“So Long, Saul”
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.
1 Samuel 15; 28; 31.
Outer appearances can’t be trusted; unchecked power almost always corrupts.
Patriarchs and Prophets (Beginning of the End), Chapter 66
Saul Takes His Own Life
Patriarchs and Prophets (Beginning of the End), Chapter 67
Ancient and Modern Spiritualism
SCRIPTURE PASSAGES
OVERVIEW
Rejection is a big challenge for today’s teenager. Let’s be honest, its not just a teenager issue. All of us love to be chosen and to belong. Sometimes we will go to extreme lengths to see what other people think of us. Maybe you’ve listened in on a conversation, read a text or email over someone’s shoulder, or pried a friend about what another friend thinks of you. Leaders, today it would be great if you could think of a story along those lines from your teen-age years about yourself. Use your experience of worrying about rejection as an illustration later in the lesson. Our lesson this week covers God’s rejection of Saul. This was such a painful event. It brings up lots of deep questions about our actions, about grace and about the importance of doing things God’s way. These are very difficult questions and will require lots of prayer and wisdom as you tackle them.
OPENING ACTIVITY: KEEP OR REJECT
The game today is all about permanent rejection! And since it’s November it will have a fall theme! (Leaders, feel free to add some of your own items for your own ministry context.)
Directions: You will have two options. One of the items mentioned you “get to” keep, the other one would disappear from existence—forever! Which one will you choose, and yes, you have to make a choice. You can switch sides of the room or just raise hands depending on the dynamics of your group.
KEEP or REJECT List:
DISCUSSION
FINAL QUESTION
Sometimes choosing to keep or get rid of something is harder than we think. What would be some of the implications of some of the rejections you made?
TRANSITION
When we think of rejection, we might think of dating or maybe that time you didn’t make the team or get the part in the play, or get in the band. Maybe you didn’t get asked to a party or concert. I remember wait around at church in high school just hoping someone would invite me to do something fun on Saturday night. It didn’t always happen. And it’s hard. (Leader, this would be a great place to talk about a time where rejection hit you hard.) The reality is that each of us understand this concept. So, when we think about rejection we understand what it’s like, but when we think about rejection does God come to mind? Probably not. Our New Testament-centered minds think of love and acceptance when we picture God, or at least I hope we do. But the Bible does tell us about times were God does reject people. That is the story we are going to be looking at today. In end we will ask whether God did the rejecting or not.
BIBLE STUDY GUIDE
The story today is moving through the life of the first King of Israel, Saul. What began as a promising leadership is quickly devolving into a spiritual disaster. The power struggles of leadership are becoming apparent. The irony is that Saul, in his quest to be accepted and feel worth, continues to self-sabotage the relationships that will connect him with God and turn him into a humble servant leader. One of those challenging relationships is with his mentor Samuel. Trouble has been brewing for several years when it comes to a head after a difficult battle. There is no way to really break down what is happening without reading this whole chapter. So let’s dive in.
Read 1 Samuel 15:1-19.
Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ ”
4 So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah. 5 Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. 6 Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
16 “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” Saul replied.
17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
DISCUSSION
There is a lot to unpack here. You might have lots of questions other than the ones below, so feel free to follow your own discussion thoughts.
As the chapter continues Saul tries to ask for forgiveness but the text makes it pretty clear that he was not actually repenting. He was afraid of the trouble he was in. He was afraid of losing the new power that he had gained. And it closes with a very sad verse.
Read 1 Samuel 15:34-35.
34 Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 35 Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
This verse closes the relationship between Samuel and Saul. And in the next chapters we are introduced to King David. Through the rest of Saul’s life he continues to look in the wrong places for favor with God. He has his moments, to be sure, but there is a clear warning for us near the end of his life as well about where compromise in finding God leads us. It is the story of the Witch at Endor. And no, it’s not a witch like you think of, and no, it’s not the Endor from Star Wars, but it is a very compelling story!
Read 1 Samuel 28:3-7.
3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.
4 The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. 6 He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. 7 Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.”
“There is one in Endor,” they said.
DISCUSSION
This is such a sad, and honestly, crazy story. The ‘ghost’ of Samuel actually gives accurate advice to Saul. It is a reminder that the enemy knows God’s ways and right and wrong as well. We have to be very careful not to give the enemy any space in our lives because the ‘truth’ soon becomes lies.
FINAL THOUGHTS
As we close our lesson today I challenge you to look at this story through your 21st century New Testament focused eyes. Does God reject leaders in the same way he did Saul? What role does our grace through Jesus play in our lives today? Did God reject Saul, or, as I believe, did Saul reject God and the rest of the story is consequences of his choice and not God’s? Please be open in your discussion as you discuss these very hard questions. Perhaps even study and come back with more thoughts next week!
APPLICATION
We started today talking about rejection. This is a great time to look back through your youth ministries’ history! Are there students who should be coming to Sabbath School each week but are not? Maybe there is a misunderstanding or they had a fall out, or maybe they just don’t have a ride to church? Make a list of students who are not attending and make sure they don’t feel like ‘rejects’, make sure to embrace them with love and invite them back to church! Then commit to praying for some divine opportunities to connect with those students in meaningful and redemptive ways.
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
In 1 Samuel 15, Saul doesn’t completely obey God in destroying the Amalekites and then lies when he is confronted. The questions in this RBS reflect on this tragic moment in Saul’s life and ask students story questions that lead to personal reflection questions about making excuses and owning up to their sins.
Truth Be Told
Who is the most honest person you know in your life?
Read 1 Samuel 15:1-35.
Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
4 So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah. 5 Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. 6 Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
16 “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” Saul replied.
17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 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.”
22 But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. 25 Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.”
26 But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!”
27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you. 29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.”
30 Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.” 31 So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.”
Agag came to him in chains.[c] And he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
33 But Samuel said,
“As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women.”
And Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal.
34 Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 35 Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
1. Why did God tell Saul to destroy the Amalekites completely?
A. Show that God is in charge.
B. Remove a threat to Israel's future.
C. Punish the Amalekites for past wrongs.
D. Test Saul's loyalty.
E. Clean up the land from bad stuff.
F. Make a prophecy come true.
G. See if Saul would listen.
H. It was a random command.
I. Other.
2. What was so wrong about Saul’s actions?
A. He didn’t completely destroy everything.
B. Listened to his soldiers instead of God.
C. Saved the Amalekite king.
D. Ate all of the Amalekite food.
E. Saved the best of the animals.
F. Saved anything that was of worth.
G. Didn’t do anything wrong.
H. Did most of what God said, but not everything.
I. Other.
3. How did Samuel respond when he found out Saul didn't follow God's command?
A. Said "Good job" for doing some of it.
B. Felt sad but understood why Saul did it.
C. Scolded Saul strongly.
D. Didn't pay attention.
E. Laughed and thought it was silly.
F. Understood Saul's problems.
G. Talked to God for Saul.
H. Offered something to make up for it.
I. Other.
4. What do Saul's excuses show about what kind of person he was?
A. He cared more about what others thought than what God said.
B. Was easily influenced by what others said.
C. Didn't really get what God wanted.
D. Had a hard time being a leader.
E. Was too busy with other things to listen to God.
F. Thought he knew better than God.
G. Other.
5. How can we use what happened to Saul to learn in our own lives?
A. Do what God says even if it's hard.
B. Care more about what God thinks than what others think.
C. Don’t hide our sins.
D. Own up to our wrongs.
E. We shouldn’t question God’s commands.
F. We should question God’s commands.
G. Other.
6. How do you react when you get called out?
A. I get defensive.
B. Make excuses like Saul.
C. Don’t tell the whole truth.
D. Own up right away.
E. Apologize and see how I can grow.
F. Blame someone else.
G. Other
7. Why is it hard for people our age to do completely everything God says?
8. What would you say to a friend who may be struggling to tell the whole truth?
SUMMARY
Nothing good comes from lying as seen in this story of Saul—a king that Israel wanted even though God was already their King. In the end, 1 Samuel 15:35 says, “the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.” Saul had so much potential in the beginning of his leadership, but time and time again, he chose self and sin over God. In the end, this led to his eventual destruction as seen in the rest of 1 Samuel, but this story in particular showcases his issue. He didn’t feel sorry about disobeying God until he was fully caught, then he didn’t want to turn to God on his own. God wants to forgive us and wants us to be honest and upfront about our mistakes. 1 John 1:9-10 promises us “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
APPLICATION
Here are three ways to apply this week’s story and theme!
Throughout Saul’s life, Samuel was someone who kept it real with him and kept him accountable to the truth. In question 8, you may have been thinking about yourself. This week, FIND-A-SAM or someone who can keep you accountable to the truth. You can also BE-A-SAM by praying this week specifically for others you may know who also find it hard to tell the truth.
If only Saul had been willing to be fully honest before God throughout his time as king and own up to his mistakes instead of trusting himself. His story may have been very different. The Bible reminds throughout Scripture that we can come to God with anything and be fully honest before Him.
Saul made a lot of mistakes during his time as king, and later, so did David. But the difference in their journeys was that Saul refused to come clean and David always came back to God to be honest. The truth is, God always wants to forgive us.
