Confirmation Lesson
Samuel & Saul
Opening Prayer
Light a candle and place it where everyone can see it. (Before lighting candles, check with your parent/guardian!) Be quiet and perfectly still while you focus on the candle. Listen for sounds you may hear around you or a voice inside of you. After a minute, offer the following prayer.

Dear God, we know that you have spoken to and through people in Bible times. But today we don’t always clearly hear your voice, or sometimes even know who or what to listen to. We wonder whether it’s you speaking, or maybe it’s just our own selfishness and our desire to be in charge instead of letting you be in charge. Speak to us now, Lord God, as we study your word. Amen.
How Great is Your Listening?
Listening is an important part of our story today and an important part of our faith. Check your listening with "Guess the Sound"...
We've made our way to 1 Samuel... check out where it is on the timeline in comparison to what we've learned about so far. Then look at the bookshelf and find what kind of books 1 & 2 Samuel are.
1 Samuel 3

As we see often in the Bible when God has a special purpose for someone, there is something special about the birth. Hannah was grief stricken because she had no male child. She prayed to God for a son and vowed to give him back to serve the Lord. She had a son, named him Samuel, and took the young boy to the priest, Eli, to keep her promise.

Read Samuel, Chapter 3

this is a story of God speaking to Samuel and calling him at a very young age to be a prophet. Samuel would speak for God in Israel for many years to come, first as priest and prophet, then as military commander and judge.


• How strong a faith must Hannah have had to be able to give up her son?
• How can we model the faith of Hannah?
Listening
Samuel had to listen and become familiar with God's voice to be able to decipher it in this world. How do you listen for God's voice in your life?
Praying, Meditating, Studying the Bible, talking to other believers, etc.

1 Samuel 8-10
The people of Israel suffered repeated defeats in battle while Samuel was their leader. The people were angry about that, and they also thought Samuel was getting awfully old. 

God granted the people’s request for a king and called on the prophet Samuel to anoint Saul as the king for the nation of Israel.

This anointing-with-oil ceremony was the way to designate someone as chosen by God for a certain task.

Check out this video that is a portrayal of 1 Samuel 8-10.
1 Samuel 15
As king, Saul started out as a good military leader. As he grew older, he became unstable and a disappointing king. He began to lose the support of the people and the support of God. He disobeyed God and was faced with the bad news that God brought to him through the prophet Samuel. Read 1 Samuel 15:26-28 to find out what bad news Samuel brought to Saul.
• What do you think it feels like to lose a leadership position?
• How do you think it would feel to be Samuel bringing God’s news to Saul?
• How can you know if a leader is acting according to God’s will?
Quiz Time!
Write your answers on your makeup attendance sheet. Let's see what you remember...
1. The mother of Samuel was . . .
    a. Rebekah.
    b. Peninnah.
    c. Elizabeth.
    d. Hannah.

2. As a young boy, Samuel went to live with . . .
    a. Saul.
    b. Eli.
    c. Jacob.
    d. Hannah.

3. The persistent enemy of the tribes of Israel was . . .
    a. the Moabites.
    b. the Canaanites.
    c. the Philistines.
    d. the Chicago Bears.

4. By asking for a king, the Israelites rejected . . .
    a. Samuel.
    b. Eli.
    c. God.
    d. the Old Testament law.

5. Samuel was . . .
    a. a judge.
    b. a priest.
    c. a prophet.
    d. all of the above.

6. Israel’s king, Saul, was . . .
    a. elected by the people of Israel.
    b. appointed by the priest Eli.
    c. chosen by God.
    d. the son of the former king.

7. To make it official that Saul would be king, he was . . .
    a. anointed with oil.
    b. given a throne and a scepter.
    c. moved into the palace.
    d. given a tour of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Next week we'll explore the story of the next king, King David! What kind of king do you think David was? Do you know anything about David already?
Do you have any questions?
If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts, you can email Leisha at ltays@oursaviourslc.org