Session 18: Israel gets an (earthly) king
- Teresa
- Aug 9, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 15, 2020
1 Samuel Chapters 1-16
In the book of Judges, we see what happens when Israel lives among the Canaanites in the promised land. They go through a cycle where they sin, ask God for mercy, and God sends them a judge to liberate them, before the cycle starts again. The final and greatest Judge for Israel is Samuel.
Video 1: Samuel the Prophet
Read or watch a video on 1 Samuel Chapters 1-3
Source: Sharefaith kids on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKCpuL0ZsLs
What was Samuel like as a child? What happened to him one night when he was sleeping?
Samuel was raised by the high priest Eli, whose own sons were wicked men who did not respect God. Samuel stayed obedient to God and grew 'both in stature and in favor with the Lord and men'. Even though in people rarely heard and had visions from God in those days (Samuel 3:1), God spoke to Samuel.
Do you think God talks to us today? How do we recognise His voice?
Yes, God loves us and wants to communicate with us. There are many ways through which God speaks to us:
1) The Bible - The Bible is the Word of God. God speaks to us through the Bible. If we want to recognise his voice, we need to spend time reading his Word.
2) The Holy Spirit often directs our thoughts or gives us ideas. For example, when our conscience is telling us not to do something, or we are inspired by ideas, it could be inspirations or messages from God. However, not all thoughts come from God. Sometimes, it could come from Satan, or from our own human nature - and we need to be able to tell the difference. The voice of God would never go against what God has said in the Bible - that is why it is so important to know the Bible.
3) Sometimes, God also speaks to us through other people, or from things which happen to us in our lives. Similarly, we need to discern whether these are from God.
God is speaking to us all the time. To be able to recognise his voice, we need to (1) Spend time reading his Word (the Bible); and (2) spend time with him through prayer.
What was God's prophecy which he conveyed to Samuel?
God told Samuel that he would punish Eli's house, because he did not restrain or teach his sons, who were blaspheming God.
Video 2: Israel asks for a king
Read or watch a video on 1 Samuel 8-16
Source: Sharefaith kids on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkS5PBbid_0
From the time the Israelites entered the promised land, they had been guided by Judges and prophets, ruled by God. When Samuel was old, the Israelites ask for a human king. Why did they want a human king?
The Israelites wanted a human king to rule them and lead them in battle, like all the other nations around them. Although God was their heavenly king, had led them out of Egypt, fought their battles and led them faithfully, they rejected Him from being their king and were serving other gods.
What did God warn them about a human king?
God warned them that they would be disappointed in the human king. The king would tax them, take land and produce from them, and they would become his slaves. Despite this, the Israelites still wanted their way, and God granted their request.
Who was the first king of Israel, and what was he like?
The first king of Israel was Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin. He was tall and handsome. He led the Israelites into battle against the Philistines and defeated the enemies. However, he became disobedient and proud - rather than wait for Samuel to offer sacrifices, he gets impatient and takes matters into his own hands. Later, when he goes into battle against the Amalekites, he disobeys God again when he saves the king and the best animals, rather than destroy everything as God commanded. Because of his disobedience, God rejected him as king. He asks Samuel to anoint another king, David, whom we will meet in the next session.
Did you ever ask for something, thinking that you would be happy if you had it, even though your parents discouraged you from wanting it? What happened after you received it?
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