“Trading Leaders”
Click below to download the Cornerstone Connections leader’s guide and student lesson. This week’s resources also include two lesson plans and a discussion starter video which offer different ways of looking at the topic. Each lesson plan includes opening activities, scripture passages, discussion questions, and real-life applications.
God gives Israel the king they beg for, against His better judgment.
Patriarchs and Prophets (Beginning of the End), Chapter 59
Saul, The First King of Israel
Patriarchs and Prophets (Beginning of the End), Chapter 60
Saul Makes a Terrible Mistake
SCRIPTURE PASSAGES
OVERVIEW
Transition in leadership can often be a contentious and difficult thing. In the corporate world, hostile takeovers, people jockeying for position, shareholders searching for bigger profits, and just human ambition make leadership difficult and often tenuous. In the early part of scripture, God was the leader of His people. As time went on, people stopped having as much faith and trust in God as their leader and demanded a king. Our lesson today is about why this happened, how this happened, and the consequences of this happening.
OPENING ACTIVITY: WOULD YOU RATHER . . . (Thanksgiving style)
Choose a way to engage with this activity that suits your group. It will be best to have each of the questions asked of a specific person, taking turns, or the most out-going will be the only ones answering.
Would you rather:
TRANSITION
Life is full of choices. Sometimes the impact of those choices isn’t known for years and other times the consequences are immediate. Choose wisely and life will have fewer bumps and bruises along the way. Make poor choices and who knows what will happen. What happens when a person or a group of people make a choice that isn’t what God thinks is best for them? What happens when you make a choice that isn’t good for you? With every action there is a consequence. Our lesson today is about one of those kinds of choices.
BIBLE STUDY GUIDE
DISCUSSION
Read 1 Samuel 8:1-22
When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead z us, such as all the other nations have.”
6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”
10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”
Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”
DISCUSSION
Read 1 Samuel 11:1-11
Nahash k the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.”
2 But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.”
3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you.”
4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept aloud. 5 Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, “What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?” Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.
6 When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. 7 He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one. 8 When Saul mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand.
9 They told the messengers who had come, “Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued.’ ” When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. 10 They said to the Ammonites, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you like.”
11 The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions; during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
DISCUSSION
Read 1 Samuel 14:1-14.
One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.
2 Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men, 3 among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left.
4 On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh. 5 One cliff stood to the north toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba.
6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”
7 “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”
8 Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them into our hands.”
11 So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. “Look!” said the Philistines. “The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in.” 12 The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.”
So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.”
13 Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him. 14 In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.
DISCUSSION
APPLICATION
There were lots of things going on in today’s scripture passages. Rejection of God as leader, choosing a new king, rescuing a city from destruction, eating forbidden food, and so much more. In every instance people had to make choices. Those choices dictated the future. The main principle in each of the stories is that God has a plan, but He doesn’t force us onto His path. Choosing God’s path isn’t always easy, but the outcome is known. Choosing the other path may seem easy at first, but it ends badly. The choice is yours.
FOLLOW UP
Make a list of:
SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
LEADER’S NOTE
For a Relational Bible Study (RBS) you’ll want to get into the Scripture passage and encourage the youth to imagine participating in the story while it’s happening. Then you will be able to better apply it to your own situation today.
You will need to ask God for the Holy Spirit to be present as your small group discusses the questions (no more than 3-6 people in a group is recommended). Start with the opening question. It is a personal question and the answer is unique for each individual. There is no right answer and nobody is an expert here, so don’t be surprised when you hear different responses. You are depending on the Holy Spirit to be present and to speak through your group. Say what God prompts you to say, and listen to what others share.
Take turns reading the chapter out loud. Follow that with giving the students some time to individually mark their responses to the questions (a PDF version of the handout is available as a download). This gives each person a starting point for responding when you start to share as a group. Next, begin the discussion by asking the students to share what they marked and why on each question as you work your way through. Feel free to take more time on some questions than others as discussion warrants.
Encourage each person in the group to apply what is discussed to their personal lives and to share with the group what they believe God wants them to do. Then ask them to pray that God will help each of them to follow through in doing so. Remind them to expect that God will show them ways to live out the message of this passage in the coming week, and that they are free to ask others in the group to help hold them accountable.
OVERVIEW
It’s new. It’s shiny. And chances are, either everyone already has it, or everyone really wants it. Yep, it’s the latest thing that everyone just has to have.
Whether it’s a new phone, a new pair of kicks, or the latest video game, over time, they all end the same way. That thing you just have to have quickly becomes the thing you soon regret.
The old adage says, there’s nothing new under the sun. Over 3,000 years ago, Israel wanted to be just like the other nations around them. No, they didn’t want the latest, hottest, must have, electronic gadget. Instead, they desired a king. Even though they were pre-warned that things would only end in disaster, it didn’t matter. They still wanted to be like everybody else.
I guess some lessons just have to be learned the hard way. As you scan through the warning given to Israel, found in 1 Samuel 8:10-20, ask yourself, what are the things you just have to have? Then ask yourself, is it worth all that may come with it?
SOMETHING YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE!
If you could have anything in the world, what would it be? Why?
Read 1 Samuel 8:10-20
10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
1. Why do you think Israel wanted to have a king?
2. What were some of the warnings Israel was given about getting a king?
3. Why would God warn them about what having a king would do to them?
4. How do you react when given advice you don’t want to hear?
5. What thing did you just have to have, but ended up regretting later?
6. Who are the individuals you trust and take advice from?
7. Have you ever given someone advice and they did not take it? What was the outcome?
8. Consider the warning given to Israel about wanting a king? Now consider the thing that God is warning you about? How will you respond?
CONCLUSION
God, in mercy and love, makes it a point to send His children warnings. In biblical times, He sent warnings by His prophets. However, today He often sends warning through pastors, parents, and friends. When these warnings are given, we can take heed and listen, or we can be like Israel and suffer the consequences of rejecting His warning.
God has an enormous love for His children. As our heavenly Father, He only wants good things for us, not bad. He only wants what is best for us. The thing we think we just have to have may not be the best thing for us. Therefore, we should always seek God in order to get His final approval.
APPLICATION
4. THE PARENT TRAP.
What if the Miracles of Jesus are more than meets the eye?
What if there is so much more to each story than we see?
What if each time Jesus did something supernatural, He was inviting us to look deeper?
Beyond the healing.
Beyond the deliverance.
Beyond the acts that defied the laws of nature.
What if Jesus were inviting us to see something bigger?
Something more amazing about the love of God.
Something mind-blowing.
What if the ultimate Miracle is that God can transform us?
The Miracle Series is an interactive study of 15 of Jesus’ awe-inspiring encounters while here on earth. These lessons, and messages are designed to connect with teens and youth and take them on a journey of discovery. Included in this kit is everything you need:
We invite you and your youth to not just study the Miracles of Jesus but to experience The Miracle.
