I am not sure how I keep ending up teaching on holidays. First this year it was Easter, then Mothers Day, and now Fathers Day. I guess that is just another way of performing service. to teach so that others don't have to on those days.
After spending a ton of time studying the scriptures in this lesson, I absolutely fell in love with it. My notes are pretty crazy so may be hard to follow below. I got through probably 70ish % of the material and the end of the lesson was the best when I had the two brethren playing David and Goliath and a sister playing the narrator.
Marked up Scripture Notes covered
Welcome to Sunday School! And Happy Father’s Day!
We are going to pick up from our discussion lead by Shannon a couple weeks ago talking about our Hero’s and Heroines in the bible.
This week I would like to start with Hannah- Samuel 1 1:1-20
• Hannah was born around the year 1165 BC-
• She was one of two wives of Elkanah and was unable to bear children while the other wife was able to
• She became very depressed over this and even stopped eating.
• Her husband didn’t understand why she was so depressed, he said he treated her better than ten sons.
• Every year she would accompany her husband to Shiloh to worship and give sacrifices to God.
• She prayed earnestly on one visit (when she was probably at her wits end) that if the Lord would give her a son, she would devote his life to the Lord.
• Eli was there as she prayed silently. And for some reason Eli thought she was drunk, but she was really just praying.
• Not long after Hannah was blessed with a baby boy and named him Samuel. The name means Heard of God or Name of God.
• After he was weaned, Hannah gave him to Eli to raise
• Hannah would visit Samuel annually when she visited Shiloh with her husband and brought him a coat 1st Samuel 2:19
• Hannah was blessed with five additional children
What lessons can we learn from Hannah’s story?
Next let’s talk about Eli and Samuel-1st Samuel 3:2-10
• At around 12 years old while Samuel was being raised by Eli, Samuel heard his named called and he went in to Eli who was half asleep and answered “Here am I”, Eli tells him to go back to bed.
• This happened two more times. Then Eli realizes it is the Lord that is trying to speak to Samuel and tells him that next time he hears his named called to answer “Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth”
• The Lord calls his name again and this time Samuel answers as he was instructed by Eli and tells him he will preform all things against Eli and his house because of their wickedness.
• Eli’s sons were committing sins openly and while Eli could not control their agency, he also was allowing things to happen that shouldn’t have and wasn’t punishing them for their actions, so he was accountable in the eyes of the Lord.
• Then of course Eli was curious what had been said to Samuel and told him to tell him everything leaving nothing out.
• In verse 19-“And Samuel Grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground”
What lessons can we learn from Eli and Samuels Story?
Kara Comments: one of the phrases that stood out to me was in verse 7- “now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.”
Two takeaways from these words-1st having never received revelation before did not disqualify him from receiving revelation. I know that seems common sense. But I think so many times and so many people get discouraged in their lives and assume that before they have never felt the spirit or heard the voice of the Lord, that they never will.
Second,
As I pondered on this concept of hearing and feeling the spirit in our lives, I thought back to several years ago when I was a leader in young womens in my old ward and at girls camp there was testimony meeting and many were touched by the spirit and were crying and then there was only one girl in the circle not touched by the spirit and not crying.
I know this was frustrating for her. She couldn’t understand why she couldn’t feel what the other girls felt. And felt like the weird one.
As I pondered on this while preparing this lesson the recent talk by Rebecca craven, second counselor in the yw presidency titled do what mattereth most.
In this talk she shares a story about a young women who had asked her “how do you know that anything about the church is true? Because I feel nothing.”
Quote 1: Then sister craven felt prompted to ask her some questions, had she been reading her scriptures, studying come follow me, or even praying and all of her responses were that she wasn’t.
Her response to her was simple “if you want to know anything, you will have to do something”
“she invited her new friend to start doing the gospel of Jesus Christ: praying, studying, serving others, and trusting in the Lord. Conversion won’t come while doing nothing. It comes through the power of the Holy Ghost as we intentionally make an effort to know by asking, seeking, and knocking. It comes by doing.”
It also comes by making time for quiet and still moments. To go to holy places, visit the temple grounds, go to church, listen to inspirational music, ponder the scriptures, and most of all having a sincere desire as alma teaches us.
Question 1:
Have there been any mentors in your life that have influenced your spiritual growth?
Question 2:
How can we be better spiritual mentors to others?
Question 3:
Can we hear the voice of the Lord today? If so, where?
What can we do to be more eager and willing to hear the voice of the Lord?
Can anyone remember what the Lord told to Samuel about Eli’s household?
Summarize what the Lord told Samuel about Eli’s household
Then read V19-21-“And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.”
Question 4:
How can we be like Samuel and “let none of the “Lord’s” words fall to the ground”?
How are we listening to the Lord… “Speak Lord for thy servant heareth”
Next The Philistines smite Israel and capture the ark of the covenant. Chapter 5
Samuel preaches to the Israelites and exhorts them to stop worshipping idols and begin serving the Lord.
Slides-scripture and let god prevail, then magic eye pictures
The Israelites return to the Lord, and the Lord subdues the Philistines. (brings confusion over them in battle) and Israelites win.
Samuel raises Eben-ezer for the Lord helping them
Then:
1 Samuel 8–15. The children of Israel desire to have a king. Because the philistines are once again attacking them
Question 5:
Why was it wrong for the Israelites to desire to have a king?
Samuel is displeased with their request and warns them of the oppression a king would bring upon them. The Lord consents to give them a king and directs Samuel to anoint Saul.
Saul-
In search of lost donkey’s searches for Samuel because he is looking for a seer.
Saul was called by the Lord and sustained by the people to be king. He reigns in righteousness for a time, but he eventually disobeys the Lord and is rejected by Him.
1 Samuel 16–31. The Lord directs Samuel to anoint a young man named David to be king. David defeats Goliath and is greatly honored by the people
After the reenactment of David and Goliath I finished with the below quote.
Hannah, Samuel, David-All had to have faith. “Faith is not by Chance, but by choice” Neil L Anderson
1St
SAMUEL CHAPTER 17
NARRATOR:
1 Now
the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle…
2 And
Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together…and set the battle in array
against the Philistines.
3 And
the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a
mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
4 And
there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath,
of aGath, whose
height was six bcubits and
a span.
5 And he had an helmet of
brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail…
6 And he had agreaves of
brass upon his legs, and ba target
of brass between his shoulders.
8 And
he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them,
GOLIATH:
Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine,
and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
9 If
he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but
if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and
serve us.
…I defy the armies of
Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
NARRATOR:
11 When
Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed,
and greatly afraid.
12 Now aDavid was the son of … Jesse;
and he had eight sons…
13 And
the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle…
15 But
David being the youngest went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep
at Beth-lehem.
16 And
the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.
17 And
Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this
parched corn, and
these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren;
20 And
David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took,
and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host
was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle.
21 For
Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army.
22 And
David left his acarriage in
the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and
saluted his brethren.
23 And
as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of
Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake
according to the same words: and David heard them.
24 And
all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore
afraid.
NARRATOR:
…And Saul sent for David after hearing the words which he had
spoken to the men…
32 And
David said to Saul,
DAVID:
Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant awill go
and bfight with
this Philistine.
NARRATOR:
33 And
Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight
with him: for thou art but a ayouth, and he
a man of war from his youth.
34 And
David said unto Saul,
DAVID:
Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear,
and took a lamb out of the flock:
35 And
I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth:
and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew
him.
36 Thy
servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this Philistine shall be as one of
them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
37 …Moreover,
The Lord that adelivered me
out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will bdeliver me
out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.
NARRATOR:
38 And
Saul armed David with his armour, and he put a helmet of brass upon his
head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.
39 And
David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not
proved it. And
David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put
them off him.
40 And
he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the
brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his
sling was in
his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
41 And
the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the
shield went before
him.
42 And
when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he
was but a youth,
and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.
43 And
the Philistine said unto David,
GOLIATH:
Am I
a adog, that thou
comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44 …
Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the
beasts of the field.
DAVID:
45 …
Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come
to thee in the aname of
the Lord of
hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
46 This
day will the Lord adeliver thee
into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I
will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls
of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may bknow that
there is a God in Israel.
47 And
all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the abattle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into
our hands.
NARRATOR:
48 And
it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet
David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
49 And
David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the
Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell
upon his face to the earth.
50 So
David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote
the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
51 Therefore
David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out
of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when
the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.
And Scene -ALL TAKE A BOW-Thank you for participating!
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