time, Israel began to seek God again, and Samuel led them to remove their foreign gods and worship God only.

Transcription

1 Big Picture Question: What kind of king did God plan to give Israel? God planned to send a perfect king. Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 8-10 Christ Connection: God provided the first kings to rule His people Israel; Christ, the final King, rules over all people as Savior. Through David s family, God sent Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Israel Demanded a King June 2nd Kinder-2nd TEACHER BIBLE STUDY Today s Bible story picks up more than 20 years after the Philistines returned the ark of God to the Israelites. During that time, Israel began to seek God again, and Samuel led them to remove their foreign gods and worship God only. Samuel had judged Israel throughout his lifetime, but he was getting old. So Samuel made his sons, Joel and Abijah, judges over Israel. But like many sons before them, Joel and Abijah did not follow the example of their father. They disobeyed God and caused problems for Israel. Up until this point, Israel had relied on God to give them judges to lead them. The elders of Israel spoke to Samuel about his sons and demanded a king. All the other nations around them had kings, they pointed out. Samuel knew their request was sinful, and he prayed to God. Give them what they want, God said. They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me as their King. Samuel explained to the Israelites what rights a king would have over them; he warned them that when they regretted asking for a king and they would regret it God would not help them. The people insisted on having a king, so God told Samuel to appoint a king. Through a series of events, a young man named Saul came to Samuel. God had chosen Saul to be the king, so Samuel explained to Saul what God had said. Samuel anointed Saul by pouring oil on his head. Samuel presented Saul to Israel. Long live the king! they replied. God knew Israel would want a king, but the kind of king Israel wanted was not the kind of king they needed. They wanted a king like the other nations. The problem was that every human king would fail them. God had a plan to give them Jesus a perfect King who would reign with justice and righteousness forever. (Isa. 9:6-7)

2 THE BIBLE STORY Israel Demanded a King 1 Samuel 8 10 Samuel was a judge over Israel. At this time, Israel had no king, but they wanted a king. Samuel had two sons, Joel and Abijah. Because Samuel was getting old, he let his sons be rulers over Israel. There was a problem, though. Joel and Abijah were not good judges like their father was. Joel and Abijah weren t fair in how they judged. They were dishonest. The leaders of Israel went to Samuel. You were a good judge, they said, but your sons have not followed your example. We don t want them to lead us; we want a king! The other nations around Israel had kings, and the Israelites wanted one too. Samuel wasn t sure how to respond, so he prayed to God. Samuel, give the people what they want, God said. They are not rejecting you; they are rejecting Me as King. Give them what they want, but make sure you warn them what it will be like to have an earthly king. Samuel explained to the Israelites what rights an earthly king would have. A king could make their sons serve in the army, he could make their daughters work for him, or he could take away their fields and servants. Samuel warned the people that they would regret asking for a king, but the Israelites didn t care. Give us a king! they replied. Meanwhile, a wealthy man named Kish was looking for some of his donkeys that had wandered off. Kish told his son Saul to take a servant with him and search for the missing animals. Saul stood out among his peers; he was taller and more attractive than any of the other Israelites. Despite his search, Saul was unable to find the donkeys. He was ready to give up. Wait, his servant said. There is a man of God in this city. Let s talk to him; maybe he knows where we could find the donkeys. Saul and his servant found the man of God it was Samuel! Don t worry about the donkeys, Samuel said. They have been found. Samuel invited Saul to have dinner with him. The next morning, Samuel told Saul that God had chosen Saul to be the king of Israel. Saul was surprised because he was from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel. Samuel used oil to anoint Saul. You will be king! Samuel said. Samuel gave Saul some instructions and sent him home. The Spirit of God was with Saul. Some time later, Samuel gathered the Israelites to present Saul, their new king. But where was Saul? They couldn t find him. God said, There he is, hidden among the supplies. The people ran to get Saul, and Saul stood among all the people. Long live the king! they said. Christ Connection: The Israelites demanded a king, so Samuel anointed Saul. God intended for a heavenly king to rule over them, but the Israelites didn t trust God s plan. God had a plan to one day send His Son, Jesus, to rule the entire world. Jesus would be the perfect King who would bring peace and salvation to the world. Our Prayer for You: We pray that as you prepare your hearts to serve this week, that you do so fully trusting God to give you the wisdom to lead kids into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ

3 WELCOME TIME As the kids arrive, ask them questions that might help you get to know them better. This is the time that makes or breaks how welcome a child feels and whether they will come back or not! Be friendly! :) EARLY ARRIVER ACTIVITY [9:45-10:00] (begin as soon as children enter; this activity is not neccessary for ALL children, it just gives the early arrivers something to get started on) Likes and Dislikes Invite the kids to come to the center of the room. Describe the wall on one side of the room as the likes wall and the wall on the other side as the dislikes wall. Explain that you will call out different interests. Those who like them should run to the likes wall. Those who do not should move to the dislikes wall. Call out different colors, sports, foods, school subjects, and so forth. Continue playing as time allows. Say: We have many reasons why we like or dislike something, but the reasons are not always good ones. In today s Bible story, Israel chose something they would like but for the wrong reasons. ENGAGE ACTIVITY [10:00-10:10] 10:00; even if children haven t finished the Early Arriver Activity; this sets up the Bible Story for the day) Wanted Posters Ask kids to think of qualities they think a leader should have. Guide kids to create wanted posters for the leader they would like to have or be. Provide kids with markers, paper, and other decorating supplies. As kids work, ask each one about one of the qualities she thinks is important. Say: In our Bible story today, the Israelites wanted a new leader. Samuel led Israel for a long time, but he was old. The Israelites wanted a new leader. Listen closely to find out God s response to their request. TRANSITION TO LARGE GROUP [10:10] Note: Please be sure to stay with your class to help children stay focused and listen to the lesson. Be sure to actively participate with your class. They are looking to you as the example to follow! LARGE GROUP BIBLE STORY & WORSHIP [10:10-10:40] Big Picture Question: What kind of king did God plan to give Israel? God planned to send a perfect king.

4 Note: As students come back to the classroom, it is a good time to distribute snack as you take prayer requests and praises. PRAYER TIME [10:45-10:55] Use the class Prayer Journal to write down any prayer requests that the kids might have, as well as any prayer requests that have been answered! Take time for the kids to praise God in prayer and lift up the prayer requests mentioned. Allow 1 or 2 students to pray and then pray to close out the time of prayer. Remember, kids are learning to pray by your example. The importance and energy you put into prayer will be directly reflected in your class! BIBLE STORY REVIEW [10:55-11:05] Encourage the kids to find 1 Samuel 8 in their Bibles. Help them as needed. Say: Is 1 Samuel in the Old or New Testament? (Old Testament) Which division of the Bible is 1 Samuel in? (History) First Samuel tells us about Samuel as God s judge, prophet, and priest along with the first two kings to rule Israel. Use the timeline to show kids today s Bible story. Review the Bible story provided using the bolded text, or summarize the story in your own words. Tape three large circles on the floor. Write God on one piece of paper, Samuel on another, and Israelites on the third. Tape one sheet of paper in each of the three circles. Give the kids one of the following statements and invite them to get into the circle of the one they think said it. We want a king. (Israelites) They are not rejecting you; they are rejecting Me. (God) Don t worry about the donkeys. (Samuel) Give them what they want, but make sure you warn them what it will be like to have an earthly king. (God) You will be king. (Samuel) There he is, hidden among the supplies. (God) Long live the king! (Israelites) Say: Saul was the first king of Israel, but he wasn t the last or the best. Show the big picture question poster. Say: So, does anyone remember the answer to our big picture question? What kind of king did God plan to give Israel? God planned to send a perfect king. Key Passage: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

5 KEY PASSAGE ACTIVITY [11:05-11:10] Make sure the key passage, Psalm 51:10, is visible for each child. Read the verse together. Say: The people thought Saul was a good choice because he was tall and looked impressive. They were focused on the outside, but God is always more interested with what is on the inside. He wants leaders who seek Him with their whole heart. Read the verse together a few times until the kids are familiar with it. Explain that you are going to give the kids 10 seconds to get out of their seats and choose new ones. Invite the kid who you think chose the seat furthest from her original seat to lead the other kids in saying the verse. Designate that person as king or queen. Repeat as time allows. At the end of the game, see if the kids can guess how you chose the king or queen. SINK IN ACTIVITY [11:10-11:20] I Want Invite the kids to think of something they would really like to have. Choose a volunteer. Secretly ask what item that child would really like to have. Guide the child to another item if the one chosen is not appropriate. Encourage the kids to try and figure out what the item is that the volunteer has chosen. Allow the other kids to ask questions as they guess. Whoever guesses correctly becomes the next volunteer. If the kids struggle to come up with items, questions, or hints, assist as needed. Say: We all want different things. Sometimes things we want are not things we need. The Israelites wanted a king to lead them. They didn t need a king. They had God leading them. God already had a plan to give them a king many, many years down the road when the time was right. What kind of king did God plan to give Israel? God planned to send a perfect king. His name was Jesus. EXTRA ACTIVITY (can be sent home as a fun activity for families to work together if you do not get around to doing it) There is a Coloring Sheet if you need it, depending on the length of the service. ***THE HANDOFF*** As children are picked up, briefly state one of the things that were talked about in class today. You can do this by asking the child a question in front of their parent, or remind them of something they learned. Also, direct parents and kids to the website for the Family Journal page- a way for parents to lead their kids to know Christ at home! Supplies Needed: paper (for each kid), markers, decorating supplies, masking tape, 3 signs that say (God, Samuel, Israelites)