YEA Lesson Library
Ask For God’s Guidance
About This Lesson
This lesson describes Saul’s attitude towards God and his disobedience as an example to the student of what is displeasing to God.
Scriptures
1 Samuel 13:1-23
1 Samuel 14:1-52
2 Samuel 22:29
1 Chronicles 28:9
Psalm 5:8
Psalm 23:1-3
Psalm 27:11
Proverbs 3:5-6
Isaiah 55:8-9
Words to Know
CISTERN - a large, underground container for water
CURSE - to call upon supernatural power to harm someone
TAKEN BY LOT - to be chosen, sometimes by drawing straws
ACKNOWLEDGE - to recognize the rights, authority, position, and power of something
The Lesson
Sarah and Michael were making birthday cards for their friend, Jared. Their mom told them to wait for just a minute before they started. She wanted to go get some other materials to use in decorating. When she got back, Michael was sitting, waiting for her. But Sarah had already written "Happy Birthday" across the top of the card. When her mom walked in, Sarah said, "I wanted to surprise you. See what I did?"
Her mom said, "But I asked you to wait. Now you'll have to start all over again because you've made a big mistake."
Sarah grumbled, "But you were taking so long. And I know how to spell 'Happy Birthday’."
Sarah's mom said, "It's not Happy Birthday' that is wrong." Then her mom showed her how she had written on the back of the card so that it would open the wrong way.
Saul also made several mistakes when he was king. Those mistakes were big enough that God took the kingdom away from him. What could be so bad?
Saul and the Israelite army were fighting the Philistines. When the Philistines gathered a large army to fight against them, the Israelites hid themselves in thickets, caves, rocks, pits, and cisterns. Now, Samuel had told Saul to wait for seven days until Samuel could come and make the burnt offering and fellowship offerings to God. Saul did wait seven days.That was so hard on his army. As each day passed, they became more and more afraid of what the Philistines would do to them. So Saul decided to offer the offerings himself — in order to gain God's favor against the Philistines. He felt as if he had to make the offering. He couldn't wait for Samuel any longer.
Just as Saul finished making the offerings, Samuel arrived. When he asked Saul what he had done, Saul gave him all the reasons. Samuel told Saul that he had acted foolishly. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time" (1 Samuel 13:13). Because Saul had not done what God told him to do, he was going to lose the kingdom.
This isn't about making one mistake. It's about his attitude towards God and his unwillingness to change and let God lead. And this is just one of many mistakes that Saul made. The next chapter tells about Jonathan attacking the Philistines with his armor-bearer. Because Jonathan trusted God, by himself he killed 20 Philistines in one battle. Then God sent a panic. When Saul saw the Philistines' panic, he first wanted to ask God, to see if God wanted him to pursue the Philistines. But before the priest could ask God and get an answer, Saul saw the Philistines were in such confusion that he wanted to take advantage of it. He decided he couldn't take the time to ask God what His will was before he attacked.
Before the battle, Saul ordered the army not to eat anything until evening. Saul cursed anyone who ate before he had gotten the victory against the Philistines. The whole army was suffering. It's hard enough to fast all day without fighting your enemies while you are fasting! But the men wouldn't eat because of the curse Saul had put on them. Jonathan, however, had not heard his father’s curse. When he saw some honey in the woods, he ate it. Then the men told Jonathan what his father had said.
That evening, the men were slaughtering animals to eat without first draining out the blood first. God said you must not eat the blood. So Saul built an altar to God, telling the men to bring the animals to him to slaughter so they wouldn't eat the blood and sin against God. It was the first time Saul had built an altar to God.
As the men were eating, Saul decided to continue the attack against the Philistines that night. The men told him to do what he thought was best, but the priest wanted him to first ask God. When Saul asked God, God would not answer him. Saul knew that someone had sinned. They drew lots. The men were cleared, but Jonathan was taken by lot. So Saul wanted to know what Jonathan had done. Jonathan told him about the honey. So Saul said that Jonathan must die. But the men pointed out that it was Jonathan who had gotten the victory that day against the Philistines with God's help. So they rescued Jonathan from being put to death.
Over and over, Saul made the decisions. He did what he thought was right. But God says, ". . . my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways... As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Saul, however, wasn't devoted to seeking God's will and putting God and His ways first. Saul thought he knew better.
It's a hard lesson to learn. We are so independent. We want to do things our way. Sometimes God gives us the ability to do something well — and the intelligence to think well. So we go merrily along, doing what seems best to us because God has blessed us with so many abilities. In reality, God still wants us to seek Him. He wants us to go to Him in prayer and ask for His guidance. He wants us to wait on Him and do His will. We can be so used to working things out on our own that we don't even stop to think we should have asked God. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." So, remember, whatever you are doing, ask for God's help.
Activity
Teaching the Lesson:
Legacy Lesson: Student book/Teacher book - Teaching Time: 25 mins.
Lesson Prep - Teacher book - Time: 1 hour
Activity (Teacher book): Following Directions Exactly - Time: 20-30 mins.
Song: "Thy Word HaveI Hid in My Heart" -page 75 of Kids Classics Collection - Time: 5 mins.
Activity (Student book): God Will Guide You - Time: 20 mins.
Extending the Lesson - REACH Activities:
*Back to the Bible: Obedience
*Journal Jot: Do You Wait?
*Word Study: seek - darash
*Just Toolin’ Around: Properly Preparing
*Did you Know? Gibeah
*Stretch It Out: Bumper Sticker
*Music Notes: Because I Knew Not When
*Questions? - Writing Prompt - 10 mins.
Student Prayer
Dear Father,
Teach me to ask for Your guidance and help in everything I do.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Proverbs 3:5-6
Monday - Isaiah 55:8-9
Tuesday - 1 Chronicles 28:9
Wednesday - 2 Samuel 22:29
Thursday - Psalm 5:8
Friday - Psalm 23:1-3
Saturday - Psalm 27:11
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Give specific examples why Saul lost the kingdom.
2. Explain how drawing lots worked.
3. State that our attitude of submission to His will makes a huge difference to God.
Topics & Themes
Attitude
Fasting
God’s Will
Honey
Jonathan
Kingdom
Obedience
Patience
Saul
Solomon
Wait on God
Preparation
Be sure to pick up a book on origami at the public library early in the week so you'll be able to practice some of the folding projects before class.
We live in a society that fosters independence. We have so called self-made millionaires and people who've pulled themselves up by their bootstraps. It is a natural occurrence in raising children; we teach them to become more independent of us. We want them to tie their own shoes, make their own beds, and feed themselves. And when God has blessed them with sharp minds to readily grasp concepts, we loose the boundaries to let them be all they can be. But somewhere along the line, we have to make sure they still know that God is in control. We are not deists, believing that God has created all things and now sits back and watches it all unfold. We believe that God is involved in our daily lives as Christians. Otherwise, all things could not work for our good (Romans 8:28). So, since God is in control, and since we love Him and want to please Him, we must learn not to be independent of Him. Every decision is made with prayer and an attitude of obedience to whatever He wills for us. Does that mean God will audibly answer us? Not in my experience. But the Bible is full of God's guidelines, and the Holy Spirit within will give us peace with our decisions if they're made in accordance with God's word.
How to Teach This Lesson
After opening the class with prayer, follow the lesson plan. Write each student's name on an index card and tape the cards under the seats before class.
Following directions and waiting: Greet each student at the door as they come into class. Plan ahead of time to be in deep conversation with someone. Tell each student to wait until you are finished before they sit down, and that you will be just a few minutes. Make sure that you continue the conversation until the students are restless. If someone does sit down before you are finished, immediately start your class. If no one sits down, be sure to carry on your conversation long enough to ascertain they will follow your directions not to sit before you start.
Debrief: Have the students sit down. Ask: Now what was that all about? What was so important that I had to interrupt our class time? Couldn't I have had that conversation another time? Let the students speculate. Then tell them it leads into what today's lesson is about. Talk about your request that they wait until you finished your conversation. Samuel also asked Saul to wait for seven days. Now have the students pull out the cards from under their chairs. Because the names were hidden, they didn't see any reason not to sit wherever they wanted, as normal. In Saul’s case, he wasn't supposed to offer the sacrifices to God; Samuel was. Have the students move to the places designated by the cards.
Saul's curse: Discuss Saul's curse on the men if they ate anything. They were suffering from hunger, especially because they'd been fighting, but they wouldn't eat. When Jonathan ate the honey, he was unaware of the curse. Regardless of the foolishness of the curse, because Saul was the king, God honored that curse. Now Saul would have to follow through. He was ready to kill his own son because of the rash curse he'd placed on the army despite the fact God had obviously blessed Jonathan that day. God does not take our words lightly. We have to learn to be very careful what we say, to think what could happen, and then be sure to do what we say we will.
Saul's disobedience: Saul did not follow God with all his heart. He wanted to do things his way. God gave him a lot of ability and he became arrogant. He didn't do exactly as God told him. Explain that in 1 Samuel 15, God told Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites and all their possessions. Saul kept the king alive and the best of the animals — to use as a burnt offering to God. 1 Samuel 15:9 says they were unwilling to destroy anything that was good. Saul again showed a disregard for God's instructions, thinking that he knew better.
What about us? Discuss what this means to Christians today. How can we know God's will? Prayer, Bible study, counsel with other Christians/elders/parents. Can we know God's will in every situation? Probably not, but we must be in an attitude to accept His will, be ready to do what He wants, and then do the best we can.
Memory verse: This is a good time to have students recite their memory verse: 1 Chronicles 28:9. Tell them this was David speaking to his son, Solomon.
Review Questions
1. What did Saul do that displeased God enough to take the kingdom from him?
2. Why did Saul curse the men of the army?
3. Why did Jonathan eat the honey, in spite of the curse?
4. How did Saul find out that Jonathan ate the honey?
5. Why was Jonathan rescued from Saul's curse?
6. How do we know God's will for us today?
7. What attitude should we have towards God in everything we do?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Following Directions Exactly
Origami is the art of folding paper into different, recognizable shapes. Plan to pick up a book from your public library early in the week. Then practice making a few objects, so that you can work with the students to make
different objects during class.
REACH Activity
Back to the Bible: Obedience
How important is obedience to God? Look up these five verses, copy them into your Bible notebook, and then write a summary paragraph explaining what they say about how important it is to obey God. Psalm 40:6-8; Proverbs 3:1; Hebrew 10:6-7; Jeremiah 7:21-23; Psalm 112:1
Journal Jot: Do You Wait?
How patiently do you wait? When you go to God in prayer, how willing are you to wait for an answer? When we were looking for a new house to buy, we toured a lot of houses with the realtor. Finally, we found one that we liked. But we wanted it to be God’s will. So we told God we would wait two weeks before we put an offer in on it. That seemed like a safe bet because the property had been on the market for nine months already. A couple of days later, the real estate agent called and said that somebody was interested in the property and if we wanted it, we’d better put in an offer. I was anxious. I wanted that property. I liked that property. But my husband reminded me of our promise to God that we’d wait two weeks. The other people put in an offer and it was rejected. Again our real estate agent told us we’d better put in an offer. We determined to wait. And the property sold. I was disappointed, but I had to trust that God had a reason why we weren’t supposed to buy that place. So we kept looking, but we had about given up. The real estate agent called with another place. It was further out from the city. Were we interested? We drove out and looked. We loved it. Again, we put in the two week stipulation, waiting on God. We’ve now owned this property for nearly thirty years. It’s been a great place to live! We have been so blessed by God to have waited on Him. What about you? Do you have a story about waiting on God? Was the answer yes or no? Were you determined to trust God no matter what the answer was? Write about this in your Bible notebook.
Word Study: seek - darash
The Hebrew word translated “seek” in 1 Chronicles 28:9 means “to resort to, seek . . . tread a place, beat a path.” (Source: https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1875.htm) Think about this! If you walk through the tall grass once, you can look back and you can’t see where you walked. But if you walk the same way every day, pretty soon there’s a discernible path. This is the idea of seeking God. It’s not doing it just once and then you’re done. It’s doing it continually. Make it your habit to seek God with all of your heart in everything you do.
Write this word, its definition, and the scripture reference in your Bible notebook.
Just Toolin’ Around: Properly Preparing
1 Samuel 14:31-35 relates how the people were so hungry after Saul forbade them to eat that they did not properly prepare the slaughtered animals before eating them. Look up Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 7:26; Leviticus 17:10-14; and Deuteronomy 12:16 to see what the commandment was. Write down what you find in your Bible notebook.
Did you Know? Gibeah
Saul was a Benjaminite who lived in the city of Gibeah - three miles north of Jerusalem. This was Saul’s first capital and the headquarters of his military campaigns. (Source: The Victor Journey Through the Bible, V. Gilbert Beers, 1996, p. 103.) Add this city to the map you started in Lesson One when you found Ramah.
Stretch It Out: Bumper Stickers
Brainstorm appropriate bumper stickers for this lesson, i.e.
- Trust God Always!
- Obedience First
- Did You Think To Pray?
- Pray First
- Mission: Seeking God’s Will
Once you have a bumper sticker that you like, print the words on a 8.5 x 11 label sheet (only use the top half so that it looks like a bumper sticker - 4.25 x 11). Then decorate with stickers and markers. Stick your bumper sticker in an appropriate place (with Mom’s permission) because the label will be difficult to remove.
Music Notes: Because I Knew Not When
This hymn is on page 88 of the CEM Hymnal.
The text for this hymn was written by Sarah Williams (1841-1868), the daughter of Robert Williams. He was Welsh and Sarah attributed her poetic abilities to him. After having been a governess, she went to Queen’s College where one of her teachers encouraged her to write. The words to this hymn were printed in one of her books, Twilight Hours. (Source: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/w/i/l/l/i/a/m/s/s/williams_s.htm)
We all make mistakes; we all sin. But having an attitude of repentance, after recognizing that we are wrong, is crucial in our relationships with our parents, our friends, and mostly importantly, with our God. Think about these words as you sing this hymn. Is there anything you should be asking God’s forgiveness for? Take care of it quickly. Repair the relationship with God as soon as you can.
Questions?
Write down any questions you have in your Bible notebook so that you can remember to ask your parents or your pastor.
Song
"Thy Word HaveI Hid in My Heart" is on page 75 of Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Lead the students in prayer asking God to teach them how they can understand His will in their lives.
Printable Pages
