NASHVILLE (BP) – This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, Lifeway publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from The Gospel Project curriculum.
Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 8
Discussion Questions:
- When have you disregarded God’s warning and pursued your own desires?
- What are some areas of your life more conformed to the world’s ways?
- What are some ways we can examine our motives in prayer?
Food for Thought:
“The heart wants what the heart wants.” This is a saying in our culture, reflected in movies and music, and is at the core of humanity’s downfall. From the beginning, Adam and Eve acted on this impulse and took a bite of the forbidden fruit. Sin entered the world.
From there, the continuation of trying to grasp one’s desire, without acknowledgment of God or others, has led to the downfall of many people and nations.
When Samuel was leading the Israelites, they saw the other nations had kings, were envious, and cried out to Samuel to give them a king. Samuel went straight to the Lord in prayer, not knowing what to do about these rebellious people. Were they rejecting his leadership? God answered, making it clear that they were really rejecting God in this matter.
But through Samuel, He warned the people what a king would truly do for them, and it wasn’t good. He would be a taker, taking whatever he wanted since he was king: sons and daughters, fields and land, servants and cattle. He would be oppressive, and they would cry out to God. The Israelites heard this, but they didn’t care. They followed their hearts to their own demise.
They wanted a king because they said, “Then we’ll be like all the other nations” (1 Samuel 8:20). They saw what was in the surrounding culture and wanted the same. They wanted to conform to the ways of the world, not to God’s ways. The temptation to conform is one we deal with daily. Especially in today’s world when social media and reels make it so easy to see what others have and get envious.
God gives us another way. He tells us to fix our eyes on Him and Him alone. Hebrews 12:1b-2 states, “Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The world gives us many shiny things to divert our eyes, but God’s Word tells us there’s only one thing that’s worthy of our gaze — Jesus.
The Israelites wanted a human king like the other nations had, even though they should have longed for the eternal King God had planned for them – Jesus Christ. God, in His mercy, love and goodness, still set that plan into motion through the line of human kings He gave.
When we come to God, we may not always know what we are asking for. We may be swayed by selfish motives in our asking. But in God’s goodness, according to His perfect and sovereign will, He will always accomplish His plans for His glory and our good.
The Gospel Project
The Gospel Project is a chronological, Christ-centered study for kids, students and adults. The Bible is not a collection of stories. It is one story of God’s plan to rescue His people from sin and death. It is the story of redemption, the gospel message of Jesus Christ. More information can be found at Lifeway.com/gospelproject.
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