Today I decided that the passages I am reading in First Samuel would be of interest to my son, and would be a good discussion opportunity. I could have read them out loud myself, but I decided it would be better to have a male voice reading it. (Lee already has a set plan for devotions, and I don’t want to replace that time.) So I used the “listen” feature on the chronological Bible reading plan.
I just stated that I wanted to listen to my Bible reading that day, because I though David and Bethel would want to hear it. David wanted to read a book while he listened, and I said that was fine. i was disappointed, but I decided not to make it a formal listening time and decided it was probably okay. Bethel was slowly waking up on my lap, so I don’t know how much she was listening to, but she was relatively still.
Surprisingly, David paid attention, even though he really didn’t understand what he was listening to. I told him briefly that the passage was about Saul and the battle with the Philistines, since I guessed that identifying it as a battle story would pique his interest. He asked several questions (success!), and I played the selection. At one point, I explained why Samuel (and God) was not happy with Saul. He was afraid and disobeyed God. That was really what I wanted to communicate, I think the time was successful in communicating this truth in an appealing way.
I think I might play more passages this way and use them as discussion times. Since he’s naturally interested in battles and war, I can use that interest in how I prioritize what lessons I use to teach.
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