Saul Disobeyed God
(1 Samuel 14-15)
November 2nd, 2025
Sunday Recap
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Sunday Recap •
Hey Fams!
Rather than follow the instructions of the Lord, King Saul relied on his own strength, wisdom, and timeline to achieve success. God had promised to extend favor to Saul on the condition that he remain obedient to His commands. The devastating impact of King Saul’s disobedience, however, and its effect on his legacy is seen in 1 Samuel 14–15. Through the disobedience of Saul, we see our need for the sinless, sacrificial Savior—Jesus.
How did Saul’s disobedience impact God’s people?
How did Jesus show His desire to always obey His Father?
Saul’s hasty decisions in leadership led the Israelites to pursue uncleanliness and irreverence toward the Lord. Saul placed his troops under a strict oath not to eat until the battle was over. The rashness of his oath led to the attempted execution of his son, Jonathan, and the sin of consuming impure food.
Later, Saul led his men to disobey God’s commands by not completely destroying the Amalekites and everything they had. Saul led his people down a path of destruction, not seeming to care how his disobedience impacted the nation he led.
While Saul, led by pride and impulsiveness, was willing to execute his son to make an example of him, we see a stark contrast between his actions and God’s love for us. Jesus, God in flesh, laid down His own life to make redemption possible for those who trust in Him.
Consider Saul’s disobedience, which was motivated by foolishness and selfish ambition. Now, reflect on the redemption we receive through Christ’s pure and perfect obedience. While Saul’s poor leadership and disobedience led to God rejecting him as king, the perfect King Jesus leads us toward redemption and forgiveness of sin.
Lead the children in your care to see the reward of obedience to God—yet to see with even greater clarity, the gift of grace we don’t deserve through Christ’s sacrificial love.
** Next week: Samuel Anointed David (1 Samuel 16)
Family Discipleship Plan
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Family Discipleship Plan •
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Read the 1 Samuel 14-15 from the Bible.
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The American Bison is the largest mammal in North America, weighing up to 2,000 pounds! While their size is impressive, the way they protect one another is even more amazing. When danger is near, the herd of bison will circle around the young calves and weaker bison to protect them. The herd sticks together to keep every member safe!
In 1 Samuel 11, the people of Jabesh were terrified when the Ammonite army surrounded their city. The men knew they were not strong enough to fight. Their only hope was for someone to come with help to save them, so they called on Saul. Saul gathered men from across Israel and Judah. Like bison who protect one another, the people came together to fight. God helped the men defeat the Ammonites and save the city of Jabesh.
Even though God had used Saul to keep the Israelites safe and deliver them from their enemy, Saul struggled to obey God. When he faced the Philistine army, Saul didn’t wait for Samuel and tried to make an offering to God, which was only allowed by priests. Samuel told Saul that God would soon choose another king to replace Saul—a king who would be a man after God’s own heart.
In 1964, Jim Marshall, a linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings, made history for the wrong reasons. The opposing team fumbled the football, which Jim picked up and ran 66 yards into the end zone! The problem was that Jim had run the wrong way! Instead of 6 points for his team, Jim’s mistake gave 2 points to the other team!
Like Jim, we all make mistakes, and mistakes have consequences. For King Saul, his mistake was disobeying God, and it cost him his kingship. After defeating the Amalekites, Saul’s army took the sheep, goats, and cattle for themselves. God’s instructions were to destroy everything and take nothing, but the men were hungry and did not obey God’s commands. Because of Saul’s disobedience, Samuel told Saul that God was disappointed and would soon replace him with another king.
Even though Saul was king, he was not perfect. Saul sinned against God, and his sin had consequences. Our sin has consequences too—the biggest of which is to be separated from God for all eternity. Our only hope is found in Jesus—the perfect King!
Opossums are known for “playing dead” when a predator attacks. When threatened, the animal’s body goes limp, its tongue comes out of its mouth, and a pungent odor is released to make it smell like the animal has been dead for a while. Talk about a stinky situation!
Saul disobeyed God’s commands and was rejected as king. We all disobey God’s commands when we sin. Only Jesus perfectly obeyed God at all times. When we believe in Jesus, we are made right with God and accepted by Him.
Pray:
Jesus, thank You for perfectly obeying God, even to the point of death on a cross. Because You perfectly obeyed and gave Your life for us, we can have forgiveness and acceptance by believing in You. We praise You as the perfect King. Amen. -
Preschool:
The Lord has set up his throne in heaven. His kingdom rules over all.
Psalm 103:19 NIrV
Older Kids:
The Lord has set up his throne in heaven. His kingdom rules over all.
Psalm 103:19 NIrV
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Mornings
Ask God to remove pride in your life and to help you put others first. How does pride in ourselves stop us from loving others as we should? How can pride lead us into other sinful behaviors?
Evenings
Ask God to grow your love for Jesus so that you can serve Him with all your heart. Why should our love for Jesus lead us to live in obedience?
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For Fun
Play a game of “Mother/Father, May I?” as a family. Have one family member give instructions to others on how many steps to take and how they should take the steps (baby steps, giant steps, bunny hops, and so forth.) Before taking the steps, the family member must ask, “Mother/Father, may I?” If they fail to ask before taking a step, they must go back to the beginning and start over. After the game, discuss the ways Saul disobeyed God and the consequences that came from his sin. Remind kids that sin has consequences, and that God always has a better way for us to follow so we can enjoy and glorify Him.
To Serve
Put together care baskets for cancer patients who are undergoing treatments. Search online to get ideas of items to include in the basket. Deliver the basket to a patient or donate through a local cancer center. Take a moment to pray for the patient and their treatments. Reminds kids that even though the patients are enduring trials that they would not have chosen for themselves, God is still good and has a plan for their lives.