1 Samuel 8-10 The Israelites Want A King

It's Bible time! It's Bible time with Aunt JJ! That's me! Get your Bible if you have one, because it's time to study the Bible together. The Bible is God's Word. God helps men write it so we can know for sure that everything in it is completely true. God chose the Israelites to be His people even though they were sinners. Their sinful behavior turned into a pattern of disobedience, discipline, and deliverance. God raised up judges to lead the Israelites, but not all of them were good leaders. The book of 1 Samuel recorded how Hannah had Samuel. God chose Samuel to be a prophet and a leader. Today, we're going to read about something that happened while Samuel was a leader in Israel. I'm going to draw some things that connect to the passage today. See if you can guess what I'm drawing and how the items connect to the passage. Here is the first drawing. What is it? Can you guess it? It's a donkey. Here is a little donkey. Hmm. A donkey. What do you think our passage might be about? Here is the next drawing. Can you guess what it is? Hmm. A crown. How do you think a crown connects to the passage today? There's one more drawing. What is it? It's hard to tell what this one is. This one is oil. This kind of oil was likely a liquid gotten from pressing olives. Olive oil. How do you think oil might connect to the passage? Hmm. What do you think we might read about? I'm going to read from the book of 1 Samuel. 1 Samuel is in the Old Testament and is after Ruth. 1 Samuel is a book of history. It records true things that really happened with real people. I'm going to read from 1 Samuel chapters 8-10. While I read, see if you can figure out how a crown, a donkey, and oil connect with what happened. When Samuel became old, he appointed his sons as Israel's leaders. But his sons did not live as he did. They were only interested in making money. They accepted money from people who wanted special favors. They made things that were wrong appear to be right. So all the elders of Israel gathered together. They came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, You are old. Your sons don't live as you do. So appoint a king to lead us. We want a king just like the kings all the other nations have. Samuel wasn't pleased when they said, Give us a king to lead us. So he prayed to the Lord. The Lord told him, Listen to everything the people are saying to you. You are not the one they have turned their backs on. I am the one they do not want as their king. Let them have what they want, but give them a strong warning. Let them know what the king who rules over them will expect to be done for him. Samuel warned the Israelites that they would regret having a king. A king could make their son serve in the army. He could make their daughters work for him. He could take away their fields and servants. The Israelites didn't care. In spite of what Samuel said, the people refused to listen to him. No, they said. We want a king to rule over us. Then we'll be like all the other nations. We'll have a king to lead us. He'll go out at the head of our armies and fight our battles. Samuel heard everything the people said. He told the Lord about it. The Lord answered him, Listen to them. Give them a king. Then Samuel said to the Israelites, Each of you go back to your own town. There was a man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. Kish had a son named Saul. Saul was a handsome young man. He was more handsome than anyone in Israel. And he was a head taller than anyone else. The donkeys that belonged to Saul's father Kish were lost. So Kish spoke to his son Saul. He said, Go and look for the donkeys. Take one of the servants with you. So Saul and his servants searched and searched for the donkeys. But they could not find them. They decided to see if the man of God, also called a prophet, or sometimes called a seer, could give them any wisdom about their journey. They went to Samuel. Samuel told them, Don't worry about the donkeys you lost three days ago. They've already been found. But who do all the Israelites want? You and your father's whole family. Saul answered, But I'm from the tribe of Benjamin. It's the smallest tribe in Israel. And my family group is the least important in the whole tribe of Benjamin. So why are you saying that to me? Samuel shared a meal with Saul and gave Saul a special seat at the meal and special food to eat. The next day, Samuel walked with Saul a little bit as he headed out of town. Then Samuel took a bottle of olive oil. He poured it on Saul's head and kissed him. He said, The Lord has anointed you to be the king of his people. Samuel gave Saul some instructions and sent him on his way. Did you hear how our special objects connect with the passage? I'll draw them again and you tell me how they connect with the passage. What is this first object? It's a crown. How does a crown connect with the passage? A king wears a crown. Israel did not want God to be their king. They wanted to be like the other nations and have a person as a king. God had Samuel warn them that having a person all over them was not going to go well. But they didn't listen to the warning. What is the next object? This is a donkey. How does a donkey connect with the passage? A man lost his donkeys. The man sent his son to look for the donkeys. God used the lost donkeys as a reason for Saul to end up going to see Samuel. God sure is creative. Do you remember what the last object is? This is oil. How does oil connect with the passage? Samuel put oil on Saul and told Saul God had chosen him to be king. God chose the Israelites and wanted them to be different from the other nations. But they wanted to have a king, just like the other nations had kings. How ridiculous! How offensive! Why in the world did they think it would be better to have a person rule over them than the supreme ruler of all, the sovereign of sovereigns? But before we judge them for making such a poor choice, how many times have we not wanted what God has provided for us, and instead we wanted what others have? How many times have we thought that the world's way looked better than God's way? God has set Christians apart. Christians are to be different from the rest of the world, but sometimes we don't really like being different. Sometimes we want to be like others, even if that isn't good for us. Lord, help us. God worked in the circumstances of Saul's life to bring Saul to Samuel and for Samuel to anoint Saul as the future king of Israel. We don't have to read ahead to find out what happened. God told them ahead of time what would happen. It wasn't going to go well. They would regret it. Now it's time for Eyes on Him, the part of our lesson when we focus on what the Scriptures say about God. When you study the Bible, look for what the Scripture reveals or shows about God. Then think about how that knowledge of God should impact, change, matter to your life. I see that God is omniscient. That means God is all-knowing. He has all knowledge of all things for all time. He knew the motives of their hearts, that they were rejecting Him. He knew what would happen, that it wouldn't go well. And He knew one day He would send Jesus. Jesus would be the perfect king. I see that God works even in the little things. God used lost donkeys to set Saul on a journey that changed his life. Saul was doing a basic but necessary thing, looking for donkeys. And he ended up being anointed as king of Israel. What work has God given you to do? God works even in the little things. What else does this passage show you about God? How should you live differently because of who God is? And now it's time for the Wheel! The time in our lesson when we spin the wheel and wonder. What will our Wheel of Wonder question be today? It landed on pink. Our Wheel of Wonder question for today is Why did God want the Israelites to be different? God is glorified when His children follow Him and live holy lives for Him. God is holy. God called the Israelites to be holy, to be set apart from the other nations. God calls Christians to be holy, to be set apart from the world. When we live holy lives, God is glorified. And glorifying God is one of the purposes of our lives. Plus, the instructions and guidance God gives us for holy living are for our good. The ways God wants us to live differently from the world are good for us. They keep us from the pain of sinful consequences. They allow us to have peace with God, with others, and in our hearts and minds. Following God brings a joy that only comes from having a close relationship with Him. Being different from the nations was good for the Israelites. Being different from the world is good for Christians. Also, being different is a witness to others. It gives opportunities for others to learn about God. Other nations would learn about God from God's relationship with the Israelites. The other nations would see how God provided for them, loved them, protected them, disciplined them, and rescued them. They would see that the God of Israel is alive, and He can do anything. It might even help them to see that the Lord is the one true God. The same is true for Christians today. The way Christians live should show that we are set apart from the world. Other people should be able to see that Christians are different, and when they ask us about the hope we have that the world doesn't have, we should be able to tell them about Jesus. God wanted the Israelites to be different, but the Israelites wanted to be like the other nations. They wanted to have a king. They did not listen to the warning that having a king would not be good for them. They wanted what they wanted, even though it wasn't good for them. It can be tempting to want to be like other people. Sometimes Christians want to feel accepted by the world, but we are set apart. God wants us to be different, and sometimes that means being different in ways that are hard. Sweet Christian, follow the Lord. No matter what, He's worth it, and He wants what is best for you. Let's pray. Holy Father, You are all-knowing, and You rule over everything. Thank You for working in the details of our lives. Please help us to not reject You as our leader so we can be like the rest of the world. Please give us the desire and strength to live set apart for You, even when it's hard. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen. Well, sweet friends, I love studying God's word with you today. There's no better time than Bible time, and I hope you'll join me next time for Bible time with Aunt JJ. Like this video, subscribe to this channel, and go to BibleTimeWithAuntJJ.com for free activities that go along with today's Bible study. It's Bible Time with Aunt JJ!