House Church Questions

1. Share with one another any challenges or blessings you experienced this past week.

2. Lucas referred to Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1-10 as a thesis statement of 1 &2 Samuel. In her prayer, Hannah describes the reversal of fortunes––the way in which God is at work to turn the powers and value systems of our world upside down (verses 4-9). Why, then, did God satisfy the people’s demand for a king “like that of the nations,” (i.e. a king that satisfies worldly values)? What can we learn from this, in terms of our looking for security in leadership for our church, community, or country?

3. As we read through 1 Samuel 9, we see that Saul has a helpful attitude towards his father in looking for the donkeys and an open ear in listening to his servant. Yet there are subtle indications of things missing in Saul’s life that you might expect from a godly leader. What are they? (see v. 5, 18-19, 21). What qualities does the New Testament look for in leaders that may have been lacking in Saul? (i.e., Matt. 23:11; Rom. 12:11; 1 Tim. 3:1; 1 Pet. 5:2).

4. After Samuel anointed Saul, God changed Saul’s heart, and the Spirit of the Lord came on him (1 Sam. 10:6-10). Later, however, we’ll see that Saul had a sad ending in disobedience to God. Are things different today than in Old Testament times? What might John have meant when he said that the Spirit had not yet been given (John 7:37-39), or Paul when he describes Christian regeneration by the Spirit (Titus 3:4-7)?

5. In the stories of Hannah, Samuel, and Saul in 1 Sam. 1-9 (and in the Christmas narratives of Zechariah, Elizabeth, and Mary in Luke 1-2), God uses the ordinary circumstances of life to accomplish his purposes. How does this encourage us and give us hope in the midst of our own very ordinary circumstances of life? (see Matt. 6:31-34; Rom. 8:25-30).

6. Contrast the characteristics that the Messiah, Israel’s final king, would have (Isaiah 49:7; 53:2-3) with Israel’s expectations for “a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have” (1 Sam. 8:5; 9:1-2). How can we as believers train ourselves to see leadership from God’s perspective? On the one hand, what qualities should godly and effective Christian leaders have that are similar to those of successful secular leaders, and, on the other hand, what qualities should they have that differ from those of secular leaders?