Also by this author: Jesus and the Lions' Den: A True Story about How Daniel Points Us to Jesus, The Storm That Stopped, The One O'Clock Miracle, The Christmas Promise, All about Christmas: Over 100 Amazing Facts behind the Christmas Story, Queen Elizabeth II: The Queen Who Choose To Serve (Do Great Things For God), Jesus Moments: David: Finding Jesus in the Story of David
Published by Good Book Company on March 1, 2024
Genres: Children's, Bible Stories
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Help 4-7s learn how David points to Jesus with this beautifully illustrated Old Testament storybook from Alison Mitchell, the award-winning author of Jesus and the Lions’ Den and The One O’Clock Miracle . Moments in David’s story when David is a little bit like Jesus are signposted with symbols that children need to spot, helping them to understand the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. This fun, interactive resource will give children skills to read the Bible as they connect the stories and learn that the whole Bible is about Jesus. Great for parents or grandparents to give children aged 4-7. Can also be used as a homeschool resource or for children’s ministry in church. This is the first book in a series called "Jesus Moments," which looks at how Old Testament characters point to Jesus.
The concept behind Jesus Moments: David is that the Old Testament offers a foreshadowing of Jesus, particularly in the lives and actions of other important and messianic figures. David, as the shepherd-king of Israel and ancestor of Jesus fits that description exactly, making his life ripe for comparison with the live of Jesus. This concept is driven by the evangelical desire to connect everything in Scripture to the person of Jesus. I remember being taught in seminary that every sermon, every message, needed to end somehow with Jesus. As I’ve grown as a pastor, I’ve come to no longer accept that as absolutely necessary. Sometimes the narratives and themes of the Old Testament Scriptures just need to be left to stand alone in their own right. We, as Christians, can interpret or view the OT story through an NT lens, but it’s important to note that the purpose of the narrative isn’t to showcase Jesus—neither should we convolute Scripture to find Jesus where he isn’t.
So the success or failure of Jesus Moments: David—Finding Jesus in the Story of David rests on whether or not the finding of Jesus feels natural or contrived. The book begins by saying that some of the oldest stories in the Bible contain “Jesus moments”—moments when someone in the story is a little bit like Jesus. Throughout the story of David, there are hidden crowns illustrating that there’s a Jesus moment to find in the story.
From here, the story proceeds in a straightforward manner, covering some elements from the life of David: his anointing by Samuel, his defeat of Goliath, his flight from Saul, and his desire to build a Temple. Then, the book backtracks to pinpoint the Jesus moments. If you didn’t see the hidden crowns before, they’re pointed out now. (And yeah, they’re actually a bit tricky to find.)
As you might imagine, each of the four main elements of David’s life correspond to one Jesus moment. David’s being anointed as king corresponds to Jesus as King and messiah. David’s defeat of Goliath corresponds to Jesus’s defeat of sin on the cross. David’s decision to not kill Saul when he had the opportunity corresponds to Jesus praying for his enemies on the cross. And David becoming King corresponds to Jesus as King.
Some of these are a bit of a stretch. Others are straightforward. I think it’s simple enough for children and engaging enough for them to begin the conversation about how we see Jesus through the Old Testament.