be king and the sweet joy that comes from knowing that God is always near.
Today we’ll be making En Gedi Cave Rolls to help us understand what David experienced when he encountered King Saul and God in the cave in the middle of the Judean desert.
[Explain the symbolism of all the ingredients that make up these delicious sweet rolls. Omit the “cavity in bun” until the rolls have come out of the oven.]
Symbolism of En Gedi Cave Rolls:
Large marshmallows – fears that filled David as he hid from King Saul
Crescent roll – the cave that David and his men hid in at En Gedi
Melted Butter – God’s promised anointing of David for kingship
Cinnamon and sugar mix- the sweetness of dwelling in God’s protection (Psalm 18:2)
Oven – The hot seat: David facing his fears and temptation to end Saul’s life
Cavity in bun – the cave void of fear
HOW TO MAKE EN GEDI ROLLS
Separate rolls into eight triangles. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Dip each marshmallow into butter, roll in cinnamon-sugar and place on a triangle. Pinch dough around marshmallow, sealing all edges. Make sure to seal well or all the marshmallow will escape.
Dip tops of dough into remaining butter and cinnamon-sugar. Place with sugar side up in greased muffin cups. It helps to use jumbo muffin tins so that the juice doesn’t overflow.
Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until rolls are golden brown. Allow to cool slightly then eat warm.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 (8 ounce or 12 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls (the bigger size makes it a little easier to wrap around the marshmallow)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 8 large marshmallows
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
Telling the Story while baking
As the En Gedi Cave rolls are baking in the oven, use the Play-Doh to retell the story of 1 Samuel 24 as follows:
- Roll your dough into a ball, In the years before David became the king of Israel, he spent a lot of his time running for his life, He was being chased by King Saul. You see, King Saul wanted to kill David, and David feared for his life.
- Make an angry face on the ball. Saul wanted to kill David because he was so jealous of David and angry with him. The people in Saul’s kingdom seemed to love David better than Saul. Saul’s son Jonathan was David’s best friend, and Saul’s daughter Michal was married to David! Besides that, Saul knew that God had planned for David to be the king one day.
Change face into a hill with a cave in it, Now King Saul had just heard that David was hiding with some of his friends out in the desert hills of En Gedi, so Saul chose 3,000 of his best fighting men to help him capture David, He set out to look for David and his friends with this huge army. David and his friends could see Saul’s army coming in the distance, so they hid in the back of a cave. They were probably hoping that Saul and his men would pass right by. But guess who came riqht into the cave? It was Saul! He came in without his soldiers David and his friends must have stared in amazement. They could clearly see him— King Saul was all alone at the opening of the cave. David s friends whispered “Look! It’s Saul! God has put him here, so you can get him.
- Now use your dough to make a robe shaped like a cape. Now, David had the chance to kill Saul if he wanted, He could even take Saul as a prisoner. But David decided to keep control of his feelings about the mean way Saul was treating him. Quiet as a shadow, David unsheathed his knife and slipped to the front of the cave. Saul’s outer robe was lying behind him on the cave floor. Quietly, quickly, David held his breath and sliced a corner from Saul’s robe.
Pinch a corner from the robe. Saul picked up his robe, left the cave and began walking down the hillside, never knowing anyone had been near him, Suddenly, Saul heard a very familiar voice from behind him! “My lord, the king!” David shouted. Saul whirled around. Standing in the opening of the cave was David. David said, “Why do you listen to people who tell you I want to hurt you? Do you realize what just happened? While you were in the cave, my men and I were right there! They wanted me to kill you; but I said, ‘I can’t hurt Saul, He is God’s chosen king.’ “Do you see what I have in my hand? It’s the corner of your robe! I was that close to you, with my knife in my hand, but I only cut the corner from your robe. I will not hurt you, no matter what you do to me,”
Roll dough into a ball and make a sad face, Saul felt very sad and ashamed! He said, “David, you treated me well, but I have treated you badly. May God reward you for the way you treated me.” Saul went on his way then, and David and his friends went back up into a safe place in the mountains. Even when Saul kept trying to hurt him, David was wise. David knew that God would be with him and that it was up to God to decide when Saul should stop being king. Later when David did become king, he was glad God had helped him treat Saul in ways that showed grace and mercy.
Conclusion
After the story is over and the rolls are out of the oven, invite kids to each take one and open them up. Note that the “fear” that David had when he first hid in the cave has vanished, because of God’s protection. All that is left of the experience is the sweetness of God’s presence.
Let the kids eat their En Gedi Cave rolls as you watch the music video “I Call Upon the Lord” of Psalm 18 on a laptop computer or projected onto a TV screen. Mention that this Psalm, written by David, expresses the sweetness of knowing God's strength and protection that David experienced in the cave at En Gedi. We can have that same sweetness of God's presence as well if we "call upon the Lord" and put our trust in him.
Close the class session with prayer.
A Lesson written by Rev. Ron Shifley of Immanuel Evangelical Church, Needville, TX
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and all cited references remain with this material.
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