1 Samuel 11

[MEST] 1 Samuel
1 Samuel 11
“Serving the Lord”
[Read 1 Samuel 11]
Looking back, what was the main reasons for Israel wanting a king?


Who were the Ammonites? [Read Gen. 19: 30-38] And what could this mean in this story?


Nahash means “Snake”. What can we get from this?


Nahish did offer them a negotiation option... what was it and what does this tell us?


How would you feel if you lived in Jabesh Gilead?


What did the elders of Jabesh Gilead do?


Verse 4 tells us in a round-about way that the messengers of Jabesh Gilead didn’t go straight to king Saul and Samuel. Why?


When Saul heard the news, what did he do and why?


[Activity] > Draw scene(s) or storyboards of your favourite bits from this chapter...

How did God help Saul when he was recruiting men for this battle?


What could they have been fearful of?


In verse 10, why did the elders of Jabesh Gilead tell the Ammonites that they would surrender tomorrow?


[Read Judges 7: 16 & 19] What stands out to you between this passage and the passage we’re looking at today? What does this tell us?


Samuel was new at this king business and completely inexperienced at being a leader... let alone a leader of 330,000 men at war! But God gave them the victory. What does this tell us about the will of God?


This story shows us how Saul gained authority and stature. How? And why is this important?


After the victory, what did Saul and the Israelites do next?

What is the significance of this place?

At Mizpah they accepted God’s king... but at Gilgal they confirmed Saul as king. What’s the differences?