YEA Lesson Library
Choose Your King
About This Lesson
Using the story of the Israelites asking for a king, the student will explore the idea of how what you think you want isn’t always the best choice.
Scriptures
Joshua 24:15
1 Samuel 8:1-22
1 Samuel 9:1-27
1 Samuel 10:1-27
Job 34:4
Psalm 7:15-16
Words to Know
BRIBES - money given to affect an action or decision
PERVERTED JUSTICE - to not give a truthful, good, or right decision
CONSEQUENCES - what comes after any behavior or decision, the result
CALAMITIES - bad things that happen, disasters
The Lesson
Kyle and Kristen burst into the house after school, eager to tell their mom about Steve's room. Steve was the twins' best friend and next door neighbor. He had just had a birthday and, for his birthday, his parents bought a new computer and a TV - just for him! Kristen thought the computer was the coolest thing. Imagine being able to do your homework on the computer in your room, whenever you wanted to--and not having to share it with anyone. Kyle was equally impressed with the TV. He could imagine going to his room and watching all the baseball he wanted--not having to change the channel when someone else had a show on. The twins thought perhaps they could convince their parents to buy them a TV or a computer for their very own too.
Mrs. Cooper, the twins' mom, listened to their excited description while she sliced a couple of apples and poured two glasses of milk. Then she told the children to sit down and eat their snacks while she talked with them about Steve’s new things. "Although it might seem really nice to have a TV in your room that you could watch whenever you wanted to," Mrs. Cooper said, “it would be really easy to turn it on before you finished your homework, just to see what was on. It would be really easy to turn it on when you were getting ready for bed, and end up watching a movie that would, at best, keep you from getting to sleep or, at worst, give you nightmares.”
"But we wouldn't do that," the twins protested.
"It could work the same way with the computer," Mrs. Cooper continued. "It's so easy to start doing research online, and then find out that you've wasted your whole hour looking for something - without even finding it. Computers can be great time savers, but they can also be great time wasters. Just because someone else has something that looks good, it doesn't mean it really is. You have to consider carefully if that’s what is going to be good for you. It could end up being something bad. Let me tell you a story about the Israelites in the days when Samuel was judge." Then Mrs. Cooper told them about how Saul became king of Israel.
Samuel was getting old. And his sons were not like him. They took bribes and they perverted justice. So the elders of Israel came to Samuel and told him to appoint a king over Israel to lead them, just as the nations around them had. Samuel didn't like this, so he prayed to the Lord.
God told him that the people were rejecting God, not Samuel, just as they had done ever since He'd brought them out of Egypt. God told Samuel to listen to the people. But He also told Samuel to warn the people what the king would do. Samuel told the people that the king would take their sons and daughters to be his servants, cooks, bakers, commanders in the army, farmers, and whatever else he needed. The king would take the best livestock and produce for himself. And eventually, the people themselves would become slaves of the king.
But the people didn't listen to Samuel. They still wanted a king like the nations around them, one who would go out to fight their battles. So God told Samuel to do as the people said.
So Samuel summoned all of the people and told them, "But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, 'No, set a king over us,' So now present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans."
God chose Saul to be Israel's first king. He was a tall, very impressive young man. Then Samuel presented him before the people and said, "Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people." And the people shouted, "Long live the king!"
Even though wanting a king like the nations around them was wrong, God let the people have a king. In fact, he gave them a humble, impressive young man to lead them. It looked very promising for the people of Israel. They would have a good king to save them from their enemies. But God had warned them through Samuel that something which looks good can really be very bad. Choosing a man as your leader instead of God is a bad decision. Wanting to be like the pagan nations around you, instead of being special because you belong to God, is a bad choice.
We all want to fit in and to belong. That's normal. But choose carefully who you want to belong to. Choose carefully your king. What is most important to you? Having a possession that makes you cool with your friends? Doing something that makes your friends happy? Or choosing God first? If you make God the King of your life, then the things you have and the things you do will honor Him. Your friends, if they are true friends, will respect you because you stand up for what is right. Choose carefully who you will serve. Choose to serve the King of kings.
Activity
Teaching the Lesson:
Legacy Lesson: Student book/Teacher book - Teaching Time: 25 mins.
Lesson Prep - Teacher book - Time: 1 hour
Activity (Teacher book): Appearances Can Be Deceiving - Time: 20 mins.
Song: "My God is So Big" - page 14 of Kids Classics Collection -Time: 5 mins.
Activity (Student book): God’s Way vs. the World’s Way - Time: 10-15 mins.
Extending the Lesson - REACH Activities:
*Back to the Bible: Saul - Israel’s First King
*Journal Jot: So Much Fun
*Word Study: choose - bâkar
*Just Toolin’ Around: Three Reasons
*Did you Know? Theocracy
*Stretch It Out: Pros and Cons
*Music Notes: I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord
*Questions? - Writing Prompt - 10 mins.
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help me learn to put You first in everything.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - 1 Samuel 8:4-9
Monday - 1 Samuel 8:10-18
Tuesday - 1 Samuel 9:2
Wednesday - 1 Samuel 10:24
Thursday - Joshua 24:15
Friday - Job 34:4
Saturday - Psalm 7:15-16
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Describe why the people wanted a king.
2. Retell the warning God gave about having a king.
3. Explain why it was wrong to want a king.
4. Explain that a good appearance doesn't always mean something's good for you.
Topics & Themes
King
Putting God First
Samuel
Saul (OT)
Preparation
Have you ever noticed how children pick up on TV commercials? Those catchy jingles and tunes stick in their minds so easily. That's how music is. Educators know that music is a very effective way to indelibly imprint information in students' minds. With that in mind, remember that these lessons are written with song suggestions, and the songs are not selected haphazardly, but emphasize the message through music. Instead of tacking on the song if you have time at the end of your lesson, why not start your Sabbath class with the song? It's a good way to get the mental juices flowing in praise to God. It sets the scene for your lesson. And, for the most part, children love to sing. You may find your students hurrying to class a little faster so they won't miss the song. If you present the song with the same confidence you do the lesson, your students will follow your lead.
How to Teach This Lesson
After opening the class with prayer, follow the lesson plan.
Appearances can be deceiving - Place several objects on the table for the students to see as they walk in to class — a wrapped package, juice bottles, and a hardbound book. (See Activity below for more details.) Ask the students to evaluate each object and choose which they would like to open. Open the items one at a time. After the students know what is in each object, ask them again if they really want the object now. Talk about how it is really hard to know if you want something before you actually have it. Discuss how that is such a good marketing technique. Stores sell toys because the picture on the package makes it look like so much fun. Kids in the picture are so happy because they are playing with that toy. Reality is often quite different. Ask if any of them have had an experience like that.
The people want a king - Ask: What was going on at the end of Samuel's life? Why did the people want a king? Talk about the wickedness of Samuel's sons and the people's choice for a king to lead them like all of the nations around them. How did Samuel react?
God's reaction - Ask: When Samuel went to God, what did God say?Discuss God's response - that the people were rejecting Him. Why was it a rejection of God to ask for the physical king?
The king's tribute - God told Samuel to warn the people what a king would mean to them. Have a student read 1 Samuel 8:11-18. Despite this warning, what did the people say?
Samuel anoints Saul - Have a student read 1 Samuel 9:2 and 1 Samuel 10:24. Discuss the fact that Saul's appearance was very good. Also discuss with the students that initially, Saul was very humble. It looked like the people had made a good choice. But remind the students that God hadn't told them what could happen if they asked for a king, God told them what would happen. God's word should have meant more to the people than the good appearance of Saul. But it didn't.
Your Choice - What does it mean to put God first in your life? Does it mean you can't have a new computer or TV? Does it mean you never get to have any fun? Discuss with the students how God's laws are a guide to making life work well. God won't save us from all problems and difficulties, but choosing God's ways will help to avoid some pain and suffering we would otherwise experience. If you choose your way or the world's way, you are definitely going to run into trouble sooner or later - and some of those mistakes may have consequences you will regret the rest of your life. So, choose God as your King.
Review Questions
1. Why did the people want a king when Samuel was old?
2. What did God say having a king would mean to the people?
3. Why was it wrong to want a king to lead them?
4. How can something that looks good actually be bad for you?
5. Give one example how appearances can be deceiving.
Teacher-Directed Activity
Appearances Can Be Deceiving
Plan to start the teaching portion of the lesson with this activity. Have several objects on the table when the students walk in. With these three suggestions you'll be able to talk about: I) something that looks good but has nothing of value inside; 2) something that looks good and is something that others have, but isn't the same thing at all; and 3) something that looks bad but really contains something desirable. Here are some suggestions:
1. A nicely wrapped and decorated box, full of shredded paper or even empty. When you're discussing it after it's unwrapped, talk about how
something can look really nice on the outside, but it's just full of hot air when you look inside. There’s nothing of substance there.
2. Three juice bottles, two filled with apple juice and one filled with vinegar. Make sure the lids on are tightly so the smell doesn't give them away. Make sure the students open the apple juice first. Then open the vinegar bottle. Discuss how the student who opened the vinegar wanted juice the same as the other students. In the case of kings, some kings are good and some are bad. You won't know until they have reigned over you for a while.
3. An old hardback book. Find a secondhand bookstore so you don't have to spend too much on this book. Open the front cover. Carefully using a razor blade, cut the pages about an inch in from all sides, making a rectangular opening smaller than the pages. Cut all the way through the pages and remove the inside paper. It still looks like a book from the outside, but it has become a container when you open the cover. Fill the inside of the book with some sort of wrapped candy. Discuss with the students how, although the book doesn't look appealing at all, the inside has something very desirable in it. It gives a whole new meaning to "don't judge a book by its cover."
REACH Activity
Back to the Bible: Saul - Israel’s First King
Saul, Israel’s first king had so much promise. If you pick up the story in 1 Samuel 15, you can read what Saul did that caused God to reject him as king. Not only did Saul directly disobey God, he tried to blame the people for his disobedience. After you read this chapter, write three sentences in your Bible notebook about how this story applies to your life.
Journal Jot: So Much Fun
Stores sell toys because the picture on the package makes it look like so much fun. Kids in the picture are so happy because they are playing with that toy. Reality is often quite different. Have you had an experience like that? Write about it in your Bible notebook.
Word Study: choose - bâchar
The Hebrew word translated “choose” in Joshua 24:15 means “to prove, try, choose, distinguish, love, like, to be pleasing, to be especially chosen. Something is acceptable or judged to be excellent after it has been tested. In other words, it is considered to be the best.” (Source: Zodhiates’ NAS Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, 1990, H#977)
This is an amazing word that Joshua uses with the Israelites! They have seen God’s provision, protection, and blessings. They’ve tasted and seen that He is very good. Now he’s telling them to make a choice and choose to serve God or the false idols of the land based on what God has done. It should be a no-brainer! There is no God like Jehovah! Serve Him always!
Just Toolin’ Around: Three Reasons
Read 1 Samuel 8:5, 20 to find the three reasons the Israelite elders gave to Samuel for wanting a king. Write these down in your Bible notebook. Do you think they had good reasons for wanting a king? How might you have answered them?
Did you Know? Theocracy
A theocracy is a government in which God is the ruler. Every ancient Near Eastern nation claimed to be a theocracy because their king claimed to be god (i.e. Egypt) or claimed to be the direct representative of a god (most Mesopotamian states). Ironic, isn’t it!? Israel wanted to be like the nations around them and have a physical king to lead them. The pagan nations all around them claimed that their god was their king. (Source: NIV Archaeological Study Bible, 2005, p. 116)
Stretch It Out: Pros and Cons
What were the good things about having a king? What were the bad things about having a king. Read through 1 Samuel 8. Make a chart of the pros and the cons. What would you have decided?
Music Notes: I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord
This hymn is on page 74 of the CEM Hymnal.
J. Edwin Orr wrote, “During the last decade of the eighteenth century, the typical Harvard student was atheist. Students at Williams College conducted a mock celebration of Holy Communion. When the Dean at Princeton opened the chapel Bible to read, a pack of playing cards fell out, some radical having cut a rectangle out of each page to fit the pack! Christians were so unpopular they met in secret and kept their minutes in code.”
Timothy Dwight (grandson of Jonathan Edwards) changed that! He was an extremely bright youngster. “Once when he didn’t show up for dinner, his worried parents found him in the orchard teaching the catechism to a group of Native Americans. He was only four.”
He entered Yale at 13, graduating at 17. He was a chaplain in the American Revolution, a Congregational minister, a prosperous farmer, a member of the Connecticut state legislature, a Yale faculty member, and eventually, he became president of Yale. He wrote books and 33 hymn texts, revising the hymnbook used by New England’s Congregational and Presbyterian churches of thirty years.
Upon becoming president of Yale, he began debating upperclassmen on whether the Bible (Old and New Testament) was the word of God. Soon there were a few Christians. Seven years later, there was a revival during which one-third of the students at Yale were converted. This spiritual revival spread to other universities as well, including Harvard, Brown, and Dartmouth.
This hymn, the text written by Timothy Dwight, is the oldest American hymn in continual use.
(Sources: Amazing Grace, Kenneth Osbeck, 1990, pg. 265 and Then Sings My Soul, Robert Morgan, 2004, p. 57)
Sing this hymn and think about the difference one person can make, if they are used by God. Write about this in your Bible notebook.
Questions?
Write down any questions you have in your Bible notebook so that you can remember to ask your parents or your pastor.
Song
"My God is So Big" is on page 14 of Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Lead the students in prayer asking God to help them choose Him in everything.
Printable Pages
