The United Kingdoms

Vaughn walked into Uri’s room,  asking him if he had trouble sleeping.

 

“Yes,” Uri replied.

 

Vaughn told Uri that he would tell him a bedtime story about The United Kingdoms of Israel.

 

Once upon a time, in the ancient land of Israel, a time of great change was unfolding. The people of Israel yearned for a leader to unite their tribes.

 

Saul becomes Israel’s First King

 

For many years Judges had led the people of God.  Samuel was a Judge over Israel.  He was also a priest. He loved God and always tried to do what was right. Some of the people noticed that Samuel was getting old.  They did not want Samuel to die and leave his sons to be the leaders of the people because they did not obey God.  They started wondering what it would be like to have a king.

 

EVERYONE EXCEPT VAUGHN & URI: “We want a king!"

 

Samuel prayed to the Lord. He told the Lord that they did not want the Lord to be their leader.  Still, the Lord told Samuel that he would let the people have their way.

 

Meanwhile, in another place, there was a young man named Saul. 

 

*Andre comes to the stage*

 

When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord revealed to Samuel that this was the new king. Samuel told Saul that God had chosen him to be the leader of Israel. Samuel anointed his head with oil. Pouring oil on the head was part of the ceremony of giving a position to anyone.

 

Ezekiel: (pours oil on Andre*) “Saul, the Lord has chosen you to be the king over all of Israel.”

 

Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people." 

 

Then the people shouted, 

EVERYONE EXCEPT VAUGHN & URI: "Long live the king!"

 

God chose Saul to be the first king of Israel.  King Saul’s responsibility was to lead the people and help them follow God’s instructions.

 

Samuel told Saul that God’s message was to fight a battle with the Amalekites and destroy them. God had some obvious instructions for King Saul to obey. 

God’s instructions were, “After you win the battle, do not take anything home from the Amalekites.”

 

King Saul and his soldiers began to do what God had told them to do. They won the battle over the Amalekites. But then, King Saul stopped obeying God. He only obeyed part of God’s instructions. So, King Saul made all of the wrong choices when he disobeyed God. Then, when Samuel talked to him about it, he was not even sorry. He just blamed other people and tried to make it sound like he was doing something good.

 

Ezekiel lectures Andre*

 

Andre tries to leave*

 

Ezekiel pulled Andre's arm and tried to talk to him*

 

andre shoves him and walks away*

 

Uri: Pa, Why did King Saul blame others for the things he has done?

 

Vaughn: Because he didn't want to be punished by God, but remember child, God will always know when you have done something wrong, do not blame others for the bad things you have done.

 

Because of King Saul’s disobedience, Samuel now had a very serious message from God.

He said, “Saul, God chose you to be the king so you would obey him and help the people. Because your heart is not good, God will choose another king.

 

Ezekiel walks back and forth thinking in fear*

 

Samuel was afraid. King Saul would be very angry if he heard that Samuel was anointing a new king. What if he got mad at him and tried to kill him?

 

The Lord told Samuel not to be afraid. He told Samuel to make a special sacrifice to Bethlehem and everyone would just think he was making a normal trip.

 

Ezekiel with a bag, walking*

 

He called Jesse’s son’s. Samuel did not understand. 

The Lord had told him that one of Jesse’s sons would be the new king.

 

Ezekiel calls Raymond using hand signals then they do the following dialogue*

 

“Jesse, are these all of your sons?” asked Samuel(Ezekiel).

 

Raymond: “I do have one more son. He is my youngest son. His name is David.”

 

Joshua comes to the stage*

 

When David arrived Samuel saw that he was healthy and handsome. The Lord told Samuel that this was the new king. He looked at a person’s heart, and the Lord saw that David had a good heart.

 

Ezekiel does the ‘arise’ hand signal*

 

“Arise and anoint him,” the Lord said to Samuel. “He is the one.”

 

Samuel anointed David. He took the horn full of oil and poured some on David’s head. From this day on the Spirit of God came upon David. David loved God for the rest of his life.

 

Joshua kneeling

 

Ezekiel puts water on his forehead on a cross

 

Even though David was chosen as the new king, it was not time yet for him to take King Saul’s place. David went back to tending his father’s sheep. When the right time came for David to reign as the new king, the Lord would tell him.

 

Joshua walks off stage*

 

Vaughn: Uri, why do you think God chose David as the new anointed king of Israel?

 

Uri: Would signal the audience to help him remember*

 

Saul led his army into battle against the Philistines, a people who neither believed in God nor liked His people. The Philistines wanted to kill the Israelites.

 

Stanley comes to the stage*

 

Every morning, a giant Philistine named Goliath challenged any Israelite to fight him. Goliath was bigger and taller than anyone else, and he was fierce. He wore heavy armor and carried a sword, spear, and large shield. No one dared to fight him.

 

Joshua's actions speaking with random soldiers* (either in the PPT or spare actors)

 

David asked the soldiers why no one defended Israel. His brothers were angry and told him to go take care of the sheep. But David knew the Lord would defend Israel. David went to King Saul and told him he wanted to fight Goliath.

 

Joshua speaks with Andre

 

David:  “I know I am not a soldier but God will help me fight the giant. I trust in God”

 

Saul believed David when he said he trusted in God. Saul gave David his armor. But it didn’t fit, so David took it off. He decided to fight without any armor.

 

David collected five smooth stones and put them in a bag. 

 

When Goliath saw David, he started making fun of him. He also started making fun of God.

 

Joshua holding stone*

 

As Goliath moved closer to attack David, David ran toward him quickly and put one of the stones in his sling.

 

Stanley laughing at Joshua*

 

 He swung the sling round and round and released the stone straight at Goliath’s forehead. The stone struck Goliath, causing him to fall to the ground.

 

Joshua, with his slingshot, shoots Stanley*

 

Stanley gets knocked down*

 

Joshua finishes off Stanley*

 

 David killed Goliath with Goliath’s sword. When the Philistines saw that a boy had killed Goliath, their hero, they all began to run away. The army of Israel won the battle. They won because David trusted in the Lord.

 

Vaughn: The story of David and Goliath teaches us that courage, faith, and resourcefulness can overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. Remember that when you are facing challenges in life, Uri, even when the odds are against you. It's a reminder that strength comes in various forms, and sometimes, the underdog can triumph against all expectations.

 

Uri: nods*

 

David, upon inquiring of the Lord, was directed to go up to Hebron, and did, where he was anointed king of Judah.

 

Joshua is kneeling with a crown*

 

David was a good king. He loved God and he tried to be kind to people. David tried to do the things that God said. But he was not always good. One evening, David looked out from his palace and saw a beautiful woman named Bathsheba. 

 

Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah, one of the best warriors in David's army. David sent his messengers to get Bathsheba and she came to David’s house. Later, Bathsheba told David that she was going to have a baby. The baby was DAVID’S. David knew he had sinned, so David made a plan. He instructed the army leader to send Uriah into the hardest part of the battle so that he would be killed. 

 

Joshua orders Raymond to battle*

 

Raymond dies*

 

David’s plan worked, and Uriah was killed. David took Bathsheba into his house to be his wife and she had a baby. But, God knew what David had done.

 

God sent Nathan the Prophet to talk to David.

 

Ethan: “You had all of the riches and Uriah was poor. You took his wife away and you had him killed. Because of your sin, Your family will always fight and your child will die.”

 

Bad things did happen to David. The baby that Bathsheba had just died. David’s other sons began to dislike him and there was always fighting in David’s house. Finally, David realized what he had done.  He realized that he had sinned against God.  David was very sorry for what he had done. He prayed to the Lord and asked him to forgive him for his sins.

 

Joshua prays here*

 

The Lord knew what was in David’s heart. He did not just SAY he was sorry,  David was sorry for what he had done. The Lord forgave David of his sin.

 

But now David and Bathsheba are married.  Not long after this David and Bathsheba had another son. His name was Solomon.

 

David was very old. He had been the king of Israel for forty years. He had been a good king who tried to serve God. Even when he made mistakes, David was always sorry and tried to do better. The Lord knew that David had a good heart.

 

David was about to die. He told his son Solomon to be the new king.

 

Joshua lying down before Raymond*

 

“Always follow the Lord, Solomon. Obey His commands,” David told his son. And then David died.

 

Upon becoming king, Solomon prayed to God, saying “Please give me a wise heart so that I can always tell the difference between right and wrong. Help me to be a wise king for the people.” Raymond praying 

 

God answered Solomon’s prayer. Solomon became known everywhere as a very wise ruler. 

 

The End.