For the third week in a row I only had one student, so we moved on to something different, something just two of us could do. I felt I should post the lesson we failed to have for two weeks though, just so everyone can see what we should have done.


This week’s lesson, From Judges to King: The Appointment/Anointing of Saul looks at 1 Samuel 8. It says:

1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abi'ah: they were judges in Beer–sheba.
3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
4 ¶ Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
10 ¶ And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.
11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
13 And he will take your daughters to be confectioneries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.
19 ¶ Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;
20 that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.
21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.
22 And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

Newspaper reporters are known for asking Who, What, When and Where. We’re going to answer those questions today as a group.

• Who was involved in the story? Make a list of all the persons mentioned.
• What was going on? Make a list of all the action words/verbs.
• Where is this story taking place in Israel’s history? Why is that significant?
• Where is this story taking place?

Israel really wanted to do the same thing they saw the nations around them doing. That’s something we can all identify with.

How can we relate to this?
• Three things I have wanted because everybody else had them.
• Three things I’ve done because everyone is doing them.
• Three things I like because everyone else likes them.

We’re looking for the following volunteers:
• One person who wanted something very badly and when you got it, you found out it
wasn’t as good as you thought.
• One person who wanted something very badly, didn’t get it, and is happy because you
didn’t get what you wanted.
• One person who wanted something that would cost more than it ended up being worth.

• How easy is it to identify with what the Israelites are asking for here?
• Was it wrong for them to ask for a king? What were they really asking for?
• Why was this issue such a big deal?
• God gave in and gave the people what they wanted. Why did He do that?

Re-read 1 Samuel 8:7-9
We’ve talked a lot about how God is redeeming all of humanity and creation. Even when the people asked specifically for a king to replace God as their ruler, God did not abandon them. If you were in God’s place here, what would you have done and why?
Here’s the cool thing about the Bible: It’s not the story of what happened one time somewhere far away. It’s the story of humanity.
This means it’s a story that is happening right now in our times and in our own lives. We see people rejecting God for a king of their own making all the time.

We did the handout drawing ways people have forsaken God and are serving other gods.
We then shared our pictures and listen to Switchfoot’s “Meant to Live”.
• Do you agree that people want more than this world has to offer?
• Do you feel like you were meant to live for more that what you have right now?
• If God were going to use you to accomplish one thing in the world, what would you want
it to be?
• How have we perhaps lost God’s bigger Story inside our own smaller stories?
• The lyrics as, “Have we lost ourselves?” Do you think we Christians have lost who we are
inside God’s story?
• How might your life be different if you were to remember who you are in God’s Story?
What would change in your life if you started behaving like someone God was going to
use to change the world?