TEACHER BIBLE STUDY By all appearances, Saul was a good king. He was handsome, taller than most people, and God had blessed him. But Saul forgot that it was God who gave Saul his throne. First, Saul sinned by burning offerings in Samuel s absence. That moment was an important test for Saul. According to Samuel, the Lord would have permanently established Saul s reign if Saul had obeyed. Instead, God would appoint a king who was loyal to Him. (1 Samuel 13:13-14) Then, before battle, Saul vowed that anyone who ate before sunset would be cursed. When the battle was over, the Israelites were so hungry they ate the livestock before the meat finished cooking. Saul s oath resulted in the people sinning against God (Leviticus 19:26), and it almost cost him his son Jonathan s life. Finally, God told Saul to destroy the Amalekites completely. The Amalekites were enemies of God s people. (See Deuteronomy 25:17-19.) But Saul spared Agag the king and kept the best livestock and cattle. He destroyed the worthless things. Samuel arrived. I have carried out the Lord s instructions! Saul said. Samuel asked him about the sheep, the cattle, and King Agag. Saul still insisted that he had obeyed; he planned to offer the sheep and cattle to the Lord as a sacrifice. To obey is better than sacrifice Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king! Samuel said. (1 Samuel 15:22-23) After they returned to Israel, Samuel never visited Saul again, and the Lord regretted making Saul king. As you teach, help guide the children to understand that all earthly kings like Saul are imperfect. But we can see how those kings point us to the perfect King, Jesus, who carried out His Father s instructions without fail. Thank God for sending us the King we needed a King who loved us enough to give His life for our salvation. LESSON OVERVIEW/SCHEDULE Session Title: God Rejected Saul as King Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 13:1-14; 14:18-48; 15:1-35 Big Picture Question: How does God feel when His people obey? God delights in total obedience, but we all sin and need a Savior. Key Passage: Psalm 51:10 Unit Christ Connection: God provided the first kings to rule His people Israel; Christ, the final King, rules over all people as Savior. Through David s family, God sent Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Transition Time Welcome time 1
Activity sheet/table Centers Session starter (10 minutes) Lesson Countdown Introduce the session (1 minute) Timeline Map (1 minute) Big picture question (1 minute) Sing (5 minutes) Key passage (4 minutes) Tell the Bible story (10 minutes) Discussion starter video (3 minutes) The Gospel: God s Plan for Me (optional) Prayer (5 minutes) Table Time Timeline map (1 minute) Bible story review (10 minutes) Large Group Review / Activities Key passage activity (5 minutes) Activity choice (10 minutes) Prayer (5 minutes) THE BIBLE STORY/OVERVIEW God Rejected Saul as King 1 Samuel 13:1-14; 14:18-48; 15:1-35 Saul was a young man when he became king of Israel. God s people had asked for a king, and they got Saul. As ruler over Israel, Saul gathered an army. Some of the men went with Saul into the hill country, and the rest of them went with Saul s son Jonathan to a place called Gibeah. Jonathan led his men to attack and destroy a Philistine army camp. This made the Philistines mad! Saul sent messengers to tell everyone in Israel what had happened. Saul called for more men to help fight the Philistines. The Philistines came out to fight the Israelites. They had 3,000 chariots, 6,000 men on horseback, and more foot soldiers than anyone could count! The Israelites were outnumbered. They were all afraid; some of them hid. 2
Saul waited seven days like Samuel had told him to do, but Samuel had not come with more instructions yet. Saul s soldiers were leaving him. Saul didn t want to wait any longer, so he made an offering to God. Then Samuel showed up. Saul, what are you doing? Samuel asked. You hadn t come, and the men were leaving me. I wanted to ask for God s help before we went into battle against the Philistines, Saul replied. You have disobeyed God, Samuel said. Saul was king, not the priest. It was a sin for Saul to make the sacrifice! You will not be king much longer. God is going to find someone obedient to be king. The fighting began between the Israelites and Philistines. Earlier that day, Saul had told the soldiers not to eat anything before sunset. If anyone eats before I get even with the Philistines, you will be cursed! Saul said. The Israelite men soon became weak because they were hungry. They were in a forest when they came across some honey. It looked so good, but none of the men ate it because they didn t want to be cursed. Jonathan hadn t heard what his father Saul had said. He dipped his staff in honey and ate some of it. All of a sudden, Jonathan had more energy and felt strong. Then one of the men with Jonathan said, Your father made us promise not to eat today. Anyone who eats is cursed! My father sure is making trouble for you, Jonathan replied. I had just a little taste, and I feel great! The Israelites were tired from all the fighting, but when they had won, they ate the food they had captured from the Philistines. They were so hungry, they disobeyed God by not properly preparing the food. That night, King Saul wanted to attack the Philistines again. He asked God, Will You help us defeat the Philistines? But God did not answer. Saul knew this meant someone had sinned. Saul pledged to find out who had sinned, and he promised to kill that person. But Saul found out his son Jonathan had sinned. Jonathan said, I tasted a tiny bit of honey. Saul was ready to kill Jonathan, but the Israelites stopped him. Jonathan had been a good military leader; they did not want him to die. So Saul agreed to not kill his son. One day, Samuel came to Saul with a message from God. God wanted Saul to attack the Amalekites, killing all of the people and all of the animals. So Saul and his army fought the Amalekites. They won, but they did not destroy everything like God had commanded. Saul only destroyed the worthless things and things he didn t want. God told Samuel, I regret that I made Saul king because he does not obey Me. Samuel confronted Saul and told him what God had said. I did obey Him! Saul argued. I only saved the best animals to sacrifice to the Lord. Does God care more about obedience or sacrifices? Samuel asked. You rejected His instruction, so God has rejected you as king. 3
Saul admitted his sin and pleaded for forgiveness. Samuel turned to leave. God has taken away your kingship today, and he is giving it to another king, Samuel said. Samuel left, and God was sorry He had made Saul the king of Israel. Christ Connection: God s message to Saul was clear: Obey Me and all will go well for you. But Saul did not obey God. Samuel told Saul he would not last as king. God rejected Saul as king, but He had a plan to bring Jesus His Son and our perfect King to rule over His people forever. TRANSITION TIME Session Title: God Rejected Saul as King Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 13:1-14; 14:18-48; 15:1-35 Big Picture Question: How does God feel when His people obey? God delights in total obedience, but we all sin and need a Savior. Key Passage: Psalm 51:10 Unit Christ Connection: God provided the first kings to rule His people Israel; Christ, the final King, rules over all people as Savior. Through David s family, God sent Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Welcome time Tip: As kids arrive this is a great time to collect the offering, fill out attendance sheets, and help new kids connect to your group. Arriving Activity: A Little Bit of Honey Talk with the kids about their favorite foods and what they would choose to eat if they were really hungry. Say In today s Bible story, a little honey got someone in big trouble. We ll find out why in just a few minutes. Activities/Table Centers (5 minutes) Table Centers (Miscellaneous Activities) Favorite Foods activity sheet / Bible Story Coloring Sheet, 1 per kid markers, colored pencils, crayons Guide boys and girls to complete the activity page. Say Were the foods pictured here among your favorite and least favorite foods? We will find out today how a desire for food caused God s people to sin. 4
Session Starter (10 minutes) Option 1: The King Says Explain to the kids that many years ago, kings had the power to do whatever they wanted. The people were forced to follow the king s commands. Invite them to play a Simon Says type game in which they must obey if the king says it. If the king doesn t say it, they are not allowed to obey. Give commands like jump up and down, clap, rub your head, take one step forward, and so forth. Before each command you want the kids to do, say The king says to. Leave this out if you don t want the kids to complete the action. Say The king s commands caused problems in today s Bible story. See how the people reacted and, more importantly, how God reacted. Option 2: Don t Do That! Explain that people with certain jobs do certain things. For instance, a police officer protects people. A police officer does not build houses. Read the statements below and if the kids think that job would require that task, they should jump from their seat and say they do that. If it is a task that job would not normally require, they should jump up and say they don t do that! Invite the kids to explain what other tasks each job might require. Firefighters put out fires. Chefs direct traffic. Actors star in a movie. Doctors treat sick people. Teachers treat sick animals. Mail carriers teach kids. Baseball players hit a ball. Librarians sell cars. Say Different jobs require different tasks. Saul found out in today s Bible story that even a king has things he should and shouldn t do. Transition to large group 5
LESSON Session Title: God Rejected Saul as King Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 13:1-14; 14:18-48; 15:1-35 Big Picture Question: How does God feel when His people obey? God delights in total obedience, but we all sin and need a Savior. Key Passage: Psalm 51:10 Unit Christ Connection: God provided the first kings to rule His people Israel; Christ, the final King, rules over all people as Savior. Through David s family, God sent Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Countdown countdown video (on provided DVD with lesson videos and worship) Show the countdown video as you clean-up table centers, set up classroom chairs for lesson and set it to end as large group time begins. Introduce the session (1 minute) chair fabric (optional) [Large Group Leader enters the room and sits on the throne. If you don t have a throne, just put some fabric over any chair.] Leader Are you ready to continue our study of the greatest kings of Israel? We missed meeting the king of this castle last time, and I can t find him again. Have you ever thought about being a king or queen? Imagine having servants to do whatever you want or always getting what you want. However, have you ever thought about how difficult it would be to be a king or queen? All of your decisions would affect so many people. What if you made a mistake? Last time, we saw the first king of Israel take his throne. Today, we will see how he handled being Israel s king. Timeline Map (1 minute) Timeline Map (small group visual pack copies provided for Table Time Review) Leader The Israelites demanded a king. Even though God warned them against it, the people wouldn t change their minds. God had plans for a king, but not this way or at this time. What kind of king did God plan to give Israel? God planned to send a perfect king. Saul looked like a king, but we ll see in a few moments why he didn t act the part. Today s Bible story is called God Rejected Saul as King. Big picture question (1 minute) Big Picture Question: How does God feel when His people obey? - 11x17 poster provided Leader If you ever did get a chance to be king or queen, you would definitely need one very important book. Does anyone know what book I m talking about? That s right! It s the Bible. 6
The Bible has some great information about rulers how they failed and how they succeeded. However, you don t have to be royalty to understand God s message. Who has their Bible today? Great! God wants the story of Jesus to be shared with all people. Let s get our first look at the big picture question. How does God feel when His people obey? Sing (5 minutes) Worship Song: Generous King (on provided DVD) Leader We know God wants us to obey, but we are unable to always obey God. That s why God sent the perfect King, a generous king. Sing together Generous King. Key passage (4 minutes) Key Passage Poster: Psalm 51:10 (provided) Worship Song: A Clean Heart (on provided DVD) Leader God was looking for a king with a desire to follow Him in every way. That s exactly what our key passage says. Let s take a look at it. Show the slide or poster of the unit s key passage, Psalm 51:10. Lead the boys and girls to read the verse together. Sing together A Clean Heart. Tell the Bible story (10 minutes) God Rejected Saul as King video (on provided DVD) Bibles, 1 per kid Bible Story Picture Slide or Poster Leader Let s open our Bibles to 1 Samuel 13 to see what happens to Saul as king of the Israelites. We will also find out the answer to our big picture question. How does God feel when His people obey? Show the God Rejected Saul as King video, or choose to tell the Bible story in your own words using the script provided. For a shorter version of the story, read only the bolded text. Leader The Philistines and Israelites were about to go to war. Saul was supposed to wait on Samuel to offer sacrifices and give instructions to the Israelites. Saul was worried about losing the battle, so he decided to make the offering to God. When Samuel arrived, Saul explained that he was worried that his men were going to run if they didn t go ahead and attack. Samuel explained to Saul that he had sinned because only the priest was allowed to give the sacrifice. Samuel told him that God was going to find another king to take his place. To make matters worse, Saul told his men that they couldn t eat anything until the Philistines were defeated. His own son Jonathan accidentally disobeyed and ate some honey. The rest of the Israelites were so hungry that when they were finally allowed to eat, they ate food that wasn t prepared correctly, which was also a sin. Finally, God told Saul to attack another group of people called the Amalekites. God told Saul to destroy everything, but Saul again disobeyed. He told Samuel he kept some of the animals 7
to give as a sacrifice to God. Samuel told him God wanted Saul to obey more than He wanted sacrifices. Samuel reminded Saul that he would not be king much longer. God was sorry that He had made Saul king. God is always happy when we obey Him, but like Saul, we don t always obey either. How does God feel when His people obey? God delights in total obedience, but we all sin and need a Savior. That s why we need Jesus. Ask the following review questions: Who were the Israelites fighting? (the Philistines, 1 Samuel 13:3-5) How did Saul sin before the battle? (He gave an offering to God that only the priest was allowed to give, 1 Samuel 13:11-13) What did Jonathan eat when he wasn t supposed to eat anything? (honey, 1 Samuel 14:27) What reason did Saul give for keeping the animals he was supposed to have destroyed? (He was going to offer them to God, 1 Samuel 15:15) How does God feel when His people obey? God delights in total obedience, but we all sin and need a Savior. Discussion starter video (3 minutes) Unit 11, Session 2 - Discussion Starter Video (on provided DVD) Big Picture Question: How does God feel when His people obey? - 11x17 poster provided Leader Saul did a lot of half-obeying. He would do part of what God asked him to do but not all. Have you ever done the same? Watch this video. Show the Unit 11 Session 2 discussion starter video. Leader Have you ever disobeyed God in similar ways? God wants us to fully obey Him. It s easy to come up with great excuses when we don t obey. However, God is more interested in our obedience than our excuses. There s the problem. We always fall short of perfect obedience. God has a way to take care of that. He sent Jesus. Jesus obeyed perfectly. He came as the perfect King to take the punishment for our sins. The Gospel: God s Plan for Me (optional) Use Scripture and the guide provided with this session to explain to boys and girls how to become a Christian. Assign individuals to meet with kids who have more questions. If this is not possible, encourage boys and girls to ask their parents, small group leaders, or other Christian adults any questions they may have about becoming a Christian. Prayer (5 minutes) Big Picture Question: How does God feel when His people obey? - 11x17 poster provided Show the big picture question slide or poster. Leader Does everyone remember our big picture question and answer? How does God feel when His people obey? God delights in total obedience, but we all sin and need a Savior. Invite the kids to say the big picture question and answer showing different types of emotions. 8
Encourage them to say it like they are happy, sad, angry, upset, and so forth. Before transitioning to small group, make any necessary announcements. Lead the kids in prayer. Pray that God will help the kids obey God, but thank God for sending Jesus to obey for us when we don t. Dismiss to small groups for Table Time The Gospel: God s Plan for Me Ask kids if they have ever heard the word gospel. Clarify that the word gospel means good news. It is the message about Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation. Use the following guide to share the gospel with kids. God rules. Explain to kids that the Bible tells us God created everything, and He is in charge of everything. Invite a volunteer to read Genesis 1:1 from the Bible. Read Revelation 4:11 or Colossians 1:16-17 aloud and explain what these verses mean. We sinned. Tell kids that since the time of Adam and Eve, everyone has chosen to disobey God. (Romans 3:23) The Bible calls this sin. Because God is holy, God cannot be around sin. Sin separates us from God and deserves God s punishment of death. (Romans 6:23) God provided. Choose a child to read John 3:16 aloud. Say that God sent His Son, Jesus, the perfect solution to our sin problem, to rescue us from the punishment we deserve. It s something we, as sinners, could never earn on our own. Jesus alone saves us. Read and explain Ephesians 2:8-9. Jesus gives. Share with kids that Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. Because Jesus gave up His life for us, we can be welcomed into God s family for eternity. This is the best gift ever! Read Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; or 1 Peter 3:18. We respond. Tell kids that they can respond to Jesus. Read Romans 10:9-10,13. Review these aspects of our response: Believe in your heart that Jesus alone saves you through what He s already done on the cross. Repent, turning from self and sin to Jesus. Tell God and others that your faith is in Jesus. Offer to talk with any child who is interested in responding to Jesus. 9
TABLE TIME LEADER Session Title: God Rejected Saul as King Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 13:1-14; 14:18-48; 15:1-35 Big Picture Question: How does God feel when His people obey? God delights in total obedience, but we all sin and need a Savior. Key Passage: Psalm 51:10 Unit Christ Connection: God provided the first kings to rule His people Israel; Christ, the final King, rules over all people as Savior. Through David s family, God sent Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Bible story review (10 minutes) Bibles, 1 per kid Timeline (small group visual pack extra copies provided for Table Time Review) Big Picture Question: How does God feel when His people obey? (11x17 poster provided in classroom) tape Tip: Divide children into small groups for table time. Each group should include an adult leader at the table. Encourage the kids to find 1 Samuel 13 in their Bibles. Help them as needed. Say Is 1 Samuel in the Old or New Testament? (Old Testament) Which division of the Bible is 1 Samuel in? (History) What does 1 Samuel tell us about? (First Samuel tells us about Samuel as God s judge, prophet, and priest along with the first two kings to rule Israel.) Use the small group visual pack to show today s Bible story on the timeline. Review the Bible story provided using the bolded text, or summarize the story in your own words. Tape a series of five long lines on the floor. Form two groups. Designate start and finish lines. Ask the following review questions to the groups. If a group answers correctly, the group advances to the next line. If they don t, the other team may answer. If the second team answers correctly, they move to the next line. Continue until one team crosses the finish line. If you run out of questions, the team closest to the finish line wins. If a team finishes before all the questions are given, form new groups and play again. Who led the Israelites to attack and destroy a Philistine army camp? He was also the king s son. (Jonathan, 1 Samuel 13:3) What did Saul do that Samuel was supposed to do instead? (He gave an offering to God; 1 Samuel 13:8-9,13) What were the Israelite soldiers not allowed to do before sunset? (eat, 1 Samuel 14:24) Name one group of people the Israelites fought in today s Bible story. (Philistines, 1 Samuel 13:3; Amalekites, 1 Samuel 15:3) What did Samuel say God cared about more than sacrifice? (obedience, 1 Samuel 15:22) What did God regret? (that He made Saul king, 1 Samuel 15:10-11) How does God feel when His people obey? God delights in total obedience, but we all sin and need a Savior. Who is the perfect King who always obeys God? (Jesus) 10
Show the big picture question slide or poster. Say Who knows our big picture question and answer? How does God feel when His people obey? God delights in total obedience, but we all sin and need a Savior. LARGE GROUP REVIEW AND ACTIVITIES Key passage activity (5 minutes) The Next Word Is Instructions Key Passage Poster: Psalm 51:10 (provided) dry erase board and marker Make sure the key passage, Psalm 51:10, is visible for each child. Read the verse together. Say God wants His people to obey in all things. How does God feel when His people obey? God delights in total obedience, but we all sin and need a Savior. Read the verse together a few more times. Write the words on a dry erase board or large sheet of paper, but don t write them in the correct order. Feel free to write words at the top of the board and at the bottom of the board. The words can also move left to right or up and down. It should look like a bunch of scattered words. Invite a volunteer to come circle the first word of the verse, and then lead the kids to say the word together. Invite the next volunteer to draw a line to and circle the next word in the verse. That volunteer should lead the kids to recite the first two words of the verse. Continue with each volunteer drawing a line to the following word, circling it, and leading everyone to say the verse up to that point. Activity choice (10 minutes) Option 1: One-Of-A-Kind paper, 1 piece per kid markers, 1 per kid Provide each child a piece of paper and a marker. Encourage each kid to write his name in a small font in the center of the page and make a paper wad out of it. Invite them to look very closely at their paper wads. Encourage the kids to form a circle. Instruct them to toss the paper wads in the center of the circle. Mix up all the paper wads. Give a start signal and allow the kids to go to the center of the circle and try to find their paper wads. They must choose by the count of 10, and they may not open them. Any kid who doesn t choose her own must go to the person whose name is on the paper and say the key passage. Say Each paper wad was one-of-a-kind, made by you. God made you one-of-a-kind, and He is happy when you obey Him. 11
Option 2: Placemat Reminders clear contact plastic construction paper, 1 per 2 kids foam shapes, feathers, tissue paper scraps or other flat decorative items markers Distribute a half-piece of construction paper and a marker to each kid. Demonstrate how to write God is happy when I obey. on both sides of the paper. Write it on the sheets for the kids if you wish. Provide two pieces of 11-by-14-inch clear contact plastic to each kid. Help each kid remove the backing of one piece and tape it with the sticky-side up to the surface where the child will be working to keep it from rolling up. Center the piece of construction paper over the contact plastic. Allow the kids to stick other decorations to the contact paper. Provide foam shapes, feathers, tissue pieces, and so forth. Let the kids be creative. Once the kids are through decorating, help them peel the backing off the second piece of contact plastic and place the sticky side over the decorations. Say Use this placemat as a reminder of our big picture question and answer for today. How does God feel when His people obey? God delights in total obedience, but we all sin and need a Savior. Prayer and Clean-Up (5 minutes) Say Here s our big picture question and answer one last time. How does God feel when His people obey? God delights in total obedience, but we all sin and need a Savior. If time remains, take prayer requests. Pray, thanking God for a Savior. Pray for each child by name, asking God to help us honor Him through obedience. Clean-up room. 12
Instructions: Color the foods you like to eat, and number them, from 1 to 10, in order from your favorite to your least favorite. Chicken Nuggets Carrots Broccoli Apple LifeWay Cheeseburger Taco Pizza French Fries Biscuit Orange UNIT 11 Session 2 Younger Kids Activity Pages 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources. Saul and David
God Rejected Saul as King 1 Samuel 13:1-14; 14:18-48; 15:1-35 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources. LifeWay
Family Journal Page Saul and David gular chores, family member has re ch ea If k. ee w e th r Play chore swap fo mplete by the member a chore to co ily m fa ch ea e giv t, no swap them up. If e chore or when you completed th lt fe u yo w ho e ar sh end of week. Then te his or her d each member comple di ell w w Ho e. or ch e if didn t complete th have done differently ld ou w ey th t ha w ll bers te chore? Let family mem. Record responses below e. or ch e th do to em God had asked th Session Title: (PE 3FKFDUFE 4BVM BT,JOH Bible Passage: 4BNVFM Preschool Key Passage: 1TBMN Big Picture Question: 8IP JT PVS QFSGFDU,JOH +FTVT JT PVS QFSGFDU,JOH Christ Connection: God told Saul to obey Him and everything would go well. But Saul did not obey God. God rejected Saul as king. God would give His people a better king. Jesus is God s Son, and He is our perfect King. He will rule over His people forever. Kids Key Passage: 1TBMN Big Picture Question: )PX EPFT (PE GFFM XIFO )JT QFPQMF PCFZ (PE EFMJHIUT JO UPUBM PCFEJFODF CVU XF BMM TJO BOE OFFE B 4BWJPS Christ Connection: God s message to Saul was clear: Obey Me and all will go well for you. But Saul did not obey God. Samuel told Saul he would not last as king. God rejected Saul as king, but He had a plan to bring Jesus His Son and our perfect King to rule over His people forever. 6/*5 r 4FTTJPO -JGF8BZ $ISJTUJBO 3FTPVSDFT OK TO PRINT
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 OK TO PRINT Saul and David