Saul's Anointing (Discussion Questions)

Read 1 Samuel 9-15

• Why did the Israelites want a king? (because all their neighbors had one)
• Is it a good idea to always get what our neighbors have?
• Is there a commandment about that? (Ex. 20:17)
• Was Saul tall or short? (I Samuel 9:2)
• Why was Saul a good choice for a king? (I Samuel 9-11)
• How did Samuel and Saul discover each other? (Saul was looking for his father's missing donkeys, and before he even had a chance to open his mouth, Samuel told him that they had been found. Saul was so impressed that he followed Samuel's leadings without question.
• Why was there a private anointing? (Samuel's first anointing of Saul was done privately; Saul would need to grow into his position in order to garner the support of his fellow countrymen.)
• What were the advantages of having a king?
• What were the disadvantages of having a king?
• Were the people just exchanging one form of bondage (Egypt) for another (King)?
• What is the difference between a king and a prophet?
• Whom did Saul have to listen to?
• What was Saul's first mistake? I Samuel 13
• Why was Saul disobedient?
• What happens when we want things done on our time table instead of God's?
• Saul was disobedient again and this time it cost him being king. What did he do wrong? (I Samuel 15:1-22)