Advanced Level, Block 6—Struggling with a Kingdom
Week 51
Samuel—Cooperated with His Parents and with God
Point to Emphasize: We must follow Samuel’s pattern to cooperate with our parent’s decision.
Reference Reading: 1 Samuel 1:7-28, with all footnotes; 2:12-26, 31-35, footnotes 351, 352
Memory Verse: “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise, “That it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:2-3)
Story Sample
There was a woman named Hannah who did not have a son. However, she began to pray for a son to meet God’s need. She prayed to God that if He gave her a son, she would return the child to Him by the vow of a Nazarite. This means she would give her son to Jehovah and this boy would not live with her but he would grow up in the temple. So, God gave Hannah a child, and she named him Samuel.
As a young boy, Samuel went to live in the temple. This means that Samuel dressed differently than other boys. He ate differently than other boys. And he surely didn’t have the free time that other boys had. Samuel grew up differently than any other child.
I’m sure you all think that your lives are different than other children’s. Maybe you are limited in which books your parents allow you to read. Maybe you are limited in the places you are allowed to go. Maybe you are limited in the parties you are allowed to participate. Maybe you are limited in the clothes you are allowed to wear. Samuel was limited like this. He couldn’t choose what he was going to eat, what clothes he was going to wear, or which activities he would participate in. All of these limitations were because of his parents’ decision.
But, Samuel also had a decision to make. Would he go along and cooperate with his parents’ decision? Or would he rebel and argue with them in wanting a different life? What do you thing he chose? Samuel could have said, ”don’t like that my parents chose this path for me.” But, Samuel did not say any of this. He went along with his parents’ decision. Maybe it was because he loved his parents, and he loved God and he considered that maybe this was the best decision for him. Samuel chose to go along with the life his parents had chosen for him. Samuel was willing to agree that his parents had chosen a good path for him.
If you all stop and consider, you will realize that you have a lot in common with Samuel’s birth and youth. God arranged many things in your parents’ lives for you to be born. God heard their prayers and you were born. Your birth was very significant and special; not only to your family but also to God. Same as Samuel, you were born to live in a different way for God’s need. Will you choose to go along with the life your parents have chosen for you? I can tell you that every decision your parents have made for you is for your good.
When I was in fifth grade, dance class was introduced in my school. Prior to that time, we all took music class, but now we were required to take dance class as well. These two classes were mandatory. To tell you the truth, I was super excited because I wanted to learn how to dance. In our home, dance was not forbidden, but it was not encouraged either. Professional dancing was not the kind of life my parents wanted for me. So, my parents talked with me. They also sat with my teacher and told him I was allowed to do what I needed to do in order to pass the class but I was not to go out to “perform for an audience” outside of the classroom. At first, I was embarrassed that my parents talked to my teacher and by the position they took in this matter. Then, throughout the school year I saw that many things that were required of someone to become a professional dancer did not go along with the things I was taught at home. It was at the point that I understood why my parents did not want me to get involved in this dancing. It took me the whole school year and many different situations to see that it was better to go along with the life my parents had chosen for me and to cooperate with my parents’ decision concerning this dance class. [Storyteller, please insert your example of going along with your parent’s decision.]
At your age, there are many things that your parents ask of you that you simply don’t understand why. All the limitations did not make sense or seemed unnecessary to you. To live the life your parents have chosen for you means to simply agree with them and go along with their decision. This is what Samuel did. You might not understand why they are asking you to do this or not to do that. You don’t have to reason with them or try to explain to them why you think their idea is old-fashioned or nonsense. You can simply agree, obey and honor them. God will bless your life if you happily cooperate with your parents.