Take a look at our FREE David and Jonathan Sunday School Lesson! True friends will never turn on you. They will stay faithful, no matter what it costs. David and Jonathan are the greatest examples of friends. They would not let anything come between their friendship. God wants something better for us. He wants us to be true friends who put the needs of our friends ahead of our own wants. When times are good, he wants us to celebrate with our friends. When times are tough, he wants us to be loyal. Through learning the story of David and Jonathan, kids will learn that friends are always faithful. This lesson is great for every Children's Ministry, Kids Church, and Sunday School!  And, if you like this lesson we have over 100 more free Sunday School Lessons for Kids! Be sure to check out our  Friends 4-Week Children's Ministry Curriculum.

David and Jonathan Sunday School Lesson for Kids:

BOTTOM LINE:

The best friends are people who are faithful to you, no matter what the cost.

OBJECTIVE:

Through learning the story of David and Jonathan, kids will learn that friends are always faithful.

KEY PASSAGE:

1 Samuel 20:1-17. Jonathan disobeys his father to protect David, and David vows to always protect Jonathan’s family. 

MEMORY VERSE:

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” - Proverbs 17:17 (NIV) 

SUMMARY:

True friends will never turn on you. They will stay faithful, no matter what it costs. David and Jonathan are the greatest examples of friends. They would not let anything come between their friendship.

SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

Forgive us for the times we’ve failed you, and our friends. Help us to be faithful friends to others, and bless us with friends who will do the same for us.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

MEMORY VERSE

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” - Proverbs 17:17 (NIV) 

“A friend loves at all times. He is there to help when trouble comes.” - Proverbs 17:17 (NIrV)

LARGE GROUP:

Put the verse on the big screen and read it aloud with the kids.

SMALL GROUP:

Put each word of the memory verse on a card. Have the kids rearrange the cards and put the words in order.

SKIT

JONATHAN CHANGES HIS MIND

ITEMS NEEDED:

A bow

An arrow

A sword

Biblical costumes

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:

3M

CHARACTERS:

David

Jonathan

Jonathan’s servant

Jonathan enters from stage left with his servant. He lifts his bow and pretends to shoot an arrow into the sky.

JON: Now, my servant, run out there and fetch my arrow.

SERVANT: Why?

JON: Why?

SERVANT: Yeah, why should I go out there and fetch that arrow?

JON: Because I’m the prince. And I said so.

SERVANT: Why do you care about one little arrow? You’re the prince. You can do whatever you want.

JON: We have to keep the kingdom tidy. We can’t just shoot arrows anywhere.

SERVANT: So why’d you shoot that one?

JON: That’s none of your business. Now go get my arrow!

SERVANT: You’ve got a whole quiver full of arrows! What’s it matter if you have nineteen or twenty?

JON: Just go get my arrow!

SERVANT: Okay, okay. But I still think if you really want your arrow, you should get it yourself.

The servant runs off stage right. David sneaks in, stage left.

JON: Hello, David, my old friend.

DAVID: Jonathan, I saw you shoot your arrow.

JON: Yes, just as I promised.

DAVID: So it’s true. Your father plans to kill me.

JON: I’m afraid so.

DAVID: I’m sorry. I wish I were wrong about him.

JON: I wish you were too.

DAVID: You’re a good friend, Jonathan. I won’t ever forget that, or the promise I made you. I will always remember your family, and I will never forget your kindness. You could have handed me over to your father, thrown me in the dungeon, or had me killed, but instead, you vowed to protect me.

JON: Yeah, umm, about that vow. David, I’ve decided... not to keep it.

DAVID: What??

JON: I know we’ve been friends a long time, and I know we promised we’d be friends first, but this is the throne we’re talking about. I’m the prince. I’m supposed to be king.

DAVID: But the prophet Samuel said the Lord wanted me to be king.

JON: Yeah, but are we really sure Samuel got the right guy? I mean come on, you’re not a prince. You’re a shepherd. You always kind of smell like sheep.

DAVID: I what??

JON: Sorry, Dave, it’s true. Everyone knows it. All the guys call you Goatboy.

DAVID:  Goatboy?

JON: I’m really sorry, David, but put yourself in my shoes. Wouldn’t you want to protect your throne and your family?

DAVID: I’d want to stay loyal to my friend! I made a vow to protect your family, and you know I would have kept it!

JON: Do I really?

DAVID: Yes!

JON: If I died in battle, how do I know you’d really take care of my kids? They’d be a threat to you the same as you are to me, so why should you care for them?

DAVID: Because we are friends!

JON: I’m sorry, David, it’s nothing personal. I really did mean all those promises when I said them. I just got to thinking and I realized, I’m the prince. I wanna be king. And if that means I have to hand you over to my Dad, well, that’s the way it’s gotta be.

Jonathan pulls out his sword.

JON: Come on, let’s go.

DAVID: So that’s it? You’re just going to turn me in? Turn your back on a friend?

JON: Pretty much, yeah.

The Servant runs on with an arrow from stage right.

SERVANT: Sir, I’ve got your arrow!

David takes advantage of the distraction and runs off stage right.

JON: Great! Look what you did! You let him get away! Guards!

Jonathan exits stage left.

SERVANT: Hey, was that Goatboy?

The Servant exits stage left.

Leaders note: It may be a good idea to point out at the beginning or end of the skit that this was not actually the way the story happened, but rather a “what if” scenario.

OBJECT LESSON

ITEMS NEEDED:

One of your favorite Christmas ornaments

Begin the object lesson by showing your ornament to the kids. Tell them where/how you got it, how long you have had it, where it hangs/sits in your home, and if there’s any special way you like to put it on display every year.

It’s always fun when we decorate our houses for Christmas. For one month a year, our homes are transformed into a completely different place, filled with lights, angels, Santas, snowmen, garland, and other decorations. Part of the fun is bringing out the same decorations year after year, items that have become special to us over the years. Our decorations may move around the home, but they are still the same decorations we have known and loved for years.

As comforting as it is to see the same decorations every year, it’s even more comforting when we know we can count on the same people day after day, week after week, year after year. True friends are rare, and when we find those special people, it’s important that we hang on to them.

We need to let our true friends know we appreciate them and that we love them. We should be sure to tell them how much we value their friendship. One of the best ways to do that is to be a faithful friend yourself! Don’t let petty arguments, pride, or personal gain ever come between you and a friend.

More importantly, don’t forget to thank God for the faithful friends you have. Faithful friends remind us of the friend we have in Jesus, and when God puts someone like that in our life, we need to show our gratitude.

 It’s a joy to see the same Christmas decorations year after year, but it’s an even greater joy when you count the same people as friends for years and years. If you have a friend like that, be thankful. If you don’t, ask God to bless you with one, and to help you become that kind of friend yourself.

LARGE GROUP GAME 

It’s Beyond You!

ITEMS NEEDED:

Paper for paper airplanes

4 contestants 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Choose two teams of two for this game. One member of each team will be Johnathan and the other will be the servant.  Give both Johnathan’s 30 seconds to make the best paper airplane they can. Have the servants go and stand 10-15 feet away from the Johnathan on their team.  When you say “go” each Johnathan will throw their paper airplane and try to get it past the servant. If the paper airplane falls short the servant must pick it up and bring back to Johnathan and then go stand in place again.  If the paper airplane goes past the servant Johnathan must yell out “Look! The arrow is beyond you!” The first team to yell out wins.

VARIATION:

Use a longer distance for older kids and shorter distance for younger kids.  You may want to pre-fold the airplanes if you have really young ones

LARGE GROUP LESSON

 BOTTOM LINE:

The best friends are people who are faithful to you, no matter what the cost.

 OBJECTIVE:

Through learning the story of David and Jonathan, kids will learn that friends are always faithful.

KEY PASSAGE:

1 Samuel 20:1-17. Jonathan disobeys his father to protect David, and David vows to always protect Jonathan’s family.

INTRO

Can you imagine, for a moment, if Robin were to get into trouble and Batman chose not to help him? Can you imagine what it might be like if Snoopy fell in a well and Charlie Brown said, “Oh well, I’ll just get a new dog.”? Can you imagine if Scooby Doo were to bail on his friend, Shaggy, and let him go chasing after ghosts and monsters alone? It’s unthinkable, isn’t it? 

There are certain characters in movies, TV, and literature that just go together. You can’t imagine Charlie Brown without Snoopy any more than you can imagine Shaggy without Scooby Doo. And while Batman doesn’t always have Robin, he never leaves his crime-fighting friend in trouble if he can help it.

Scooby and Shaggy are best friends. So are Charlie Brown and Snoopy. And so are Batman and Robin. Today, as we start a series on best friends, we’re going to discover that one of the most important qualities of best friends is their faithfulness. Best friends stay best friends for years because, above all else, they love each other. They are faithful to one another, and they won’t let anything - and I mean anything! - come between them.

Our story today is about two best friends, David and Jonathan. David was a shepherd boy chosen by God to become Israel’s next king. Jonathan was a prince, the son of King Saul. After David killed the giant Goliath, Saul brought David into his home. David and Jonathan became very best friends. They shared everything with one another. But as David grew into a man, Saul’s jealousy threatened to drive a wedge between the two best friends.

READ 1 Samuel 20:1-8

David sounds pretty desperate, doesn’t he? He’s afraid for his life, and he’s pleading with Jonathan for help. Let’s see how Jonathan responds.

READ 1 Samuel 20:9-17

Jonathan doesn’t believe what David says about his father, but in spite of this, Jonathan vows that he will not let his father harm David. Jonathan agrees to talk to Saul, to find out what his plans are for David. If Saul plans to kill David, he will warn his friend. But Jonathan asks David for a favor in return - that David will always protect Jonathan’s family. David agrees, and the two best friends make a promise to one another.

MAIN POINT

David and Jonathan were true best friends, and both men lived up to their word. When Jonathan found out his father wanted to kill David, he warned his friend and sent him away. Sending David away would also cost Jonathan his rightful place as the king of Israel, but Jonathan put his friendship even ahead of that.

Likewise, David kept his promise to Jonathan. When Jonathan died and David became king, David found one of Jonathan’s remaining children and brought him into his home. By right, that child could have been a threat to David, since he was the son of the prince, but David vowed to protect Jonathan’s children, and he kept that promise.

Best friends are not best friends because they can get something from their friend. They are best friends because they put each other first. They keep their promises, and no matter what it costs, they are faithful to each other.

DRIVE IT HOME

I’m sure everyone here has had an experience with a so-called friend who has let you down. We’ve all had friends who liked us for something they could get from us. They were friends while times were good, but when times got hard, they were nowhere to be found. They left us to face our problems alone.

We’ve all had friends like that. If we’re honest, we’ve all probably been bad friends like that too.

God wants something better for us. He wants us to be true friends who put the needs of our friends ahead of our own wants. When times are good, he wants us to celebrate with our friends. When times are tough, he wants us to be loyal.

A true friend is a friend at all times. They stay loyal even when it costs them dearly. Friends will sacrifice popularity, personal gain, and pride if it means being true to a friend. Let us pray that God will bless us with friends like David and Jonathan, and let’s pray that God will help us to become true friends, just as they were to each other.

CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

Forgive us for the times we’ve failed you, and our friends. Help us to be faithful friends to others, and bless us with friends who will do the same for us.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)

ICEBREAKER

Who’s your favorite cartoon best friends?

MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY

Proverbs 17:17

Put each word of the memory verse on a card. Have the kids rearrange the cards and put the words in order.

SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY

Have the kids get up and move to sit by someone they don’t know very well. Have the kids introduce themselves and discover something about their new friend. Then have the kids introduce the group to their new friend and tell their new, fun fact.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Who was David?

Who was Jonathan?

Read 1 Samuel 20:1-8

What was David afraid of? 

Read 1 Samuel 20:9-17

Did Jonathan agree to help his friend? 

What promise did David make to Jonathan?

Did David and Jonathan keep their promises?

SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

Forgive us for the times we’ve failed you, and our friends. Help us to be faithful friends to others, and bless us with friends who will do the same for us.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH)

ICEBREAKER

What’s the nicest thing a friend has ever done for you?

MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY

Proverbs 17:17

Put each word of the memory verse on a card. Have the kids rearrange the cards and put the words in order.

SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY

Have the kids get up and move to sit by someone they don’t know very well. Have the kids introduce themselves and discover something about their new friend. Then have the kids introduce the group to their new friend and tell their new, fun fact.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Read 2 Samuel 20:1-17

What was David afraid of?

What did Jonathan agree to do for David?

What promise did David make to Jonathan in exchange for saving his life?

Read 2 Samuel 9

How did David fulfill his promise to Jonathan?

What are some qualities of a faithful friend?

What are some of the things that cause us to be less faithful friends?

How can we become the kind of friends David and Jonathan were for one another?

SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

Forgive us for the times we’ve failed you, and our friends. Help us to be faithful friends to others, and bless us with friends who will do the same for us.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

 

For your convenience, you can also download the entire PDF version of this David and Jonathan Children's Ministry Lesson (just click the link). 

Here's a video from ShareFaith Kids that you might find helpful to go along with your Sunday School Lesson on David and Jonathan.

Take a look at the links below for other ideas for teaching a David and Jonathan Sunday School Lesson: 

Being a Best Friend {David and Jonathan Bible Lesson 

David and Jonathan Lesson about Friendship - Ministry-To-Children 

Bible Lesson: David and His Friend Jonathan - Ministry-To-Children