Sunday School Lesson: Eli trains Samuel

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Eli Trains Samuel

To Remember: God listens to us; we must listen to Him.

Vocabulary:

prophet: someone who speaks for God (chosen by God)

Lesson Outline

1 Samuel 1-4"Elkanah could not help Hannah, but she knew there was Someone who could. As soon as they finished eating, she got up and started praying in her heart, still crying because she was so upset. 'O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed…give your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head....'" Read the Full Lesson Text

Hannah prays for a son

Hannah give Samuel back to God

God calls Samuel to deliver messages to Israel

God replaces Eli and his family with Samuel

Eli and his sons die when the Philistines win a battle and the Ark is captured

Samuel became a priest, a prophet and a judge in Israel

Discussion: Samuel was very young when he was dedicated to serving the Lord. Yet God was able to use him better than Eli! Why? Because his heart put nothing before God. Are you old enough to serve God like Samuel? Yes! How? How did Samuel serve God? By listening to what God told him and doing it. How do you do that? By listening to God through what He said in the Bible and what your parents and teachers teach you!

Discussion: In order to get what Hannah wanted (a son), she gave up what was most important to her (a son). Does that seem odd? A situation like that is called a paradox, and God's truth is full of them. consider what Jesus said in Mt 16:25 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." We always have to put God before anything that we want - even if what we desire is a good thing. Hannah showed that God came first by sacrificing what she wanted most. Contrast Hannah to Eli, whose love for his sons prevented him for correcting their blasphemy toward God. Jesus said we must be willing to give it all up - and then God will reward us with what matters most! That may seem difficult, but it is extremely satisfying. Practice with the small things, and you will be willing to give up the bigger things. What can we practice giving over to God? Our belongings, our time, our worries.

Memory Work: 1 Sam 3:19 "So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground."

Sing: "I want to be a worker for the Lord"

Review Questions for gameboard

	linguistic questions
	What is a prophet? Someone who speaks for God What is a priest? someone who serves God for the people (OT) Spell Samuel.
	activity questions
	Act out Eli telling Hannah that God would answer her prayer. Quickly sketch the temple. Locate Shiloh on a map.
	emotion questions
	Hannah felt ______ because she did not have any children. (sad) Eli felt ___________ when the Ark was captured. (horrified) Eli's sons showed a) respect, b) honor, c) disdain towards God.
	application questions
	Jesus said that sometimes we have to a) give up, b) share, c) destroy what we love most. Which is more important, our family, or God? Will God honor us if we don't honor Him? (no)
	fact questions
	Who was the High Priest of Israel that trained Samuel? (Eli) What terrible thing happened to the Ark of the Lord? (it was captured in battle) What happened to Eli when he heard about the Ark's capture? (he fell over and died)
	review questions
	Why did Hannah give Samuel away if she loved him so much? She offered her son to God as a sacrifice, in thankfulness, and to complete her vow. Why did God talk to Samuel and not Eli? (Samuel's heart was pure and Eli's was tainted) Was Samuel a prophet, a priest or a judge? (all three!)