“The Kings - Saul”

​B I B L E  B I T S  &  B I T E S
Devotions for Families

Season 4: Kings
Episode 1: “The Kings - Saul”
Today’s Bible Bite: 1 Samuel 8-10

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkS5PBbid_0 (Sharefaithkids.com)

“They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!” (1 Samuel 10:23-24)

Samuel had been a good judge in the land of Israel, but the people decided they wanted to have a king rule over them instead. This upset Samuel and he prayed to God about it. God told Samuel to go and ahead and anoint a king, because in rejecting Samuel as judge, they were in fact rejecting God as their king. Samuel warned the people what it would mean to have a king—taxes and conscription—but the people didn’t care. So, Samuel anointed Saul to be the people’s very first king—he was handsome and tall and brave—the perfect king!

But it turns out he was far from perfect! He started out well, but began to take credit for God’s help. He even began to disobey God’s commands, so God decided to choose another man to be king. Saul was incredibly jealous and the last years of his life were miserable. Eventually, he died in a battle against the Philistines. God had his replacement ready and so David, one of the best kings that Israel would ever have, became the next king.

Think about it...
• Even though the Israelites already had a good leader, they decided that they wanted a king. What warning did Samuel give the people about having a king?
• The Israelites thought they had the perfect king—Saul was good looking, big and brave. Why wasn’t that enough to make him a good king?
• The people wanted to have a king so that they could be just like everyone else. But what did they lose?
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Prayer: Thank you, God, that you are our king. Help us to be quick to listen to you and obey you. Help us not be like the Israelites, who chose to be just like everyone else. You are a better king than any person ever could be!