Study Notes for November 15, 2015

When God Gives us What We Want

1 Samuel 8:1-22

November 15, 2015

Study Questions

1. Read 1 Samuel 8:1-3. Why did Samuel appoint his sons as judges over Israel? From where did they judge and why? As judges, what were they like? Was this a fruit of Samuel’s parenting or of their own hearts?

2. Read 1 Samuel 8:4-9. Why did the elders of Israel approach Samuel? What did they want and why? How did Samuel react to their request and why? How did the Lord react to their request and why?

3. Read 1 Samuel 8:10-18. When Samuel rose up to speak to the elders of Israel, whose words did he speak? What does this teach us about Samuel’s way of life? What can we learn from him at this specific point?

4. Precisely what did Samuel say would be the ways of the new king of Israel? What did Samuel say the people would do in response to these things? How did he say the Lord would respond to them and why?

5. Read 1 Samuel 8:119-22. How did the people answer Samuel? What was at the heart of their reasoning? After hearing their answer, what did Samuel do and why? What did the Lord instruct him to do and why?

6. In what ways do we seek to be like the world around us rather than the God above us? How do we make similar bargains with the Lord? Can you draw to mind the story of time when God gave you what you wanted but you also got what you didn’t want?

7. Take some time in prayer and devote your life to the Lord anew. Surrender to his will and ways, knowing that the path for life laid out by his Word is better than all the world offers and affords.

Comments

To Have My Soul Happy in the Lord, by George Muller

To Have My Soul Happy in the Lord By George Muller “It has pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, the benefit of which I have not lost for more than fourteen years. The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord, or how I might glorify the Lord, but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished. “I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God—not prayer, but the Word of God. And here again, not the simple reading of the Word of God so that it only passes through my mind just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what I read, pondering over it, and applying it to my heart. To meditate on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed. And that thus,...

Reflective Glory: How the Moon Displays the Mercy of God

Our sun is a fitting metaphor for the glory of God. In the context of our solar system, it is massive, bright, beautiful, powerful, self-sufficient, heat-producing, life-giving, and dangerous. It is, by far, the dominant feature of our solar system and without it the system would fling apart and all living things therein would die. On the other hand, our moon is a fitting metaphor for human beings, especially for those who believe in Jesus Christ. First, compared to the sun, the moon is tiny and dim. The sun is 400 times larger than the moon, its mass is 27 million times greater than the mass of the moon, and from our perspective its light shines 450,000 times brighter than that of the moon. The sun is so much greater than the moon that it’s difficult to quantify and express the difference. Likewise, the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is so much great than each and all of us that it’s impossible to quantify or express the difference. Indeed, the Lord is very great and greatly...

God Displays His Beauty While Lifting Heavy Burdens by Pastor Kevin

I know I am a little bit overweight. My doctor tells me so. The mirror that I look into affirms it and the scale (that I mostly avoid) reminds me every time I step on it. All of that makes what I am about to say so much more impressive. I had the privilege of sitting on the beaches of Florida's Atlantic coast for 8 days on our most recent family trip. For me there is something magical about the beach, especially on the Atlantic side with the waves washing up against the shoreline. We have been lucky enough to find a sleepy beach town to vacation at. A nook, if you will, that typically features retired folks or families with kids. Out of the way of those who want to party, the beach is truly a relaxing place for me. Let me tell you something that I gleaned this time around that never quite landed on me. This last week it landed on me, almost literally. My son Ben and I are the more adventurous specimens in the Feder five. We actually get into the salty water where there are jelly f...

Glory of Christ Fellowship

Search This Blog