Tips for Teaching This Week’s Session of The Gospel Project for Adults

Listen to this week’s leader training podcast with Y Bonesteele, team leader for The Gospel Project for Adults, for a summary and guidance in leading your group.

This week’s additional resources for study and preparation:

• Commentary: “1 Samuel 3—God Speaks to Samuel” by David Guzik
• Article: “Eli and Passive Parenting” by Cameron Buettel
• Sermon: “1 Samuel 3” by Albert Mohler

Transcript of Leader Training Podcast:

Hi, this is Y Bonesteele, team leader of The Gospel Project for Adults. Welcome to another Leader Training Podcast. Today we are in Unit 9, Session 2, God Calls His People, with the core passage of 1 Samuel 3:3-14, and 17-19. And with the key concept of God calls His people to obedience.

We moved from the book of Judges to Ruth which happened during the time of the judges, and now enter the book of 1^st Samuel. We know from 1 Samuel that God granted Hannah’s prayer for a child, Samuel, and that she gave him to the Lord’s service, under Eli, the last judge, who also was a high priest.

From chapter 2, we know that Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phineas, were “wicked men” (v. 12) and oppressive, selfish priests. Eli did try to rebuke them, but they didn’t listen, and he really didn’t do much to stop them. In contrast, Samuel “grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people” as seen in verse 26. And a man of God, an anonymous prophet, approached Eli and told him that because of the wickedness of his sons, Eli’s line would see death before their old age, and they would die violently. And the sign to confirm all this would be that his two sons would die on the same day.

When we get to chapter 3 then, our core passage, we see Samuel lying down in the temple, near the ark of the Lord when the Lord called him. Three times the Lord called him, three times he ran to Eli, and 2 times Eli denied it was him but the third time he realized that the Lord was calling Samuel.

Now in verse 7, we see that “Samuel did not yet know the Lord, because the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him,” meaning he didn’t yet have that intimate relationship with God, being a young boy, though he was in service to God. We don’t know exactly how old Samuel was, but we know he was young. Josephus, a Jewish historian, claims that Samuel was 12. He was probably around that age. For Samuel, he might have been growing in head knowledge as he learned from Eli and Scripture, but as a young boy, that intimate relationship with the Lord was still in the early stages. But God would reveal Himself to Samuel. He just needed to listen.

Sometimes in our own lives, it’s difficult to hear God and His calling? What can we do to remove the obstacles or distractions that prevent us from hearing and obeying God? Maybe spend more time in the Word as God speaks to us through Scripture. Also, spending time in silence as a spiritual discipline is sometimes needed to really focus on God and hear from Him. Distractions like work, or our phones, or even good things like relationships can deter us from hearing from God if we are not intentional about making time for God, to be still before Him, to be like Samuel and say, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

So when Eli realized the Lord was calling Samuel, he told Samuel to respond to the Lord in this way. And in verse 10, we see the Lord came and stood there, making it pretty clear to Samuel that it was Him, especially noting in chapter 3, verse 1 that “in those days, the word of the Lord was rare and prophetic visions were not widespread.” And the Lord told Samuel something bad was going to happen; it’s going to make everyone “shudder.” God was going to do what He told Eli He would do, judging his family because “his sons are cursing God, and he has not stopped them” in verse 13.

What can we learn from Eli and Samuel about listening to God? Eli listened to God, but he didn’t obey Him fully. He didn’t stop his sons from their wicked ways. And thus, he had to suffer the consequences of those actions. Samuel was young but had a teachable heart. He listened to Eli and to the Lord. His heart was ready to hear all that God had to say.

Now Samuel in verse 15 was afraid to tell Eli about what God said. But Eli called him and asked him what was said. And Samuel obeyed Eli and God and told Eli everything, even though he was afraid. Eli, however, accepted the judgment knowing the Lord was the Lord, knowing He would do what was good and right.

Samuel found it difficult to share what he heard to Eli. In a similar way, we might find it difficult to share the gospel with others. Maybe it’s because we don’t want to tell people that they are sinners, that we are all sinners; and sin leads to death. That may seem like a difficult message to give. But the good news is good for a reason. We can continue and tell folks that though we deserve death and guilt and shame, Jesus came to die for our sins that we can have victory over death, guilt, and shame. And yes, people may not always accept our message, like Eli did, but at least we obeyed and shared the message as God would want.

Why would God use Samuel to speak a message to Eli that He already spoke through another prophet? Probably to make sure Eli heard and accepted the message. And also to reveal that Samuel would be the Lord’s prophet, and he would continue to speak for God. Samuel listened and relayed the message of the Lord even when it was difficult. This means he would be a good servant and prophet for the Lord.

God continues to call His people today. He calls us out of sin and death, and He calls us to obey His Word. We should not be as concerned about God calling us to a certain direction, as we are in knowing He calls us toward righteous living, Christlikeness, living and sharing the gospel in word and deed, and spiritual growth. God is always more concerned about our character than He is about our doing. Faithful character will always lead to obedience and following God’s call, whereas obedience in action, in and of itself, doesn’t always lead to faithful character. So, God calls His people to obedience, but that obedience stems from faith in our good God.

Looking at the Group Experience then, interact with the icebreaker question and transition into the idea of calling. Then go through the Context recalling the end of Judges where “everyone did whatever seemed right to him.” Then remind the group of Ruth as a sign of hope, even in the midst of the evilness of the judges’ period. Then transition to Hannah, another woman of faith, who prayed and gave back to the Lord what she asked for, namely Samuel.

Then Recap, recalling what was studied this past week. Again, if your group is having a hard time studying ahead of time, go through the passage together, highlighting your key thoughts.

Then onto the Group Activity, direct your group to page 110 of their Personal Study Guide as you look at page 137 of the Leader Guide. Break up into 4 groups if time is limited and assign each group a box. Have each group summarize the verse or verses given and ask, what do these passages teach us regarding God’s call?

In 1 Samuel 3:10, the Lord called Samuel a third time, and though he didn’t understand it was the Lord, the first two times, this time, with Eli’s guidance, he was ready to hear from the Lord, implying he would obey as well. What we learn about God’s calling here is that sometimes it’s not always easy to know God’s calling. Sometimes we might need guidance from maturer Christians to help us hear from God’s Word. But when we do know it’s from God, we should be ready to obey. We should tell God that we are listening, knowing that we are servants of God, taking a stance of humility before Him.

In 3:11-14, the Lord told Samuel a pronouncement of judgment on Eli and his family because of his sons’ sin and Eli’s lack of initiative to stop them. What we learn about God’s call is that He is for His kingdom and His people, and His mission is to call a righteous, holy people for Himself. But sin is the barrier that prevents that from happening. But today, we know that with Jesus, we can have victory over sin and truly belong in God’s family. So that’s good news from God that we can share with others even with the understanding that without Christ, we are lost and judgment is inevitable. That can sometimes be difficult to hear. But it’s part of the gospel message that we can’t overlook. We are called to faithful obedience in sharing the good news of Jesus.

In 3:17, Eli asked Samuel for God’s message, knowing it possibly could include judgment. Listening to God is not always easy. We need to be attuned to His voice and the truth. What we learn about God’s call is that we need to want to learn what God is saying or calling us to do or be. We should yearn to know His word from Scripture and from the Holy Spirit. We should take His Word as truth and live out that truth.

In 3:19, we know Samuel grew into a faithful prophet. The Lord was with him and Samuel prophesied what was told to him by the Lord, being a good listener. Thus, everything he said was fulfilled. What we learn about God’s call is that if He calls you to something, and we are faithful, God will be with us and help us be successful in that calling. Without Him, we can do nothing, but with God, all things are possible.

Into the Debrief questions, what excuses might we give for not obeying God’s call for us? We may give the excuse that we weren’t sure about what God said. It was unclear. Our excuses might include thinking we’re not able, ill-equipped, or others are better suited to the task. We might think we don’t know enough, are too young or too old. Anything really could be an excuse if we want it to be.

How did God’s call strengthen Samuel’s faith? It showed Samuel that he can hear from God and that God is wanting to speak to him and through him.

How did it challenge his faith? He realized sometimes what God’s Word says is difficult, but it will always be true. Because God is holy, sin deserves judgement. But God’s good plan will always work out according to His will.

 How might God’s call to obedience do both, for us? For us, God’s call to obedience can both strengthen and challenge our faith, because in the doing of the hard, like for example, conquering fear to tell others about the gospel, or feeling led to give generously for a particular mission of God, or even going somewhere new because of God’s leading, those steps of faith and obedience strengthens our faith knowing God is with us and God will equip us with all we need. Stepping into hard situations helps build our faith and helps us see God and His mission more clearly.

Then move to Summarize the session and then to the Head, Heart, Hands section, focusing on the Hand question if time is limited: What steps will you take to help guide someone to know Christ by faith? Some answers might include, intentionally getting to know a neighbor or coworker, inviting them out to coffee to build that relationship first. Or beyond that, asking them directly what their thoughts on God or faith is? Asking questions and listening is a first step to being able to share your own thoughts about Jesus and salvation.

In the Next Steps, consider looking at the first bullet point: What obedience is God calling for in this season of your life? Your group will have varying answers.

Consider reading Psalm 29 if you have time as it describes the voice of the Lord, ending with a time in prayer.

Hey, thanks again for joining me on another Leader Training podcast. Send questions and comments to [email protected]. And hope you have a great group time!