Samuel and Israel’s demand for a king
1 Samuel 1-3; 8-10
This week our children are learning about God calling Samuel. Samuel’s mother was Hannah. She was not able to have children, which in the culture and time she lived was considered a point of shame. She went to worship and while she was there she prayed for God to provide her with a child. She was praying silently to herself only moving her lips and the priest, Eli, thought she was drunk. But when he realized his mistake he blessed her and sent her home. The next time Hannah came to worship she was pregnant. She remembered her prayer and dedicated her son to the service of the Lord. When Samuel was old enough, Hannah brought her young son to Eli and left him there to serve in the Lord’s presence. Hannah would bring him new clothes as he grew and visited him regularly. But, Samuel was in the charge of Eli.
While Samuel was sleeping one night, he heard someone calling his name. He assumed it was Eli calling him. But when he went to Eli, the old priest just sent him to bed saying he had not called him. This happened several times before Eli realized it was the Lord called the boy. So he told Samuel how to respond the next time he heard the voice. A theme in this story is Eli’s lack of understanding. It is stated that Eli was nearly blind. But it becomes clear that Eli is also lacking spiritual sight as well. He does not understand that Hannah is praying, he does not quickly recognize God’s calling Samuel, and it is telling that God did not extend his calling to Eli but to Samuel.
Samuel would go on to rule in Israel as a judge. At the end of his time as judge, the people came to him to demand a king to rule over them. Samuel was hurt and angry when they made this demand. But God told Samuel that it wasn’t Samuel they were rejecting, but God.
Below are some questions and themes to help you with your Bible discussions this week
- Why was Hannah praying at the entrance of the tabernacle? She was there to offer her sacrifices to God and while she was there she prayed for God to give her a child. It made her very sad not to have a child and her faith was in God alone to provide a child for her.
- What did Eli think when he saw her praying? Because she was praying to herself, he thought something was wrong with her. He did not recognize that she was praying to God. Back then, people always prayed out loud. Eli thought it was too strange to see someone praying to themselves, just moving their lips.
- What kind of person was Samuel? Samuel served God from a very early age. He was probably only 7 or 8 years old when he began serving in the tabernacle and not much older when God called him during the night. He had a very close walk with God and was recognized by everyone as a very just and wise man.
Character Trait: Submissive
I obey God with all of my heart even when I don’t want to.
Memory verse:
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7
