Barzillai, the Old Friend Who Brought Supper Preschool Lesson
Preschool lesson (ages 3–6, 20 minutes)
1. Welcome (3 min)
Sit in a circle, greet every child by name and show one thing from the story to touch.
2. The little story (5 min)
Teach the refrain first: “Kind old Barzillai brought them supper.”
King David had to leave his city in a hurry. His own son, Absalom, wanted to be king instead. A messenger came to David. “The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom,” he said. That meant many people now followed Absalom.
“Arise! Let’s flee,” David said to his helpers. To flee means to run away. So David and his people went far away into the wilderness.
At last they came to a town called Mahanaim. They were very tired. They were hungry and thirsty. Maybe they had no beds to sleep in.
Then three friends came to help. Their names were Shobi, Machir, and Barzillai. Let’s count the friends: one, two, three! Machir was the man who had cared for Jonathan’s son. And Barzillai was a very old man – eighty years old! He was also very rich. Kind old Barzillai brought them supper.
The friends brought beds and bowls and clay pots. They brought wheat and barley and flour. They brought roasted grain, beans, and lentils. Lentils are little round beans. They brought honey, butter, sheep, and cheese! Yum! Can you rub your tummy?
The friends said, “The people are hungry, weary, and thirsty in the wilderness.” Weary means very, very tired. So they gave them food and a place to rest. Barzillai took care of the king the whole time he stayed there. Kind old Barzillai brought them supper.
Some time later, David could go home again. Old Barzillai came down from his town. He walked with the king down to the Jordan River. He wanted to go across the river with him, and say goodbye.
The king said to Barzillai, “Come over with me, and I will sustain you with me in Jerusalem.” Sustain means to take care of. That meant Barzillai could live with the king. The king would take care of him now. Kind old Barzillai brought them supper.
But Barzillai said, “I am eighty years old, today. Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I hear the voice of singing men and singing women any more?” He meant: I am too old for the king’s feasts and songs.
“Why then should your servant be a burden to my lord the king?” said Barzillai. A burden is something heavy to carry. He did not want to be extra work for the king. He wanted to stay in his own town.
But Barzillai had a helper named Chimham. “Let him go over with my lord the king,” said Barzillai. Chimham could go instead.
“Chimham shall go over with me,” said the king. “Whatever you request of me, that I will do for you.” Request means ask.
All the people crossed the Jordan River. Then the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him. And Barzillai went back home. Can you wave goodbye to kind old Barzillai?
God took care of David through a kind old friend. And God gives you kind people to care for you too. Kind old Barzillai brought them supper.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- How do you think David’s tired people felt when they saw all that food?
- Who is someone kind who takes care of you?
4. Move (3 min)
Refrain Freeze: move around the room; when you say the refrain, everyone freezes and says it together.
5. Make (4 min)
Color the 3 kind friends who brought food to David.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD” — Proverbs 19:17 (He who has pity → hand on your heart; on the poor → reach out your hand; lends to the LORD → hold up open hands to God)
Dear God, thank you for kind people who take care of me. Thank you for my food and my bed. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: Kindness that wants nothing back
Memory verse: “He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD; he will reward him.” — Proverbs 19:17 · WEB
The Bible story
When a tired king ran away hungry with nowhere to sleep, a kind old man named Barzillai loaded his donkeys with supper and brought it to the king's camp.
Talk about it
- Why did King David have to leave his palace and hurry away? — His own son had turned against him
- What did David have to cross to reach the wild, lonely place? — The River Jordan
- How were David and his people feeling out in the wilderness? — Hungry and worn out
- How old was kind Barzillai? — Eighty years old
- When Barzillai heard the king was hungry, what did he do? — He helped straight away
- What did Barzillai load onto his donkeys? — Food and soft beds
Where is Jesus in this story?
Barzillai brought food and beds to a tired, hungry king (2 Samuel 17:27–29). Jesus said that when we feed the hungry or welcome a stranger, it is like doing it for Him: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). Every kind meal you share is a gift to King Jesus.
What God wants to tell us
Barzillai did not help King David to get money or to live in a fancy palace. He helped simply because someone needed food and rest. God loves this kind of quiet, giving heart. When we share what we have, like a snack, a toy, or a helping hand, without waiting for a reward, we are showing the same warm love that God shows to us every single day.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for kind people like Barzillai who help when others are tired and hungry. Please make my heart giving and warm. Show me someone I can help today, even in a small way, just because I love You. Amen.
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