True or False:
__ King David was a little boy when he kept his father’s sheep.
__ David was a little boy when he played his harp and sang for King Saul.
__ David was a little boy when he killed Goliath.
__ Noah’s Ark was a very crowded place.
Well meaning Christian education leaders entertain children with these ideas to capture their attention and to entertain them in VBS and Sunday school classes and in Bible storybooks. They have coloring pages and videos to make it all the more memorable and fun. Who hasn’t sung the song “Only a Boy Named David” that goes on and on about the little boy who killed the giant with his little sling and took five little stones in his bag putting one little stone in his sling? Need I go on. What a catchy tune and a fun song. And then there’s the other song, “Play on Your Harp Little David.”
Children don’t stay little forever, and as they grow older they begin to question what they had been taught in those early years. Is a little boy really responsible enough to tend the family’s flock of sheep? Will a king hire a little boy to sing and play for him when he feels bad? Did a little boy really kill a giant with a slingshot? And what about all those animals crowded into Noah’s boat?
All four of the above statements are false. But few children and teenagers will go back to the Bible to see what it really says. Too many will conclude that the Bible is full of nonsense without ever searching for the truth.
Let’s look at the Scriptures and discover a few facts. When Samuel came to anoint a new king, Jessie left David in the fields with the sheep because he was the youngest. He was sure that one of his older sons would be chosen instead of David. But nothing implies that he is a little boy. A few sentences later we read about David explaining to King Saul that while taking care of his father’s sheep he had killed a lion and a bear with his hands – not something a little boy would do. (1 Samuel 17:34-37) When Saul was being tormented by evil spirits, one of his servants recommended David by saying, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.” (1 Samuel 16:18) David did more than play the harp for King Saul, he was also one of his armor-bearers. (1 Samuel 16:21).
Where did the idea come from that David was a little boy? His older brothers (the oldest three of eight sons) belittled David for inquiring about fighting Goliath. They were likely embarrassed that their little brother (little in their eyes) had more courage than anyone else. Saul called David a “young man” when David claimed he could fight Goliath. Goliath sized up David as only a little more than a boy, but who was Goliath? A giant, right? And in comparison, David was minimized once again.
Taking on another favorite Bible story, what about all those cute little pictures of Noah’s Ark with animals hanging out all over the place. The ark was actually the length of one and a half football fields and about two-thirds as wide. Again, entertainment value has been valued more highly than teaching truth to our children. Then we wonder why the exodus of our youth from our churches.
So what is at stake here? Our children. Will they have to unlearn what we teach them? Will we leave them to decide for themselves that the Bible is nonsense? Or will we make up our minds to teach it correctly in the first place.
Have we inadvertently deemed the Bible accounts too boring for children to appreciate? Do we believe we have to embellish God’s Word to make it palatable? What kind of undertones are left for the child to carry into his/her teen years by this kind of teaching?
Honeycomb Adventures believes that given a chance, naturally curious children would love to learn more about the Bible stories than what “age appropriate” thinking makes available to them. Historically, people of all ages learned about God from the same Bible text. Today, with the Bible text available in many translations and at the fingertips of everyone using the Internet, sadly, Bible literacy is at the lowest levels ever.
Honeycomb Adventures Books are written to tell the whole story – not only for the sake of the children, but for their parents as well. Our books empower the readers to be able to share the story with confidence. They can share the story by re-telling it in their own words if necessary with the squirming toddler because they will have learned the whole story. And they can just talk about it using the pictures as a springboard for discussion. An older child can be a “teacher” and share the story with confidence that they know what they are talking about.
Honeycomb Adventures books don’t end with the story. They also include activities such as coloring pages and puzzles to reinforce the story. There are also VBS ideas on this website to engage children in additional activities to make learning and sharing the story fun.
Tying up loose ends . . . The story of David hasn’t been published yet – but it is in planning stages. The amount of material that is involved makes it likely to begin as an e-book, and later divided into three paperback books – Young David, David in Exile, and King David.
Photo credit: https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/bpa-david/
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