The Gospel Project at Home: David Showed Mercy

Sarah Davis
Jul 8
3 min read

Read Scripture

Read all or parts of 1 Samuel 24 from your Bible or watch the Bible story video.

Preschool Bible Story Video

Elementary Bible Story Video

Talk About Scripture

After the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln became known for his mercy by issuing pardons to many soldiers who had fought in the war. President Lincoln wanted to reunite a divided country, and he knew that showing mercy was the way to peacefully move forward. It’s unknown how many pardons Abraham Lincoln issued, but his actions left an impression on history and brought healing to the United States.

Saul was out to kill David. When David had the chance to get revenge, he showed mercy. David’s act of mercy demonstrated that he was committed to doing what was right, even when it was difficult. He trusted that God would handle the situation.

When someone wrongs us, it can be tempting to get even, but God calls us to trust Him. Trusting God means believing that He has a plan and that He will work things out in His time. Therefore, we can choose to show kindness and mercy. And the greatest help in showing mercy is remembering that God has shown us such great mercy by sending His Son, Jesus, to die in our place.

Saul was trying to kill David, but David chose to show Saul mercy. When the people were killing Jesus, He showed them mercy and said, “Father, forgive them.” We all sin, but God shows us mercy through Jesus, who died for our sin and rose again.

Pray: God, help us trust You with our problems and reflect Your love in our actions. Thank You for Your mercy towards us through Jesus. Help us to extend that same mercy to others. Amen.

Learn Scripture

Preschool Scripture Music Video

Elementary Scripture Music Video

Family Prayer

Mornings: Ask God to help you to reflect His mercy today. Ask God to give you opportunities to show kindness and forgiveness to others and ask Him to also give the strength you need to do so.

Evenings: Praise God for His unmatched kindness and mercy towards us. How have you seen God’s mercy in your life? How can you remember His kindness and reflect it to others?

Family Activities

For Fun: Set up an obstacle course through your house or backyard that includes four stations where family members must stop in the course. At each station, give a scenario such as “Your friend accidentally spills soda on you”; “A classmate cuts in line”; or “Someone forgets to return your toy.” Ask the family member to tell how they would show mercy in the situation. Consider tailoring the scenarios to current struggles your children may be facing. Encourage each family member to think of a different answer to the scenario. If your family has older kids, allow them to provide additional scenarios for the game.

To Serve: Organize a neighborhood food drive to collect donations for a local food pantry. Set a date for the food drive and create flyers and posters to promote the event. Ask neighbors to simply put food on their porch or beside their mailbox on the given date. As a family, walk through the neighborhood and collect the food donations to give to the food pantry.

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