Unit 8: Samuel and King Saul OT8.5 King Saul Disobeys God Lesson

Scripture: I Samuel 12-15

Lesson Goal: King Saul had ruled over Israel for many years. He was God’s appointed leader over Israel but he disobeyed God on several occasions. In this lesson we will learn how he made excuses for doing wrong instead of obeying God.

Introduction: The story of the Samuel and King Saul is found in 1 Samuel which is the ninth book in the Old Testament. 1 Samuel is in the second group of books in the Old Testament called the historical books. These books begin with Joshua and go through Esther. Let's say these books--Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther.

Attention Getter: “Excuses” What have you heard people say when they are caught doing something wrong? Sometimes people make excuses for not doing what they know they should do. Here are some dumb excuses!

“I was late to class because…” my alarm clock kept going off while I was asleep.

“I didn’t do my homework because…” I left it in my shirt and my mother put the shirt in the clothes washer.

“I forgot to brush my teeth because…” I was sick last night.

“I didn’t clean my room because…” I'm having a junk party!

If you don’t do what you’re asked to do or if you only partly obey, you are really being disobedient. In this Bible lesson, King Saul made excuses for doing wrong instead of obeying God.

Opening Prayer: “Father, help us to take your commandments very seriously. You have told us not to lie or cheat or steal, yet so often we only obey You part way. We are sinners, deserving of punishment. Thank You for sending Jesus to die in our place on the cross. His death took the punishment that we deserve. And, because we are thankful to You, we want to obey You in all things every day. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen”

Memory Verse: The memory verse is Psalm 119:60 "I will hasten and not delay to obey your command."

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/SnJdwV4MVfY Israel had been ruled by judges for over 200 years. Samuel was the last of the judges and he was Israel’s greatest judge. When Samuel got older, he appointed his worthless sons to take his place as judges over Israel. But the people didn’t want Samuel’s sons to rule over them. They insisted that God give them a king because they wanted to be like all the nations around them. God told the people that it was going to be hard on them to have an earthly king. But, they refused to listen. So, even though it disappointed Him, God told Samuel to appoint Saul king over Israel. Samuel anointed him as king by pouring oil over his head. Because the people had chosen a king to lead them, Samuel gave a farewell address to all of Israel. He said, “I am now old and gray and have been your leader from my youth until this day. As I stand here, I ask any of you if I have ever stolen anything or done any wrong while I was your leader?” The people answered, “You have not cheated or stolen anything. “

Samuel was reminding the people that he could be trusted. Then he warned King Saul and the people. “Do not forget the Lord your God. Do not serve idols or the false gods of your enemies. Even though the Lord God was your King, He has given you a king as you requested. Remember to obey God because if you fail to do so, God will judge you. To show you that that what you have asked for is wrong, I am going to ask God to send thunder and rain upon you.” At that moment God sent thunder and rain. All the people became afraid and realized that they had done evil in God’s sight. The people knew that they could not blame Samuel when God would bring punishment upon them for their selfish motives. So Saul became the King of Israel when he was 30 years old and he reigned over Israel for forty two years. He gathered an army to defend the Israelites against the Philistine raiders. Any strong or brave man he saw was added to his fighters. The army of Israel was about 3,000 troops. King Saul and along with his son Jonathan attacked an important Philistine garrison and defeated it. This made Jonathan, Saul’s son a war hero. This victory so enraged the Philistines that they gathered a huge army of chariots, horseman and soldiers and began to march against Israel. When the soldiers of Israel saw all the enemy troops they panicked and began to hide in caves, among the rocks and in pits. King Saul and everyone at Gilgal were trembling with fear. Samuel had told King Saul earlier that he would meet him in seven days and that he was to wait for him to offer a sacrifice before they went into battle. This was a test for King Saul. Would he obey God’s instructions or not? As Saul waited his men began to desert the army. By the seventh day Saul only had 600 men left. He began to panic and instead of trusting God, he decided to go on ahead and offer the sacrifice himself! No sooner had Saul finished offering the sacrifice than the prophet Samuel arrived. Samuel asked, “What is this you have done?” Saul began to give an excuse. He said, “I saw the men scattering and you were not here so I offered the sacrifice.” Samuel then said, “You have acted foolishly and have not kept the command of the Lord, therefore your kingdom will not continue. The Lord wants a man who will obey Him. God has already found a man to be appointed as the new leader of his people.” Sadly Saul did not show sorrow or repentance for his lack of trust and disobedience to God. King Saul had not trusted God and now he would now become more and more disobedient. Later King Saul foolishly swore an oath and became so jealous of his son Jonathan that he almost allowed his son to be killed rather than admit his own personal sin. King Saul became full of pride. He seemed to want to do everything his own way instead of God’s way. Then one day God gave Samuel a message for King Saul. Samuel went to King Saul and said, “God said that you must fight a war against the Amalekites who are the enemies of Israel. You must punish them for attacking and killing the Israelites as Moses led them through the wilderness. You are to destroy them all. You must also destroy all their animals, too. No living thing is to be spared.” King Saul summoned his fighting men at Telaim. He had over 200,000 soldiers. They moved south towards the Amalekite territory. On the way they warned the Kenites who lived nearby to stay away from the battle and they would be spared. The Kenites had shown kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites. Then King Saul and his army set an ambush for the Amalekites in a deep valley or ravine. The Israelites then attacked the Amalekites as God had ordered. King Saul and his Israelite army charged into battle and they won, just as God had promised. As the Amalekites retreated, King Saul’s army chased them all the way to the border with Egypt. All of the enemy was killed. They captured Agag

the King of the Amalekites. But instead of following God’s orders King Saul spared his life and took him as a prisoner. They killed all the weak animals but disobeyed God’s instruction and kept the best of the sheep and cattle. They decided to keep some as plunder and others were to be sacrificed to God. The Lord spoke to Samuel. “I regret 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. Early in the morning, Samuel went to meet King Saul. He was told that King Saul had gone to Carmel to set up a monument in his own honor and then had gone on down to Gilgal. When Samuel reached him, King Saul greeted him by saying, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” King Saul explained, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” King Saul was blaming his men instead of accepting the responsibility for himself. Saul was the king and his men only did what he said so this was just an excuse. “Stop!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul replied. Samuel said, “God sent you on a mission to totally destroy the wicked Amalakites. Why did you disobey the Lord and plunder?” “But I did obey,” Saul protested. “I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took the best sheep and cattle but the very best of these are for sacrifice.” Saul was lying. He had NOT destroyed all the Amalakites. Their king was still alive! And some of their animals were alive! Samuel replied, “Does the Lord delight more in sacrifices than obeying Him? To obey is better than sacrifice. For to go against what you are told is like the sin of witchcraft. Not to obey is like the sin of worshipping false gods. You have turned away from the Word of the Lord. So He has turned away from you being king.” “I have sinned,” King Saul confessed. “I was afraid of the people and listened to them.” How could the king be afraid of his own men! This was just another excuse! He was not really repenting! As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed hold of part of his clothing and it tore. So Samuel said to him, “Today the Lord has torn the rule of Israel away from you and given it to someone who is better than you.” Samuel then executed Agag, the king of the Amalekites himself. Samuel returned to his home in Ramah and never went to see King Saul again. Saul returned to his home in Gibeah. Samuel mourned for King Saul. And the Lord was grieved that he had made Saul king, King Saul had a lot of excuses when he did something wrong. The Bible calls disobeying God sin. Instead of giving excuses for sinning or doing wrong, we can admit when we are wrong and ask God to forgive us. We can ask God to help us obey Him. Our memory verse is Psalm 119:60 "I will hasten and not delay to obey your command." This verse means that we must hurry to obey God and not put off doing what is right. Let's say the verse again together. Psalm 119:60 "I will hasten and not delay to obey your command."

God wants you to be obedient to Him; even if what He asks you to do may seem hard. There are times when you and I are tempted to do only part of what God says. For example, Ephesians 4:25 says “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor.” Do you ever purposely tell only half the truth? Colossians 3:20 says, “Children obey your parents in all things. “ When Mom or Dad tells you to do something, do you ever obey only part way? Matthew 5:44 says, “Love your enemies.” Do you show love only to people who do nice things for you? When God gives a command, He expects His children to obey Him. We please God by showing our love for Him through our obedience. Sometimes you may not want to do all that God says. But, you must ask God to give you the strength and the desire to obey Him. You can count on God’s strength to help you obey Him. God doesn’t lie or change His mind. When He tells you to do something, He means it! The Bible calls disobeying God sin. Next time you do something wrong, instead of giving excuses, confess your sin – admit that you were wrong – and ask God to forgive you and to help you obey Him in the future. You and I also deserve to be punished for our sins, just like King Saul was. But in His love, God sent His perfect Son, the Lord Jesus, to take the punishment for our sins. Jesus was beaten and put on the cross. He gave His blood for you as He died (1 John 1:7b). When you believe in the Lord Jesus, He will save you from the punishment of your sins. Remember--Obey God!

Review Questions: “Dice Points” Preparation: You will need a dice for each student or for each team of students. Procedure: You can score points for individual children in a small group or you can divide the class into two teams and score points for the team. To determine the value of each of the review questions below throw the dice. The number on the top of the dice will be the value of the question asked. Students must answer the review question correctly in order to throw the dice and find the value of the question. Student or team with the most points wins.

1. Who was the last judge of Israel and Israel’s greatest judge? (Samuel was the last and greatest judge of Israel.)

2. When Samuel was old and had appointed his sons as rulers, what did the people of Israel want? (The people of Israel wanted God to give them a king like all the other nations around them.)

3. What warning did God give to Samuel to tell the Israelites about giving them a king? (Samuel told them that God was their king and they would regret asking for a king. A king would take their sons and daughters, tax them, and take their land. They would regret asking for a king.)

4. What sign did God give to show that Samuel was giving the Israelites a warning about not following false gods or failing to obey Him? (God sent thunder and rain as a sign that Samuel was delivering His message.)

5. How did King Saul gather his troops and how many were in the army? (Saul took all the strong men he found and made them serve in his army. There were 3,000 troops.)

6. Who did King Saul and his son Jonathan fight in a great battle for Israel? (They fought and won a battle against the Philistines.)

7. What did the Philistines do in retaliation? (They formed a great army to come against Israel.) 8. What did Samuel tell King Saul to do before he went against the Philistines in the battle? (Samuel

told King Saul to wait until he had come to offer a sacrifice to God to ask for his protection.) 9. Instead of waiting for Samuel, what did King Saul do when his men started hiding in the caves

and deserting his army? (King Saul did not wait and he went against God’s law by offering a sacrifice himself.)

10. What did Samuel tell King Saul as a result of his offering the sacrifice instead of waiting for God’s priest to do it? (Samuel told King Saul that he had disobeyed God and God would choose someone else to be king in his place.)

11. What message did God give to Samuel for King Saul? (God gave Samuel the message that he was to kill and destroy all the Amalekites and all their livestock.)

12. Why were all the Amalekites and their livestock to be destroyed? (God was sending judgment upon these people because they had warred against Moses and the Israelites as they entered the Promised Land.)

13. What did Saul do with all the Amalekites and their livestock? (He won the battle and killed all the people except King Agag whom he spared. He killed all the weak animals but left the strong animals alive.)

14. Who told Samuel that King Saul had not obeyed the command to kill all the Amalekites? (God spoke to Samuel.)

15. What did King Saul say when Samuel ask him about the bleating goats and the lowing cattle that he heard? (King Saul said that his soldiers or men took the goats and cattle for an offering to God and for their plunder as the victor in battle.)

16. What judgment would come on King Saul for not obeying God in the command to kill all the Amalekites and their cattle? (God would take the kingdom from King Saul.)

17. What did King Saul do when he heard the judgment that was coming to him? (He made another excuse and said he was afraid of the people.)

18. What did King Saul do to Samuel when he was told that God would take the throne from him? (He tore Samuel’s robe in anger.)

19. What is an example of a child your age making and excuse for not obeying God? (A child might not tell a whole truth but only tell part of something that makes them look good. A child might partially obey their parents. Or a child might only be kind to those who are kind to him.)

20. When do you need to ask for God’s help in obeying Him? (Whenever we are faced with the temptation to not completely do what God’s Word tells us to do.)

21. What are some commands that God wants kids your age to obey? (Worship God. Honor your parents. Tell the truth. Be satisfied with what you have. Be kind. Show God’s love. Tell others about Jesus.)

22. What are some excuses that people give for not obeying God? (Obeying God is too hard. No one else has to obey. I’ll obey next time.)

23. What is the memory verse? The memory verse is Psalm 119:60 "I will hasten and not delay to obey your command.")

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Marching to the Beat” Say: “Our memory verse is Psalm 119:60 "I will hasten and not delay to obey your command." Have students locate the verse in scripture and read aloud together several times. Say: “The word “hasten” in this verse means to hurry. What does the word “delay” mean? (Delay means to put off until later or slow down.) The psalmist is telling us that he will hurry and obey God. He will not put off doing what God tells him to do.” Procedure: Lead children to march around the room several times repeating the verse as if they are soldiers marching in the army. First march and say the verse quickly and then march and say the verse slowly. Repeat the verse several times. Say: “What are some commands from the Bible that we need to remember to obey?” (Be kind. Tell the truth. Show God’s love. Tell others about Jesus.) List the children’s responses on a large poster board sheet. Have children choose commands they want to remember to obey and then use markers to write the chosen command on the poster board. Say: What are some excuses people give for not obeying some of God’s commands? Why do you think obeying God is better than making excuses? What are some ways you can obey God this week?”

Group Learning Activity: “Be an Armor-Bearer” (Grades K-3) Purpose: Students will use the game of “shadow” to illustrate how we are to follow and obey Christ as our Lord. Procedure: Demonstrate for the children a simple game of “shadow.” Have a child stand behind you. Tell them that your shadow follows you and does the same thing that you do. Begin to do actions and have your “shadow” follow exactly your every move. You can give commands as you go if you like, such as: move right foot, move left foot, side right, side left and have them follow as you move. Next, have the children pair up and play their own game of “shadow.” Say: “In this lesson we learned that King Saul was military leader of Israel. His troops and men were to fight for him when he gave the command. As soldiers they were to follow and serve their king. Samuel told King Saul that he was to follow the command of God in destroying the Amalekites because they had made war on Moses and the Israelites as they crossed over into the Promised Land. God expected King Saul to obey His command. Unfortunately King Saul failed to obey God and he suffered the consequences of his disobedience. Say: In the same way we are to obey our King—Jesus. God has given us an order to obey Him as good Christian soldiers. To follow God we need to have faith and trust in Him as our Commander. We are to obey the Word He has given to us. We are to obey Him completely just like the game of “shadow.” We are to model our lives after His. We are to be like Him. We can pray and ask for God’s strength to be a good “armor-bearer” for Christ.”

Group Learning Activity: “Whispering Game” (Grades K-4) Purpose: The students will play the “Whispering Game” as a way to learn how important it is to listen and obey the Lord’s commands. Procedure: Have the children sit in a large circle in the middle of the floor. Choose a child to be first. Whisper into their ear the following statement, “With God anything is possible.” Have the children each whisper the message to the child next to them until it goes completely around the circle. Have the last child say out loud what they heard. Congratulate them if they have the message correct. Let them know what a great army of the Lord they make. If they don’t get it, explain how important it is to listen to the Lord to determine what it is that He wants for us to do. Say: “In our lesson King Saul did not completely obey God. To partially obey God’s commands is not good enough. We are to obey Him without any excuses. What are some commands that God wants us to obey? (Worship God. Honor your parents. Tell the truth. Be satisfied with what you have.) Say: “When are sometimes that it is hard to obey God’s commands?” (When you’re mad at your mom or dad it’s hard to honor and respect them. When your friend has a nifty new toy, it’s hard not to desire the same thing for yourself—that’s coveting.)

Group Learning Activity: “Samuel” Character Impersonation (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need a Bible-times costume of sandals, robe, headgear, etc. to portray Samuel. Procedure: Have an adult or guest speaker to come to class wearing a Bible times costume (sandals, robe, headgear, etc.) and portray the character of Samuel. Invite the guest to retell the story of King Saul disobeying God’s order. Have students ask “Samuel” questions about the story when finished.

Optional: Before class videotape costumed storyteller telling the story. Show tape in class instead of telling the Bible story.

Group Learning Activity: “Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Before class prepare two gifts. The nice gift (bookmarks, snacks or something that the students would enjoy) is put in a wrinkled brown paper bag. The bad gift (something no one would want-dirty sock, etc.) is put in a nicely wrapped gift box. Procedure: Display the two gifts in different wrappings. Say: “Which of these two gifts would you choose and why? (Generally students will choose the nicely wrapped gift first because it looks pretty or attractive on the outside.) Open the nicely wrapped gift first and reveal what’s inside then open the brown paper bag gift. Read 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 people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” King Saul was a very tall and handsome man. He was physically attractive but his heart was wicked and deceitful. Say: “God gave Israel their request to have a king and Saul was a true reflection of their hearts. He looked good on the outside but was disobedient in his heart. Students will learn from Saul’s life that although he looked good on the outside his heart was rebellious and disobedient to God.” Say: “When we chose the nicely wrapped gift we thought it would be a nice gift because it looked good on the outside. What looked good on the outside had a bad gift inside. When God looks at us He is looking at what’s in our hearts not if we look and act right on the outside.”

Group Learning Activity: Bible Study: “Disobedient Heart” (Grades 3-5) Purpose: To understand that God wants us to have obedient hearts. Preparation: Students will need Bibles, pens or pencils, and spiritual journal. Procedure: Help students locate the following verses of scripture. Read verses aloud. Discuss the examples of disobedience and what God says about it. Highlight the Biblical principles being taught.

Exodus 17:14; Deuteronomy 25:17-19 Say: “The Amalekites were enemies to God’s people. () When the Israelites left Egypt and were tired and weary from travelling they attacked those that were lagging behind. Their actions toward God’s people showed that they did not fear and honor God. God said that one day He would punish the Amalekites and they would be completely destroyed. Over 400 years had passed and now God was going to fulfill what He said he would do in the time of Moses. The Amalekites were wicked people and didn’t fear God. They did not repent and turn away from their sin and the consequence was for God to punish all the Amalekites. Biblical Principle: God’s punishment for disobedience may be delayed but it sure to happen.

1 Samuel 15:1-3; 7-9 Say: “In most battles the soldiers were allowed to take plunder from their enemies. They would capture the king to show how powerful they were in battle. This battle for the Israelites was going to be different. King Saul was given clear instructions of what to do as he goes to battle with the Amalekites. King Saul was to totally destroy everything. King Saul gathers an army and attacks the Amalekites just as he was instructed. Saul has been given another opportunity to reveal his trust and obedience in God. (Read 1 Samuel 15:7-9.) What do Saul’s actions reveal about his character? (Disobedient, led God’s people to disobey)

1 Samuel: 15: 17-23 Say: When Samuel confronted Saul about his disobedience he makes excuses. He blames the soldiers and says that the best things were spared to offer as sacrifices to God. When God shows you that you are guilty of sin how do you respond?

Do you agree with God and confess and repent from your sin or do you make excuses? Samuel isn’t interested in Saul’s excuses and tells him to stop talking. He goes on to share what God thinks of his actions. (I Samuel 15:17-19) Saul was not repentant of his disobedience to God. He was still full of excuses (1 Samuel 15:20-21). Samuel told Saul that God isn’t interested in our outward attempts to look like we are worshiping Him. The most important thing God is interested in is an obedient heart. That pleases God more than anything else. (1 Samuel 15:22-23)

1 Samuel 16:7 Say: “God gave Israel their request to have a king and Saul was a true reflection of their hearts. He looked good on the outside but was disobedient in his heart.” Students should learn from Saul’s life that although he looked good on the outside his heart was rebellious and disobedient to God.

1 John 1:9 God promises to forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we come to Him with a sincere, repentant heart. When we disobey God it is sin but we are not destined to stay in that place of disobedience. We can call out to God for forgiveness and turn away from our sin.

Say: “Do you look good on the outside? Others think that you are a good person but inside you have never believed that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose again the third day so your sins could be forgiven. Others might think you look good, but God sees that you are a sinner and your sins separate you from Him. He isn’t looking for your good deeds and actions He is interested in you obeying by faith that the only way you can be pleasing in His sight it by believing in Jesus as your Savior.” Say: “If you are a believer does everyone at church see you as a “good Christian” because you know all the answers and can say the right things but when you are outside of church you are disobedient to what God commands you to do in His Word? You might look good to others but God sees your disobedience in your heart.” Say: “The consequence of Saul’s disobedient heart was that he lost the opportunity to serve as Israel’s king. He is now recorded for all history to see that he chose to do things partly God’s way and partly his and he lost his position as king as a result. Say: “As believers we need to stay in the race following Jesus. Trusting Him and obeying Him every day keeps us on track. We don’t have to go down in history as someone who started out well and let sin keep us out of the race. If there is anything that you know you are doing that is disobedience toward God will you confess that to Him and turn away from that sin today? We will have a time of silence to allow you time to talk with God about what He is speaking to you about from our time in His Word.” Say: “If you have never believed in Jesus as your Savior you are not in the race following Christ. Today you can be saved if you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, was buried and rose again the third day.” Give students an opportunity to follow Jesus as Savior. Conclusion: Allow students to record what they have learned in their spiritual journals. Group Learning Activity: “Excuse Bee” (Grades 2-5) Preparation: You will need a large piece of paper for each child, markers, crayons, or paints to decorate the art work. Say: “In this lesson King Saul gave Samuel a lot of excuses for not obeying God’s commands. He blamed his soldiers for taking the sheep and goats. He performed the sacrifice because his men were deserting the army. He didn’t kill King Agag or kill all the sheep and goats because he was afraid of his men. Samuel told him to stop giving excuses. Excuses do not work with God. He expects us to obey Him completely. Today we are going to play a game to help us understand how silly excuses sound to God.”

Procedure: Have an “excuse bee.” Children stand in a line. One at a time the children must say an excuse people might say for doing something wrong (Example: I didn’t obey my mother because I didn’t hear her.) If a child cannot think of an excuse they sit down. The answers might get silly but so do excuses. Say: “What does it mean to take responsibility for our own actions?” (It means to understand that you make the choice for your own behavior and you accept the consequences of your actions. Part of accepting the consequences for our actions is trying to make what we have done wrong right.) “When we accept the responsibility of our own actions then we will have more respect for ourselves. We will also develop the respect of others. Say: “How does a person begin to accept responsibility for their own selves?” (They are accountable to other people; they stop blaming others; they recognize what has happened’ they say “thank you.”) Taking responsibility for our own actions means that we will admit our wrong responses to God. We will ask Him to forgive us our sins and to restore us to a right relationship with Him. We can ask Him to help us right the wrong that we have done to others. Procedure: Write (or have children write) “I will be responsible” in the center of a large piece of paper and then use any art method to paint or draw a border around it. Encourage students to hang their poster in a prominent position in their home when they will be reminded of their commitment. Examples of situations that students can take responsibility:

1. I will be responsible for completing my homework without being asked. 2. I will be responsible for carrying out the trash or other household chores without complaining. 3. I will be responsible for walking home from school directly without going to other places. 4. I will be responsible for caring for my younger brothers and sisters without arguing with them. 5. I will be responsible for sharing with my friends and team mates. 6. I will be responsible for helping with yard work without being asked. 7. I will be responsible for reading my Bible every day. 8. I will be responsible for telling others about Jesus. 9. I will be responsible for praying to God every day. 10. I will be responsible for showing love to my family.

Group Learning Activity: “Object Lesson: Coloring Page” (Grades K-6) Preparation: You will need to have completed two pages from a coloring book. You can have a copy of a coloring page in which the colors are all within the lines and then the same page colored with scribbles. Procedure: Show the two pages of coloring to the class. Say: “Do you remember when you first started to learn how to color? If you were like most children, you probably colored all over the page without staying in the lines. I imagine that some of your pictures looked a lot like this one (show picture colored without staying in the lines). And your choice of colors probably wasn't very good either. Say: “As you got older, your pictures probably looked more like this one (show a picture colored in the lines). You began to stay in the lines and your color choices were much better too. This picture is much prettier than the other one, isn't it?” Say: “These pictures remind me of this Bible lesson about Saul Disobeying God. Saul offered the sacrifice and did not wait for Samuel. Saul did not kill all the people and animals in the Battle with the Amalekites, Saul was like the coloring page where the colors are outside the lines. He just did what he wanted rather than obeying God.”

I will be responsible for showing love to my family.

Say: “God gave us the Ten Commandments to tell us the things that we should and should not do. Some people don't pay any attention to these guidelines that God has drawn for them. They just do whatever they want to do. Often their choices are not very good. They are like the child who doesn't stay inside the lines on the coloring page. They think their life is beautiful, but when God looks at it, He sees that it is just a big mess.” Say: “There are other people who read the Bible and follow God's rules. They try to stay within the guidelines that God has set. Oh, they may still get outside the lines at times, but most of the time they make pretty good choices. When God looks at their life, He is pleased.” Say: “Do you want your life to be like this one (Show the messy picture) or do you want it to look like this one? (Show the pretty picture) Let's pray and ask God to help us.”

Group Learning Activity: “Two Puppets” Preparation: Bring two puppets to class or make your own. A simple way to do this is to draw a simple face (eyes, nose, and mouth) on the pad of your index finger. Draw faces on each index finger and these can be your simple puppets. You can also make simple outlines of figures on colored felt and glue together. (See picture.) Procedure: Introduce your puppet friends to the class. Be sure to give them names. Tell the children that these two “children” have done something wrong. They were wrestling around and they knocked over a beautiful vase. The vase broke. Now tell the class that the “children” are going to have to make a choice. They can do the right thing or the wrong thing. See if they can guess which is which. Proceed to let the puppets act out two scenes. One puppet goes and tells his mother and tells her he is very sorry. He says he knows that he did a bad thing and he wants to pay for the vase. The other puppet goes and tells his mother that it is the other one’s fault. He says that it was not his fault at all. “Which of our friends did the right thing? Say: “In this less we learned that King Saul did something that was wrong. What did King Saul do? (He did not obey God. He offered a sacrifice instead of waiting on Samuel. He failed to kill all the people and animals as God had commanded. Was he sorry for what he did?” (No, he blamed other people. He offered excuses. He was full of pride and thought he did not have to follow God’s law.) How are we like King Saul? (Answers will vary.)

Craft Learning Activity: “Sword and Shield” Purpose: To make a sword and shield like King Saul would have used in battling the Philistines and the Amalekites. Preparation: For this craft you will need printed copies of the sword template below; construction paper, paper plates, glue, scissors and markers. You can also use an aluminum foil disposable pie pan for the shield. Procedure: On one sheet of gray construction paper help the children draw blades for their swords. You may use the enclosed template or allow them to draw free hand. On another sheet of black or dark gray or yellow construction paper help the children draw the base of the sword. Cut out both items and have the children glue them together to make a sword. Distribute a paper plate or aluminum foil pie plate to each child. Next, have the children decorate the paper plate to make a shield. If you use the foil pie plate use permanent markers to decorate or punch holes in the pie tin for decoration. Cover the paper plate with aluminum foil or use an aluminum foil disposable pie plate as the base for the shield. You can have them put the memory verse or the theme on

the shield. Cut out one or two strips of construction paper and glue or staple onto the back of the paper plate (in the form of a loop) to form a handle for the shield. Optional: Have a couple of volunteers pretend to be King Saul and the Philistines or the Amalekites and allow them to act out a battle scene from the lesson. Craft Learning Activity: “Heart” Necklace (Grades K-4) Purpose: Students will make heart necklaces to remind them that Samuel wanted the Israelites to serve the Lord with all their hearts. Preparation: You will need white cardstock printed with the heart necklace pattern below; scissors; crayons; markers, or colored pencils; yarn (2 feet lengths); and a paper hole punch, Procedure: Distribute the copies of the “Heart Necklace Pattern” below for each student. Print template on cardstock. Have students color the hearts with crayons, markers, or colored pencils. Instruct students to cut out the hearts and rectangles on the solid black lines. Set the heart with the memory verse on top of the blank heart. Punch holes through the black dots (punching through both hearts at the same time). Help younger students by punching the holes for them. Allow students to “sew” the two hearts together leaving extra yarn on either side to tie together to make the necklace. On each of the rectangles, have students write one thing that they can do to serve God. (Examples would include: teaching others about God, giving to the poor, helping others, etc.) Place the four rectangles into the heart.) As students are coloring and cutting out their hearts, remind them that Samuel warned the Israelites to continue to serve the Lord with all their hearts. He was worried that the people would not look to God to provide their needs. Instead, he thought they would look to their new king. His warning, as history later reveals, goes unheeded. Help students realize that God wants a personal relationship with each of them. He wants to be their “king.” Craft Learning Activity: “Altars” (Grades K-4) Purpose: Students will make altars to remind them that King Saul offered a sacrifice to seek God’s favor in light of the troubles he faced with the Philistines. Preparation: You will need white cardstock printed copy of the altar pattern below; crayons, markers, or colored pencils; scissors; tape; glue; red, orange, and yellow tissue paper. Procedure: Distribute the copies of the altar pattern template below printed on cardstock to each student. Have students color the stones with crayons, markers, or colored pencils. Instruct students to cut out the altar on all the straight solid black lines (including the small ones between stones. Have students fold on the dotted lines. Help students glue or tape the tab that says “GLUE” to assemble the altar. The top “stones” need to be glued together as well. Allow students to cut strips of red, orange, and yellow tissue paper to make flames. Tape or glue the flames to the top of the altar.

As students are coloring their altars, remind them that King Saul was acting alone when he offered a sacrifice to the Lord. Samuel was the one who was to offer sacrifices to the Lord before the Israelites went to battle (1 Samuel 10:8). Because of Saul’s disobedience and disregard for the Lord’s prophet Samuel, King Saul would not pass on the throne to his sons. Saul was not supposed to reign independently of the law and the prophets. Help students realize that the Lord would rather hear the prayer of the righteous than to receive sacrifices from them. God gave Israel their request to have a king and Saul was a true reflection of their hearts. He looked good on the outside but was disobedient in his heart. Students will learn from Saul’s life that although he looked good on the outside his heart was rebellious and disobedient to God.

Life Application Challenge: “All of the Time” Say: “In this Bible lesson Saul did not trust in the Lord. He did not obey either. But we can choose to trust and obey God every day. Why do you think Samuel chose to obey God? (He had learned to love God. He wanted to please Him in every way. God had been faithful to Samuel and had spoken to Him through the years.) What can you do to show you trust and obey God this week? (I can share my faith with others. I can be careful to obey God’s Word. I can pray daily and ask God for strength to be like Him.) God will help us to obey His commands. He is ready to help us all the time. Read Psalm 86:17 Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.”

King Saul Disobeys God

Psalm 119:60

"I will hasten and not delay to obey your command."

Saul Disobeys God I Samuel 15:10-35

Write the word that goes in each verse: cattle sheep instructions sacrifice

grieved king obey

10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11 "I am _______________that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." 13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, "The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD's ___________________." 14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of ________ in my ears? What is this lowing of ______________ that I hear?" 17 Samuel said, "… The LORD anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, 'Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; ….' 19 Why did you not _________ the LORD ? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD ?" 20 "But I did obey the LORD," Saul said. 22 But Samuel replied: "….To obey is better than________________” 23 …..Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as ____________."

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OT8.5 King Saul Disobeys God ©Beverly Wilson 2018

Sword and Shield

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OT8.5 King Saul Disobeys God ©Beverly Wilson 2018

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OT8.5 King Saul Disobeys God ©Beverly Wilson 2018

Altar