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David, the lion and the bear

David shows bravery in protecting his sheep.
Contributed by Richard Gunther
Story also available on our translated websites: Spanish, Portuguese, Polish
1
David was the youngest of eight brothers and spent his time looking after his father’s sheep that grazed on the hills around Bethlehem. – Slide 1
2
But there were lions that sometimes prowled into the hills to grab the young lambs. If a lion did grab a lamb David would not run away but instead chase after the lion with a wooden club and beat the lion to death to rescue the lamb from its mouth. – Slide 2
3
David also used a sling to chase off wild animals that came close to the flock. – Slide 3
4
He would put a small stone in the sling then whirl it round and round, faster and faster. – Slide 4
5
Then let the stone fly out in the direction of the wild animal. – Slide 5
6
Sometimes the stone would scare the fierce animal away but if it hit the animal in the right place it would kill it. – Slide 6
7
David bravely protected his sheep and was not afraid of the lions that came to attack the lambs. – Slide 7
8
David was a good shepherd who led his sheep to find new pastures. – Slide 8
9
As he watched over them he learnt to play the harp and sang songs of praise to God. Some of his songs are known as psalms and can be found in the Bible. – Slide 9
10
Out on the quiet hills he learnt to pray to God and trust in Him. – Slide 10
11
Other wild animals that came after his sheep were bears. – Slide 11
12
Instead of running away David would run towards them. – Slide 12
13
Using his shepherd staff he would attack the bear. – Slide 13
14
The bear would thrust out his claws but David would keep on the attack. He explained to King Saul, ‘If it turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death.’ – Slide 14
15
David learnt to trust in God to help him protect his sheep from lions and bears. That is why later, he was happy to trust God and take on the Philistine giant, Goliath, who threatened God’s people. – Slide 15
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Slide 16