Adult Lesson Plan: 1 Samuel 8–10;13;15–16

OPENING (2–3 minutes)

Put this question on the board and let it hang for a moment: When you feel unsafe, what kind of “king” do you go looking for?

Israel’s elders came to Samuel with a request that sounded practical and even responsible: “make us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5). They wanted stability, protection, and someone to “fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:20). The Lord did not treat it as a mere political preference. He named it as a spiritual transfer of allegiance: “they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).

Let the class sit with the discomfort of that. People can ask for something reasonable and still be moving their trust away from the Lord.

SCRIPTURE EXPLORATION (15–20 minutes)

Begin in 1 Samuel 8:7, then read it aloud as a class.

“And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” (1 Samuel 8:7)

Ask: What does it mean for the Lord to “reign” over someone in ordinary life, not in slogans? Where do adults feel the pull to replace that reign with something visible and controllable?

Move to 1 Samuel 8:19–20. Invite someone to read it, then ask the class to listen for the motives Israel names.

“Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.” (1 Samuel 8:19–20)

Ask: Which phrase feels most modern, “be like all the nations,” “judge us,” or “fight our battles”? How do those show up in the way we curate our lives, manage our anxieties, or measure success?

Shift to Saul’s calling in 1 Samuel 9:15–17. This matters because the Lord’s work proceeds by revelation even when human motives are mixed.

“Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.” (1 Samuel 9:15–17)

Ask: Israel’s request had problems, yet the Lord still heard their “cry” (1 Samuel 9:16). What does that teach about God’s patience with imperfect disciples?

Then connect the calling pattern to the fifth Article of Faith. Read it aloud.

“We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.” (Articles of Faith 1:5)

Ask: In Saul’s story, what parts look like “by prophecy,” and what parts look like an outward ordinance? (You can point to anointing in 1 Samuel 10:1.)

Now go to the pressure point, 1 Samuel 13:11–14. Let the class hear Saul’s reasoning and Samuel’s response.

“And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart.” (1 Samuel 13:11–14)

Ask: Saul’s explanation sounds like adult life: people scattering, deadlines missed, threats gathering. Where do we hear ourselves in “I forced myself therefore” (1 Samuel 13:12)? What does it look like to “wait for Samuel” in a modern setting, meaning to wait for the Lord’s order and word?

Finish scripture exploration with the two anchor lines, 1 Samuel 15:22 and 1 Samuel 16:7. Have two different people read them.

“And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)

“But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Ask: How do those two verses interpret each other? How does “the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7) clarify what kind of obedience the Lord wants?

DOCTRINAL DISCUSSION (10–15 minutes)

Israel’s king request gives adults a mirror. They wanted a visible leader to reduce fear, and the Lord called it rejecting His reign (1 Samuel 8:7). The Come, Follow Me framing pushes the question into our own lives: “think about who you look to for safety and guidance,” and “consider what it means to let the Lord ‘reign over [you]’” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “June 8–14. ‘The Lord Looketh on the Heart’”). Adults can name the modern equivalents without anyone having to confess too much. Careers can become kings. News cycles can become kings. A child’s trajectory can become king. Even a preferred political story can become king. The issue is not whether we plan and prepare. The issue is where our trust lands when we feel threatened.

Saul’s tragedy shows how fear reshapes obedience into negotiation. In both crises he offers a reasonable-sounding explanation, and Samuel treats it as covenant rupture (1 Samuel 13:13; 15:22–23). The sharpest line is Samuel’s: “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). Saul wanted to keep the best animals and label them “sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:15). Adults do the same move whenever we keep the part of a commandment that fits our schedule and then offer the Lord something else, something impressive, something measurable. The Lord asked for hearkening. Saul offered a substitute.

This week also clarifies how the Lord calls and authorizes. Saul did not campaign. The Lord told Samuel in advance, “thou shalt anoint him” (1 Samuel 9:16), and Samuel anointed him (1 Samuel 10:1). David also did not audition. Samuel anointed him in the Lord’s timing (1 Samuel 16:12–13). That aligns with the Church’s doctrine: “called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority” (Articles of Faith 1:5). Adults who have served in callings know the quiet weight of that. A calling is not a compliment. It is an assignment inside the Lord’s order, and Saul’s downfall began when he treated the Lord’s order as optional under pressure (1 Samuel 13:8–13).

Use discussion questions that invite wrestling.

How do you tell the difference between wise urgency and Saul’s “I forced myself” (1 Samuel 13:12)?

Where do you see the temptation to offer “sacrifice” instead of obedience, meaning to do religious things while avoiding the specific thing the Lord asked? (1 Samuel 15:22)

When have you seen the Lord work through imperfect situations, like Israel’s flawed request, while still holding people accountable? (1 Samuel 8:7; 9:16)

What does it mean, in adult relationships, to look “on the heart” the way the Lord does? (1 Samuel 16:7) How does that change the way we interpret someone’s annoying habits, their social awkwardness, or their spiritual vocabulary?

David was left in the fields because his family did not think he belonged in the lineup (1 Samuel 16:11). Who gets left out of our mental lineup when we think about who can lead, serve, or change?

If someone asks about temple matters or recommends during this discussion, keep it gentle and simple: This is sacred and personal, please speak with your bishop or refer to the temple recommend questions.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION (5–7 minutes)

Give the class two realistic scenes.

First, the Gilgal scene. Saul sees people scattering and danger rising, and he grabs control through an ordinance he was not authorized to perform (1 Samuel 13:11–12). Adults face versions of this when fear drives us to manage outcomes through spiritual-looking shortcuts. A practical application can sound like this: when pressure spikes, slow down enough to ask, “What has the Lord already told me?” Saul had already been given a pattern, including waiting for Samuel (1 Samuel 10:8). Many adults already have revealed patterns too: pray, keep covenants, counsel with leaders when needed, and act without panic.

Second, the Amalek scene. Saul keeps what he wants and calls it sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:15). Invite class members to privately replace “sacrifice” in their minds with a good thing that can become a substitute. Church service can become a substitute for repentance. Scripture study can become a substitute for reconciliation. Busyness can become a substitute for prayer that includes listening. Let the verse do the work: “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22).

Then bring in 1 Samuel 16:7 for everyday relationships. Adults judge each other fast, especially in ward life where we see people in narrow slices. The Lord’s standard is different: “the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). A practical invitation is to choose one person you have misunderstood and ask the Lord to help you see their heart, then act on whatever you see by offering a sincere word or a clean start.

CLOSING TESTIMONY & INVITATION (2–3 minutes)

Hold the three lines together: “that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7), “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22), and “the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Israel’s story moves from craving a visible king to learning, painfully, that the Lord cares about inner loyalty expressed through obedience.

Invite the class to carry one question into the week: Where am I asking for a king to “fight my battles” (1 Samuel 8:20) when the Lord is asking me to trust His reign?

Bear testimony in plain terms anchored to the text: the Lord knows how to lead His people, He calls servants by revelation (1 Samuel 9:15–17; Articles of Faith 1:5), and He can give us “another heart” (1 Samuel 10:9). He saw David in the field, and He sees disciples who feel overlooked, misjudged, or small.