David and Saul: Choosing not to fight back object lesson

Today we went into school to do a SEALS assembly about 'getting on and falling out'.  We decided to focus on the story of Saul and David in the cave, where David chooses not to kill Saul, but just to cut off a piece of his cloak to prove what he could have done but chose not to.  We then talked to the children about what it's like when people upset us and we get angry and want to fight back.  This is the illustration we used...

You will need two jars or bottles with lids, white vinegar, water and bicarbonate of soda.

Put neat vinegar in one jar and a mix of vinegar and water in another jar

Talk about what it is like when people make you angry.  Add half a teaspoon of bicarb to the water/ vinegar jar.  The mixture will fizz a little but nothing more.  Put a lid on the jar. 

Next, put a spoonful of bicarb in the vinegar jar and add another spoonful as well.  The mixture will fizz up and explode out  of the jar (best to keep the jars on a tray to collect the fizzy liquid!

Explain that the second jar shows what happens when someone makes us angry and we fight back, adding more to the mix until the situation explodes out of control.  David chose not to do this at this point in the story.  He chose to be a better person than Saul, to do the clever thing and the thing that Jesus tells us to do- to turn the other cheek.  He didn't fight back against Saul and kill him, instead he chose to try and keep a lid on the situation by doing the right thing.  He could have easily turned to violence but he made a choice not to and in our relationships we have to make similar choices.

We finished with a testimony about how God had given one of us strength not to fight back and then helped the children to reflect on how they could be strong in similar situations.