Week of June 26, 2016: David Was Anointed and Fought Goliath

Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 16–17

Big Picture Question: Who gave David power to defeat Goliath? God gave David power to defeat Goliath.

Key Passage: Psalm 51:10

Unit 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.

God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to meet Jesse and his sons. God had chosen one of Jesse’s sons to be Israel’s king.

Jesse had many sons. Eliab was Jesse’s oldest son. When Samuel saw Eliab, he thought, “This must be the one God has chosen!” Eliab was likely tall and good-looking. Why wouldn’t God choose someone like that? But God doesn’t make decisions like people do. 

Jesse’s sons took turns passing before Samuel, one by one. Samuel was probably eager to hear which son God had chosen to be Israel’s next king! 

Jesse had one more son; his youngest, David, was out tending the sheep. David came in and God said, “This is he.” Samuel anointed David, and the Spirit of the Lord took control of David.

David was still a youth and was not yet king when he found himself at the battle where the Philistines had gathered to fight the Israelites. The story of David and Goliath is one of the most well-known accounts in the Old Testament. When the Israelites cowered in fear, David stepped up and defeated the enemy with just a sling and a stone.

Apart from Christ, we are powerless before our enemies of sin and death. David reminds us of Jesus, the greatest hero, who came to save us. When we look

Week of June 19, 2016: God Rejected Saul as King

Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 13:1-14; 14:18-48; 15:1-35
Big Picture Question: How does God feel when His people obey? God delights in total obedience, but we all sin and need a Savior.
Key Passage: Psalm 51:10
Unit 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.

By all appearances, Saul was a good king. He was handsome, taller than most people, and God had blessed him. But Saul forgot that it was God who gave Saul his throne.

Saul sinned by burning offerings in Samuel’s absence. That moment was an important test for Saul. According to Samuel, the Lord would have permanently established Saul’s reign if Saul had obeyed. Instead, God would appoint a king who was loyal to Him.

Before battle, Saul vowed that anyone who ate before sunset would be cursed. When the battle was over, the Israelites were so hungry they ate the livestock before the meat finished cooking. Saul’s oath resulted in the people sinning against God, and it almost cost him his son Jonathan’s life.

Finally, God told Saul to destroy the Amalekites completely. But Saul spared Agag the king and kept the best livestock and cattle.

Samuel arrived. “I have carried out the Lord’s instructions!” Saul said. Samuel asked him about the sheep, the cattle, and King Agag. Saul still insisted that he had obeyed; he planned to offer the sheep and cattle to the Lord as a sacrifice. “To obey is better than sacrifice ... Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king!”

All earthly kings like Saul are imperfect. But we can see how those kings point us to the perfect King, Jesus, who carried out His Father’s instructions without fail. Thank You, God for sending us the King we needed—a King who loved us enough to give His life for our salvation.

Week of June 12, 2016: Israel Demanded a King

Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 8–10
Big Picture Question: What kind of king did God plan to give Israel? God planned to send a perfect king.
Key Passage: Psalm 51:10
Unit 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 began to seek God again, and Samuel led them to remove their foreign gods and worship God only.

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.

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

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.

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.

Week of June 5, 2016: The Ark Was Captured

Session Title: The Ark Was Captured
Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 4–5
Big Picture Question: Why was the ark of God important? The ark reminded the Israelites of God’s promise to be with His people.
Key Passage: 1 Samuel 2:35

Unit Christ Connection: God used people and visual elements in history to give us pictures of Christ.

The ark of God (also called “the ark of the covenant”) was an incredibly important symbol in the lives of God’s people. Not only was the ark the original container for the Ten Commandments, it symbolized God’s presence with His people.

God would speak to Moses from between two golden cherubim on top of the ark, which was called the mercy seat.

The Philistines were a near-constant threat to Israel during the time of the judges. Under the leadership of Samuel, the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines. But the Israelites were defeated because of their sin.

The elders of Israel realized that it was God who allowed them to be defeated. God hadn’t fought for them against the Philistines. So they did what seemed logical; they took the ark—the symbol of God’s presence—and carried it to the battlefield. But the ark was not a good luck charm. Not only was Israel defeated, the Philistines captured the ark.

With the victory, the Philistines concluded that their god, Dagon, was better than the God of Israel. They moved the ark to Dagon’s temple, where God showed His power over Dagon. As the ark moved between Philistine cities, God afflicted the people and made them sick. Though the Philistines won the battle by capturing the ark, God afflicted them to show His power over their god. God received glory through the Israelites’ defeat. This points to the victory of God’s Son on the cross. The people thought they had stopped Jesus by killing Him on the cross, but by His death, Jesus saved the world and brought glory to God