Lesson
84: 1 Samuel 9–11
---Ponder
situations in your lives in which you could benefit from seeking and receiving
the Lord’s direction. Look for truths that can help you when you need
direction.
1.
---What were some of Saul’s
characteristics?
---Summary
of 1 Samuel
9:3–5:
The donkeys belonging to Saul’s father were lost, and he sent Saul and a
servant to look for them. After they searched without success, Saul suggested
they return home to his father.
---What did Saul’s servant
suggest?
---It
was a custom in biblical times to bring a gift to a prophet when seeking his
consultation. This was not payment for services or a bribe but a gesture of
respect and courtesy to a person considered to be honorable or highly esteemed.
---Read
1 Samuel
9:9
aloud looking for the titles by which this man of God was known in the time of
Saul.
---How did the people refer to
this man of God?
---Remember
that the word seer means a person who sees. A seer is a man of God who can see
or know of things in the past, present, or future that others may not perceive
(see Mosiah
8:13–17).
---Review
verse 6 and mark the
qualities of a seer: “he is an honourable man”; “all that he saith cometh
surely to pass”; and “he can shew us our way that we should go.”
2.
---Summary
of 1 Samuel 9:7–14: Saul and his
servant decided to visit the man of God. Upon their arrival in the city, the
man of God came toward them as he was going to bless a sacrifice on behalf of
the people.
---Remember
that despite Samuel’s warnings of the dangers of having a king, the Israelites
had demanded that they be given a king to rule over them so they could be like
other nations (see 1 Samuel
8:4–22).
---Read
1 Samuel
9:15–17
looking for how the Lord helped Samuel find the person whom the Lord had chosen
to be Israel’s earthly leader.
---How did Samuel know whom he
was to anoint as Israel’s earthly leader?
---What can we learn from this
experience about how the Lord calls people to serve in His kingdom?
The Lord calls people to serve in
His kingdom through _________________________________________________.
---Why is it important to
understand that callings to serve in the Lord’s kingdom come from the Lord?
---Remember
that Saul and his servant had come to Samuel to ask for direction in finding
the lost donkeys. However, Saul had not yet spoken to Samuel about the donkeys.
3.
---What did Samuel tell Saul
about his father’s donkeys?
---What can Samuel’s instruction teach us
about the power of seers?
---What did Samuel tell Saul
about the will of the Lord for him?
---How do Samuel’s words to Saul
about the will of the Lord for him relate to the words of Saul’s servant when
he said the man of God might be able to show them the “way that [they] should
go” (1 Samuel
9:6)?
---Based on Saul’s experience,
what principle can we learn about seeking the Lord’s direction through His prophets
and seers?
If
we seek the Lord’s direction through His prophets and seers, they will __________________________________.
---To
help you understand this principle answer the following questions:
---Whom do we sustain as
prophets and seers in our day?
---What are some ways we can
seek direction from the Lord through His prophets and seers in our day?
4.
---Identify
several situations in which youth need direction regarding what you should do
or what the will of the Lord is for you.
---Identify
direction from the Lord’s prophets and seers that can help youth in these
situations. (hint: think of For the Strength of Youth booklet)
---Summary
of 1 Samuel
9:22–26:
Samuel brought Saul and his servant to a feast where Samuel honored Saul. The
next morning Samuel instructed that Saul’s servant go ahead of them while he
revealed to Saul “the word of God” (see 1 Samuel
9:27).
5.
---According to Samuel, who was
responsible for Saul’s calling and anointing?
---If you were Saul, how might
you have felt after receiving this calling?
---Anointing
with oil was symbolic of an outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord on the person
and was a way of separating or setting that person apart for a task. Anointing
with oil pointed to the Savior’s Atonement and His role as ultimate King. As
the Messiah or Christ, Jesus, the premortal Jehovah, is the Anointed One. Three
groups of people were anointed in Old Testament times to fulfill their roles in
society—prophets, priests, and kings—all in symbolic reference to the Great
Prophet, Priest, and King, Jesus Christ.
Note
that Samuel anointed Saul as “captain,” though he would later be called king.
This title could have reminded Saul that though he would lead Israel on the
earth, particularly in military affairs, the Lord was still the true King of
Israel.
---Summary
of 1 Samuel
10:2–5:
After Samuel anointed Saul, he prophesied that Saul would have three
experiences as he traveled. One of these would involve meeting a group of
prophets who would prophesy, or speak inspired words.
---Read
1 Samuel
10:6–10
looking for what else Samuel taught Saul and how Samuel’s words were fulfilled.
---How were Samuel’s words
fulfilled?
---How might experiencing these signs have
helped Saul to know God was with him?
---What truth can we learn about
those who are called to serve God?
God will be with those He calls to
serve Him as they _____________________________________________.
---Why might this truth comfort
you when you receive a calling to serve God?
---President
Spencer W. Kimball taught the following about the change that came upon
Saul after he was set apart:
“A
positive change came over Saul. The setting apart turned him into another man
and gave him another heart. New powers came to him at once. Those who knew him
were astounded at his increased spirituality, his newly acquired wisdom and
judgment and his newly attained maturity and powers, and exclaimed in
amazement:
“What
has happened to Saul? He is not the same! ‘What is this that has come unto the
son of Kish. Is Saul also among the prophets?’
6.
---Summary
of 1 Samuel
10:11–23:
People who knew Saul were surprised to see him prophesy with the group of
prophets. After this event, Samuel gathered the Israelites together and reminded
them that they had rejected the Lord by seeking to have a king. He then
announced that Saul was the man whom the Lord had chosen to be the earthly
leader of Israel.
---Realize
that not everyone supported Saul’s selection as king. One group of people
questioned Saul’s abilities and despised him, but Saul did not retaliate
against them (see 1 Samuel
10:26–27).
VIDEO
CLIP “Rise to Your Call”
7.
---What are some different ways
you have seen people respond when they experience success?
---Do you think the way in which
we respond to success matters? Why?
---As
you study 1 Samuel 11 think about how you
respond when you experience success and why the way in which you respond is
important.
---Summary
of 1 Samuel
11:1–3:
Sometime after Saul’s appointment as king of Israel, the Ammonites threatened
to attack some Israelites living east of the Jordan River.
---What did Saul do to rally the
Israelites?
---What was the outcome of the battle?
---To whom did Saul give credit
for the Israelites’ success?
---What principle can we learn
from Saul’s example?
When we experience success, we
should acknowledge ___________________________________________.
---What attributes do we show
when we acknowledge the hand of the Lord in our successes?
---Why might it have been important for
Saul to have possessed these attributes?
---How might we be blessed as we
acknowledge the hand of the Lord in our successes?
---Summary
of 1 Samuel
11:14–15:
Samuel gathered the people together, and they confirmed Saul as their king
before the Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment