Memory Verse:
“Commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only.” I Samuel 7:3
Key Facts
Author: Unknown
Why written: This book shows how Israelites became a kingdom.
Key Lesson: God wants leaders to obey.
Important people in book: Samuel, Saul, David
When: between 1105 and 1010 B.C.
Location:
Key Stories in Book
The Lord calls Samuel Chapter 3
Samuel anoints Saul Chapter 9
Saul disobeys Chapter 13, 15
Samuel anoints David king Chapter 16
David kills Goliath Chapter 17
Lesson #1: The Lord
calls Samuel – Read Chapter 3:4-16
“One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so
weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and
Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel.
Samuel answered, ‘Here I am.’ And he ran to Eli and said,’ Here I am; you
called me.’
But Eli said, ‘I did not call; go back
and lie down.’ So he went and lay down.
Again the Lord called, ‘Samuel!’ And
Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’
‘My son,’ Eli said, ‘I did not call;
go back and lie down.’
Now Samuel did not yet know the
Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet
been revealed to him.
The Lord called Samuel a third time,
and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, ‘Here I am; you called me.’
Then Eli realized that the Lord was
calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, ‘Go
and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is
listening.’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
The Lord stood there, calling as at
the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’
Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your
servant is listening,’
And the Lord said to Samuel: ‘See, I
am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who
hears of it tingle. At that time I will
carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family – from beginning to
end. For I told him that I would judge
his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves
contemptible,’ and he failed to restrain them.
Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will
never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’
Samuel lay down until morning and
then opened the doors of the house of the Lord.
He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, but Eli called him.”
Questions:
- How many times did God call Samuel before he heard him? (3)
- Why do you think that Samuel did not recognize God’s voice? (The word of the Lord had not been revealed to him yet. v.7)
- How do you know when God is talking to you? How can you hear his voice?
- What was revealed in the vision to Samuel? (That the prophecy regarding Eli’s family would be begin; v13)
- Why was Samuel afraid to tell Eli what was in the vision?
Summary: Give your life to the Lord. Listen to his voice and he will guide your decision. If you listen carefully, God will call you for his purpose even as a child.
Lesson #2: Samuel anoints Saul – Read Chapter 8: 6-22
“But when they said, ‘Give us a king to lead
us,’ this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: ‘Listen to all that
the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have
rejected me as their king. As they have
done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me
and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly
and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.’
Samuel told all the words of the
Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, ‘This is what the king who will
reign over you will do: He will take
your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run
in front of his chariots. Some he will
assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to
plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war
and equipment for his chariots. He will
take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and
vineyards and d olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of
your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the
best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks and you
yourselves will become his slaves. When
that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and
the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
But the people refused to listen to
Samuel. ‘No!’ they said. ‘We want a king
over us. Then we will be like all the
other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our
battles.’
When Samuel heard all that the
people said, he repeated it before the Lord.
The Lord answered, ‘Listen to them and give them a king.”
Questions:
- Did God want Saul to appoint a king for Israel? Why not? (8:11-18).
- Why do you think the people did not listen to Samuel? (They wanted to be like all the other nations who had kings rather than stand out as something different).
- What did God say would be the result of giving the people what they wanted? (they would become slaves; v17)
- Why do we make choices that have bad results when we know better?
- Have your parents ever told you something not to do, but you did it anyway? What were the results? Should you have listened?
Summary: The people of Israel rejected God as their king and
wanted a king as ruler. Will you do the
same? What happened to
Lesson #3: Saul disobeys – Read 13:1-3, 11-14; 15: 10-11,
22
I Samuel 13: 1-3
“Saul was thirty years old when he
became king and he reigned over Israel 2 years.
Saul chose 3,000 men from Israel;
2,000 were with him at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and 1,000
were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin.
The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.
Jonathan attacked the Philistine
outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout
the land and said, ‘Let the Hebrews hear!’ So all Israel heard the news: ‘Saul
has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become a stench to the
Philistines.’
I Samuel 13: 11-14
And Saul offered up the burnt
offering. Just as he finished making the
offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
‘What have you done?’ asked Samuel.
Saul replied, ‘When I saw that the
men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the
Philistines were assembling at Micmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will
come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I
felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.
‘You acted foolishly, Samuel said.
‘You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would
have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom
will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his won heart and
appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s
command.’
I Samuel 15: 10-11
Then the word of the Lord came to
Samuel: ‘I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away
from me and has not carried out my instructions.’ Samuel was troubled and he cried out to the
Lord all that night.”
I Samuel 15:22
“To obey is better than sacrifice.”
Questions:
- Saul disobeyed God when he attacked the Philistines. What was Saul’s punishment? (v.14).
- God wants obedience from his children. What does it mean to obey? Who should you obey?
- What does verse 22 mean” to obey is better than sacrifice”? Saul disobeyed God to offer God a sacrifice. What does God want from you?
- What is rebellion?
- Does rebellion draw you closer to God or take you farther away?
- Why do people rebel from God?
- What are ways in which children show rebellion?
Summary: Pray for a pure heart that God will protect you from the schemes of the devil.
Lesson #4: Samuel anoints David King – Read Chapter 16:
1, 7, 12, 13
I Samuel 16:1, 7
“The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long
will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill
your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of
Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons
to be king.’
So Samuel went down to Bethlehem to find the family of Jesse. He asked to see all of the sons of Jesse. He had eight sons and Samuel assumed that the oldest and the largest of the sons would be chosen by God. However, God chose David, the youngest and smallest.
I Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not
consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man
looks at. Man looks at the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
I Samuel 16: 12, 13
“So he sent and had him brought in.
He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; he
is the one.’
So Samuel took the horn of oil and
anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit
of the Lord came upon David in power.”
Questions:
- Verse 7 states that the Lord does not look at the things man looks at (appearance, height, clothes). What do you think he means by that?
- What are some things that God is looking at in your life?
- What are some things that people tend to value? (Clothes, jewelry, shoes, cars, the latest of everything…)
- Who did God choose as the next king? Was he the oldest or the youngest of the sons?
- Does age matter to God? Can you serve him at any age?
Summary: God cares about the content of your heart. Be careful about the resources spent on taking care of the outside.
Lesson #5: David and Goliath – Read Chapter 17: 41-49
“Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his
shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was only
a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him.
He said to David, ‘Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
‘Come here,’ he said, ‘and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the
beasts of the field!’
David said to the Philistine, ‘You
come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the
name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have
defied. This day the Lord will hand you
over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the
Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the
whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is
not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s and he
will give all of you into our hands.’
As the Philistine moved closer to
attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone,
he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell
face down on the ground.”
Questions:
- Who did Goliath represent? (Philistines)
- How tall was he? (9’4”)
- Why did David have confidence that he could defeat Goliath? (Because he was anointed by God)
- What were David’s words to Goliath? (v.45)
- “The battle is the Lord’s”. What types of battles do you think God can help you win?
- Why do you think God chose a young boy to defeat Goliath?
- Can God use you?
Summary: The battles of this life have already been won when Jesus overcame death on the cross. Surrender your battle to the Lord and claim the victory!
*Scripture taken from the following bible: NIV Encouragement Bible, 2001, Zondervan Publishing House: Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Posted 1.9.09
