Game / Bible / Life Connection:  In the Game Players that Listened were able to Obey / In the Bible king Saul Disobeyed God and was Disciplined / In Life Even Leaders that Disobey God are Disciplined

This is Step 1

1. [Coach: Tell the children that they will have a mission to accomplish. But they will have to listen very closely to the instructions].
   2. Show Players an object in the distance that the players have to run to around and back and then the next team member runs.
   3. Divide the Players into two or more teams depending on the number of Players making sure teams are divided evenly. If there is an uneven number have one Player run twice for their team.
   4. When their turn is finished have them go to the end of the line and keep moving forward to the next round. Explain there will be three rounds.
   5. [Important: Only give the instructions once]. Tell the children that the first round, they will skip on one leg, the second round they will run backwards, the third round, they  will walk quickly yet they must walk.
   6. The winning team is the team that completes all three round correctly and then all team members site down. 

 Game / Bible / Life Connection:    In the Game Players that Listened were able to Obey / In the Bible king Saul Disobeyed God and was Disciplined / In Life Even Leaders that Disobey God are Disciplined

Cricket: The cricket team had chosen their captain. He was tall, fit, and an ace batsman. His name was Dilip. The whole country loved Dilip.  When he came onto the field, his fans shouted, “Deelip! Deelip! Deelip!”  They were overjoyed when he hit a six.  He was perfect!

We want a King: The people of Israel demanded a King. They wanted to be like other nations. A handsome young man named Saul was anointed by Samuel as Israel’s first King. He was perfect! 

But Saul and Dilip had something else in common.  Although both came from a good families, were was raised well and prayed, they lost God along the way. Their stories ended badly. Why?

As Dilip became more popular, he changed. He moved away from his discipline.  He started to take bribes.  He cheated.  He had lost his way.  He was disgraced and had to resign as captain.  When questioned, Dilip started making excuses.  First he said he didn’t do it.  Then he said his teammates did it.  Then he said the team manager made him do it!  A sad story, indeed!

Saul: Saul was completely unaware that he was to be the ruler of Israel. He spent his days watching his father’s donkeys. One day, when the donkeys wandered off, Saul went looking for them. Knowing that Samuel was a man of God, Saul and his companion went to ask him if he could use his divine gift to locate the donkeys. Saul did not realize what lay ahead until Samuel anointed his head with oil. Pouring oil on the head was part of the ceremony of giving a position to anyone.  Samuel told Saul that God had chosen him to be the leader of Israel. Joyously the people shouted, “Long live the King!”

Saul did not follow God’s instructions: Once, Saul tried to act like a priest and offered a sacrifice to the Lord. He was wrong to act like a priest! Then, as King, Saul had to defeat the Amalekites. They were warlike people. They had no fear of the Lord. Years ago, Moses pronounced that God had promised to destroy the Amalekites. (Deu; 25:19).
God wanted to keep that promise through Saul and his army. The Lord instructed Saul to destroy everything, even the animals. Saul did not obey. He kept a conquered King alive and took him back as a trophy. Saul became proud. He erected a monument to himself at Carmel. When Samuel asked him to repent, Saul made excuses and lied.
He blamed his soldiers for the wrongdoings. First he said he didn’t do it. Then he said his soldiers did it. Then he said the soldiers made him do it! A sad story, indeed! (See the similarities between Dilip’s story and Saul’s story?)  Although he finally confessed, (1Samuel 15:24) the Lord had lost trust in him.  Without God Saul was nothing.

  Game / Bible / Life Connection:    In the Game Players that Listened were able to Obey / In the Bible king Saul Disobeyed God and was Disciplined / In Life Even Leaders that Disobey God are Disciplined

Memory Verse:  “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”  I Samuel 15: 22b