Life of David: 2. The People Want a King

Our lesson is found in 1 Samuel 8 and is the beginning of lessons about the life of David.

In the time of the judges, Samuel had two sons that were judges. The judges were in the Old Testament in the book of Judges. The judges were people that God picked to take care His people when they were in trouble. They acted like military leaders guiding the people. The people would win a battle, then eventually stop following God's laws and start worshipping idols. There were judges for over 300 years.

Samuel’s sons Joel and Abijah were judges in Beersheba. They were not faithful to God. They were dishonest and took bribes. Samuel was a prophet (speaker for God) and a judge.

The elders of Israel went to Samuel and said that Samuel was old and his sons were not faithful to God. The people do not want judges anymore. They want kings like the other nations around them have.

Samuel wasn’t happy that the people wanted a king instead of a judge to guide them. So Samuel prayed to God. God told Samuel to listen to the people and do what they say. God said they are not rejecting you, they are rejecting Me. God told Samuel that the people didn’t want God to have control over them.

God told Samuel that the people have proven by the things that they have done since He had Moses take them from Egypt that they do not want God to rule over them. The people have been serving idols and have forsaken God.

God told Samuel to listen to them and warn them beforehand what will happen if they have a king. Show them the behavior of a king that will reign over them. Samuel told the people what God had said to him. This is what will happen to those that are asking for a king.

A king will reign over you. A king will take your sons and make them work as his horsemen, they will have to take care of the king’s chariots, some will have to run before the king’s chariots. Some will be captains in his army. Some will have to be farmers and plow the ground and reap the harvest.

Some will have to make weapons for war and make equipment for the king’s chariots. The king will take your daughters to make the perfumes and oils. They will have to be cooks and bakers. A king will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves.

A king will take a tenth of your grain and grape harvest for his officers and servants. A king will take your servants and best healthy young men and make them work for him. A king will take a tenth of your sheep. You will be the king’s servants. You will cry because of the choice you have made, but God will not hear you.

The people refused to hear all that Samuel was telling them. They wanted a king so desperately! They wanted to be like the other nations around them that had a king. They said that a king would be their judge and fight their battles for them.

Samuel heard what the people said and told God what they said. God told Samuel to do what the people wanted and give them a king. Samuel told the men to go back to their city to wait.

Next week, we will learn who is picked to be the first king of Israel.

The printables for David in this series are for an older age group than I usually post. Most of these lessons about David are not appropriate for early elementary. But David is a great study. So, as you can see from the above picture, there is a Q&A. This could be used with younger groups by using the answer sheet and just asking the questions for discussion. Each post in this series will have a maze and some type of puzzle. The additional application has thought questions about how the students can apply the lesson to their daily life. There are answer sheets for all worksheets except for the last application. Everyone will have a different set of answers. Click here to download.