The king disobeys God

1 Samuel 13 and 15.

To understand that obedience to God is the best sacrifice.

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 10:12, NIV*).

It is not strange that preadolescents observe that “good” people disobey God and apparently do not suffer consequences. On the other hand, whether by instinct or by imitation, when people do something bad, they try to do something good in compensation. But such a tendency is misleading because it gives a false sense of security. In addition, it is common for many to think, “After all, there is always someone worse than me.”

Good works, even great sacrifices, do not erase disobedience. Disobeying God is a sin and only God can forgive that. No good work, however many, can compensate for sin. However, God is willing to forgive the one who asks and believes in him. Once he forgives the person, he may guide him to make restitution, but we should not confuse that with earning forgiveness, which is a gift from God. Restitution is the response that the person whom God forgave offers out of love.

Read 1 Samuel 13. The people had asked for a king and God had granted it to them. Now they must suffer the consequences of their decision.

Although Israel had a king, their government was a theocratic monarchy because God was still the supreme authority for the king’s power came from God, and he demanded that the king of Israel obey God’s laws.

Saul’s first act of disobedience was to assume the priestly role by offering a burnt offering in Gilgal. He was concerned to see that the Philistines were meeting and Samuel had not arrived. His army, hidden and fearful, began to disperse upon seeing the large enemy army. And, because Saul did not want to go out and fight without having offered a sacrifice to God, he took the role of priest, thus violating the laws.

Other cultures used to combine the roles of king and priest. Some pagan kings were supreme leaders, both politically and religiously. We find an antecedent in Genesis 14:18, when Melchizedek, king of Salem, acted as a priest of God to bless Abram. Even Samuel had been a political and religious leader in Israel. But, that was not to be the case of the kings in Israel. The priestly function was reserved for the Levites (Exodus 39-40), and Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin. His disobedience to the law showed that, indifferent to God’s command, he depended on his army and military dominance.

Read 1 Samuel 15. Saul’s second great error was to disobey the order that God gave him through Samuel: destroy the Amalekites completely. Perhaps this order sounds cruel today, but Saul did not protest because it was common then. Otherwise, there was an enemy that sought revenge again and again. Although Saul accepted the order, out of greed he did not want to waste the best cattle, nor the opportunity to show off the Amalekite king as a trophy for all Israel.

When Samuel rebuked Saul for his disobedience, he lied when he said, “But I did obey the Lord. I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal” (15:20-21).

Samuel answered, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifice as much as in obeying the Lord?” (15:22). No sacrifice, however many, can replace obedience. This action ultimately cost Saul his kingdom.

The tragedy in Saul’s story was not that he lost the throne, but that he decided to disobey God. His reign began with power and divine anointing, but ended in shame.

Consequences of disobedience

Divide the board into two columns. Over one column write as a title “Disobedience”, and in the other “Consequences.” Make a list of acts of disobedience of God that preadolescents often commit (for example: disobeying parents, not doing homework, missing school without parents knowing, taking something that does not belong to them, lying, etc.).

Then, allow the students to come forward and write the consequences of each action in the second column.

Explain that disobedience is sin and that it always has negative consequences. In today’s story, they will learn about a king who God had chosen to serve him, but he decided to disobey him.

Read the study passages in advance in 1 Samuel 13:8-15 and 15:1-29. Also prepare five students to read the following text in dramatization form. (You can provide costumes to for the characters if you want.) Ask the rest of the class to observe the dramatization very carefully to determine if Saul met the requirements to have a right relationship with God.

Characters: Narrator, Saul, Samuel, Jonathan, captain of the army

Scene 1: On the battlefield.

Saul: Jonathan, we have 3,000 strong and brave warriors. I don’t think we’ll have any problems the next time we fight the Philistines.

Jonathan: Our informants say that there is a group of Philistines on the hill. Father, why don’t we go with 1,000 soldiers and attack them? The others can stay behind in case of a surprise attack.

Saul: I think that’s a good idea, Jonathan. Go and may God be with you.

Narrator: Jonathan attacked the enemy army in Gibeah. When the Philistines heard about it, they gathered their armies to fight against Israel. Saul sent word to the Israelites that they should meet at Gilgal for battle.

Scene 2: In Gilgal.

Saul: You did a good job, son, but now the Philistines are very angry. Let’s go to the top of that hill. From there we can see how many have gathered in the valley.

Army Captain: King Saul, look! There must be at least 3,000 chariots and 6,000 charioteers and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. What will we do? We cannot defend ourselves with only 3000 men.

Jonathan: Our soldiers are very scared! Some have hidden in caves and pits. And others fled!

Army Captain: Where is Samuel? He said he would come. He is supposed to offer a sacrifice to ensure that God is with us.

Saul: We can’t wait! The Philistines will attack us at any moment and they will surely kill us all. I will offer the sacrifice.

Jonathan: What are you saying? Only priests can offer sacrifices.

Saul: We can not wait any longer. Narrator: Saul began offering the sacrifice. Just as he had finished making the sacrifice, Samuel arrived.

Samuel: (sniffing the air) Smells like burned flesh.

Saul: Samuel, where were you? We waited for you for a long time. The Philistines are ready to attack us and my soldiers were scattering in fear. That’s why I went ahead and offered the sacrifice without you to ask for God’s help.

Samuel: Saul, what foolishness! If you had obeyed God, one of your descendants would have been king after you. Now even you will not stay on the throne for long.

Narrator: Some time later, God commanded Saul to fight against the Amalekites. He told him to destroy all their possessions so that nothing contaminated the Israelites.

Scene 3: After the battle with the Amalekites

Army Captain: King Saul, we won the battle. Hey, the king of the Amalekites is fleeing! What should do we do with him?

Saul: God told me to destroy all the enemy’s possessions. What a waste! I think the best thing is to take the king as a prisoner. Why don’t we also take the best of the cattle? I do not think we should kill their animals; let’s keep them for ourselves and we will become richer.

Narrator: The next morning Samuel went to Saul’s camp to find out what had happened in the battle.

Saul: (showing off to Samuel) We won, Samuel! I did everything that God commanded me.

Samuel: Why do I hear so much noise? It seems like the bleat of sheep and the bellowing of cows.

Saul: Well, we brought the best of the Amalek sheep and cows ... but only to offer them as a sacrifices to God!

Narrator: Samuel knew that Saul was lying. God had already anticipated it.

Samuel: Do not say anything else! Last night God told me that you had disobeyed him. Now I see with my eyes what you have done. Don’t you know that God prefers your obedience over your sacrifices? This is a warning: because you did not listen to God, you will not be king for long.

When they are finished, explain that God wanted the Israelites to honor him with their whole being and to be obedient. However, the king decided to follow his own desires and not listen to the voice of God. Make some comparisons with the attitudes of preadolescents regarding obedience and respect for the commandments of the Lord.

What does God want us to do?

Ask some volunteers to read the dialogues for this activity on Student Activity Sheet #350-A and #350-B. Then, talk about it. Emphasize that the only thing we can do to restore our relationship with God is admit that we have sinned, repent and ask for forgiveness.

Ask your students, “What did Saul do after he disobeyed God?” After listening to their answers, explain that Saul tried to protect himself by telling a lie. Then, he blamed the town, but he did not admit his fault.

When we sin, God is willing to forgive us if we repent from the heart and seek his forgiveness with humility.