WISDOM FROM THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES
A Multigenerational Tapestry of Faith Program
WORKSHOP 1: DAVID AND GOLIATH
BY REV. THOMAS R. SCHADE GAIL FORSYTH-VAIL
© Copyright 2011 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 9/30/2014 12:24:17 AM PST.
This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at
www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith.
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eyes reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice. — Theodore Parker, nineteenth century Unitarian minister and abolitionist
This workshop introduces the Hebrew scriptures with an exploration of the well-known story, David and Goliath, from I Samuel. Participants hear the story as it is written in the Bible (New Revised Standard Version), and then explore the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of the story's characters by taking part in a re-enactment. The workshop asks key questions to relate the story to participants' lives: Who or what am I afraid of? What is courage? What helps me to be brave? A choice of small group activities express the themes further before the group comes back together for a closing worship.
This workshop establishes a pattern of activities for all workshops in this program. Congregations may wish to establish their own patterns for the series, perhaps arranging for refreshments or a meal to precede or follow each workshop.
Before leading this workshop, review the Accessibility Guidelines for Workshop Presenters found in the program Introduction and make any accommodations necessary for your group.
GOALS
This workshop will:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
WORKSHOP-AT-A-GLANCE
Activity | Minutes |
Welcoming and Entering | 0 |
Opening | 10 |
Activity 1: David and Goliath | 15 |
Activity 2: Retelling the Story | 15 |
Activity 3: What Gives Us Courage? | 10 |
Activity 4: Explaining Small Group Options | 5 |
Activity 5: Discussion — Option 1 | 20 |
Activity 6: Confronting Bullies Dramatization — Option 2 | 20 |
Activity 7: Five Smooth Stones Art — Option 3 | 20 |
Faith in Action | |
Closing | 15 |
Alternate Activity 1: Pretending to be David | 20 |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
As you prepare to facilitate this workshop, ask yourself the key questions:
Reflect on how you might have answered these questions as an eight-year-old child, a fourteen year old youth, or a young adult making your way in the world. Envision the way you would like to respond to the third question when you are an elder, looking back on your life. Think about people of different ages and life stages in your congregation, and celebrate the gifts each brings to your faith community.
WORKSHOP PLAN
WELCOMING AND ENTERING
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
As people arrive, introduce yourself and invite them to make a name tag and sign in.
OPENING (10 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Bring participants together and welcome them. Invite a volunteer to light the chalice as you share a favorite children's chalice lighting used by your congregation.
Introduce the program using these or similar words:
Welcome to this group. We are going to be sharing some stories from the Hebrew scriptures. These stories are from a long ago time and a far away place, but the people in them face some of the same problems that we do in our own day. We are going to learn about the people and stories of the Hebrew scriptures by acting them out, by playing music, by doing art, by thinking and talking about some important topics—like courage and fear—the themes of today's story. Before we go any further, though, let's meet one another.
Invite participants to go around the circle and say their names and one thing they know about the Bible, or one question they have about the Bible. Record their questions and ideas on newsprint. Point out any responses that are relevant to this workshop, such as fear, courage, violence, God.
ACTIVITY 1: DAVID AND GOLIATH (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Ask the key questions: What makes you afraid? What gives you courage or makes you brave? Invite each participant to answer.
Using the information in Leader Resource 1, David and Goliath Background Information, briefly set the stage for the story. Be sure to keep the background information brief, and offer copies of the leader resource to those who wish to take one home. Say, "In this story, God is on the side of the boy David, giving him strength and courage as he confronts a bully."
Read the story aloud.
ACTIVITY 2: RETELLING THE STORY (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Tell participants they will have the opportunity to re-enact the story. To set the scene before choosing any volunteer actors, ask:
Then, ask: "Who would like to play Goliath?" Choose a volunteer and invite that person to practice taunting Saul's army.
Ask: "Who would like to play David?" Choose a volunteer. Ask the group what David is doing at the beginning of the story. Say, "And now we need armies, Saul's army and the Philistine army. Who is going to be in the armies?" Invite the armies to take their places. Ask: "What happens first? and next?" Guide participants through a re-enactment of the story, asking at appropriate intervals, "What is Goliath thinking and feeling? What does he do? What is David thinking and feeling? What does he do? What are the armies thinking and feeling and what do they do?" Encourage those who are not actors to make suggestions and offer encouragement to the performers.
After the re-enactment, invite participants to offer comments, observations, and insights about the story.
ACTIVITY 3: WHAT GIVES US COURAGE? (10 MINUTES)
Description of Activity
Ask: "What gave David courage? Why was he able to be brave, meeting Goliath with no armor and only a slingshot with five smooth stones?"
Lead a whole group discussion. Begin by pointing out that David was courageous because he believed he was on the side of right and that right (or God) would prevail. Then ask:
ACTIVITY 4: EXPLAINING SMALL GROUP OPTIONS (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Explain the activity options for small group processing and point out the breakout spaces. Explain that participants may choose any option that appeals to them, regardless of age. All groups will have a mix of ages.
ACTIVITY 5: DISCUSSION — OPTION 1 (20 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite participants to discuss the questions posted on newsprint. Use some of these questions to provoke, guide or further the discussion, as needed:
ACTIVITY 6: CONFRONTING BULLIES DRAMATIZATION — OPTION 2 (20 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite the small group to create a modern version of David and Goliath. Invite them to begin by sharing some of their own experiences with bullies like Goliath. Then ask for volunteers to act out the story a participant has shared. You may want to invite that participant to choose the volunteers for the story.
ACTIVITY 7: FIVE SMOOTH STONES ART — OPTION 3 (20 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite participants to consider what they would want to take with them if they had to confront something or someone they are afraid of. Invite them to paint or draw on the stones symbols or pictures of five things they would want to take with them to give them courage.
CLOSING (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Create a worship service, weaving together contributions from all of the breakout groups. Do not over-script the worship service, but rather create a worshipful "container" to hold all of the insights, thoughts, feelings, creations, and contributions of participants. At the end of the worship, extinguish the chalice and read the words of Elizabeth Selle Jones, Reading 456 in the hymnbook, or choose a benediction or closing words familiar to participants. Distribute Taking It Home.
FAITH IN ACTION
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite your guest(s) to share their personal story of courage. Invite participants to ask questions and to share some of their own stories of courage. If it is appropriate, decide how workshop participants will support your guest's stance and social justice work.
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
Take a few minutes to talk with your co-facilitator about how the workshop went, using these questions as a guide:
TAKING IT HOME
I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eyes reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice. — Theodore Parker, nineteenth century Unitarian minister and abolitionist
Find a way to recognize and celebrate acts of courage in your own life or in the life of the broader community. You might look for David and Goliath-type stories in the news or in fiction. You might also name those acts of courage in your life by writing of them in your journal, noting them at the family dinner table, or lifting them up in small groups or religious education groups. You might also consider presenting a modern day "David and Goliath" drama as part of a talent show or other congregational event.
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 1: PRETENDING TO BE DAVID (20 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite children to use their imaginations and pretend to be David the shepherd. An adult or youth in the group might ask:
Explain that a shepherd in David's time had a simple tool to keep the wolves and other dangers away. It was called a slingshot. Show a picture of a slingshot if you have one or describe what it is and how it works. Say: "We are going to make our own pretend slingshots." Invite adults, youth, and older children to help the younger children with the assembly process, taping one end of each piece of elastic to one prong of the Y-shaped stick and looping the other end through one of the holes in the piece of artificial leather before knotting.
Remind participants that this is a pretend slingshot, not an actual one, and use a foam bead to demonstrate how a slingshot works.
Take the vest and the belt and say that you will pretend this is the King's armor that David tried on. Invite a small child to try on the much-too-big clothing, and give them a trash can lid as a shield if you have one. Ask: "What is the problem with this grown-up armor? Why does it not work for a child?"
Invite each child in turn to try being David the shepherd, keeping away a wolf with the slingshot (a youth or adult might play the wolf). After they try being David the shepherd, invite them to try on, and then reject, the armor, as David did.
End the activity by reminding participants that David was a child in this story, and that he stood up to the bully by being himself and doing what he did best.
WISDOM FROM THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES: WORKSHOP 1:
STORY: DAVID AND GOLIATH
1 Samuel 17 (New Revised Standard Version)
Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle... The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." And the Philistine said, "Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together." When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years. The three eldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle; the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. David was the youngest; the three eldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.
Jesse said to his son David, "Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers; also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See how your brothers fare, and bring some token from them."
...David rose early in the morning, left someone in charge of the sheep, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. As he talked with them, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.
All the Israelites, when they saw the man, fled from him and were very much afraid. The Israelites said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. The king will greatly enrich the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter and make his family free in Israel." David said to the men who stood by him, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
His eldest brother Eliab heard him talking to the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David. He said, "Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart; for you have come down just to see the battle." David said, "What have I done now? It was only a question." He turned away from him toward another and spoke in the same way; and the people answered him again as before.
When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul; and he sent for him. David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth." But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God." David said, "The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine." So Saul said to David, "Go, and may the Lord be with you!"
Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them." So David removed them. Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.
The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field." But David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand."
When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly towards the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, striking down the Philistine and killing him; there was no sword in David's hand. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine; he grasped his sword, drew it out of its sheath, and killed him; then he cut off his head with it.
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. The troops of Israel and Judah rose up with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron.
WISDOM FROM THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES: WORKSHOP 1:
LEADER RESOURCE 1: DAVID AND GOLIATH BACKGROUND INFORMATION
David and the Goliath is one of the most well-known and beloved stories of the Hebrew scripture. It is an adventure story which seems to be aimed at every child who can hardly wait to grow up and do something so brave, and skillful and important that they become heroic.
When the story begins, it emphasizes how small and insignificant David is. His brothers are soldiers in the army, but he, the youngest, is still just a shepherd at home. He is sent to bring cheese sandwiches to his older brothers in the army as it faces off against the Philistines. And when he gets to the camp, he discovers that the whole army is paralyzed with fear of one Philistine fighter, a giant named Goliath.
David volunteers to fight Goliath, which is crazy. But David figures he has fought lions and bears as a shepherd, so he can fight Goliath. So the army suits him up with armor, but it is too big for him to even walk in. David goes to fight Goliath with a sling and five smooth stones, the weapons of a shepherd boy.
He wins, and Goliath is slain, and little David is a hero.
The story is an exciting adventure story, but it also had, for the people who first heard, three important messages. Even today, the messages ring true to us.
The first was that the small can defeat the large. The ancient Hebrews, who first told this story, were a small people in a small kingdom, surrounded by more powerful empires, Goliaths. So, it was good news that the small can win a battle against the large. It is still good news, for every underdog.
The second lesson of the story was about their first King, David. The shepherd boy David would grow up to be their first and greatest king. He would be the king against which all other kings would be compared.
Every quality that made David a great King could be seen when he was just a shepherd boy. He was brave, resourceful, and clever. The adults in David's world gave him a chance to take on a task that seemed too big for him, yet he succeeded. The lesson is that great leaders can come from anywhere. There are great leaders among the people we think are least likely to have that potential. But they need a chance to show what they can do.
And the third lesson was that David's bravery came from his confidence that he was fighting for God's honor, and that God was on his side. To our ears, this may sound misguided and even arrogant. But, don't we, as Unitarian Universalists, believe something similar? We believe that when people stand up and fight for what is right, the justice of their cause should make them braver. The 19th century Unitarian minister, Theodore Parker, said, "The arc of the Universe is long, but it bends toward justice." He, too, believed that there was some deep and powerful force in the Universe that stands behind the weak and the small when they fight against the more powerful. The story of David and Goliath, the little shepherd boy who defeated the most powerful warrior in the world, asks us, "Where would we find such courage?"
WISDOM FROM THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES: WORKSHOP 1:
LEADER RESOURCE 2: CREATING THE CLOSING WORSHIP
The closing worship circle brings the group back together to enrich each other's understanding of the story and of their own life experience. This is not a show-and-tell experience, but rather a participatory, co-created worship experience. Do just enough planning to provide a container for participants to share with one another and grow in spirit. You cannot script a co-created worship service, but you can guide it so that all participants feel heard and valued, and all hear and value the voices and experiences of others, regardless of age or life stage. With practice, you and the participants will become adept at co-creating worship to end each workshop.
Here are suggested elements for the closing worship for Workshop 1, David and Goliath. Add, subtract, and adapt to fit your situation:
Opening words
Use the Theodore Parker quote that begins this workshop.
Chalice lighting
Use chalice lighting words familiar to your congregation or use Reading 452 from Singing the Living Tradition.
What was it like to be David? Slingshots and King's Armor
If you had a group using Alternate Activity 1, Pretending to be David, invite participants to demonstrate their re-enactment with the group. Invite them to tell the large group what it feels like to be David.
What are we afraid of today? Confronting Bullies Drama
Invite the group that created a modern version of David and Goliath (Activity 6) to share their thoughts about bullies today and why they make us afraid. Invite them to re-enact a piece of their dramatic rendering of the story.
What gave David courage? What gives us courage?
Invite members of the discussion group (Activity 5) to explain what they think gave David courage. Invite them to share what gives them courage today to fight against injustice or to stand up for themselves.
What gives us courage? Five Smooth Stones
Invite the group that meditated on what they would want to bring into the valley to meet a Goliath today to share some of their thoughts and show their stones. Since some of the painted stones might still be somewhat wet, invite participants to place them on the worship table.
Meditation/prayer
Begin a meditation or prayer as you normally would in your congregation. Then say, "Here are some fears we want to acknowledge" and invite participants to speak their fears aloud. Then say, "Here are some ways in which we pray for/need courage," and invite participants to speak if they choose. Then say, "Here are the things we are bringing into the valley with us when we face our fears like David faced Goliath," and invite people to speak. End your prayer by saying, "Help us to/may we remember that we are not alone when we, like David, face injustice, or face a bully. End the meditation or prayer as you normally would in your congregation.
Music
Choose some music about courage. You might choose a recorded piece to play, such as "You'll never walk alone" from the musical Carousel or explain and teach a song such as Hymn 172 in Singing the Living Tradition, "Siph Amandla." If you do use Hymn 172, explain that it came from people who were facing a terribly unjust government in South Africa and used the music to give them courage.
Closing words
Use words familiar to your congregation.
FIND OUT MORE
Twentieth Century Unitarian theologian James Luther Adams describes the five smooth stones of liberalism, a metaphor drawn from the David and Goliath story, in his essay “Guiding Principles for a Free Faith” found in On Being Human, Religiously (1976, Beacon Press). It can be found online at GoogleBooks (at books.google.com/books?id=ECHDFQsnNIgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=On+Being+Human+Religiously&hl=en&src=bmrr&ei=_r89TarnOIrcgQeP-fDgCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false). To view an extensive selection of books and other resources for children, youth, adults and families on the topic of courage, visit the Teaching Tolerance (at www.tolerance.org/search/apachesolr_search/courage) website.