Bible study · 1 Samuel 13:1-23
1 Samuel 13: A man after his own heart
Read 1 Samuel 13:1-23 before you meet.
In a few lines
Jonathan struck the garrison at Geba, but Israel heard that Saul had struck it (13:3-4). And "a man after his own heart" is first said to Saul, in the words that tell him his kingdom will not continue, because he had not kept what the LORD commanded (13:13-14). Only later is the man named David (16:13; Acts 13:22).
The verse to carry
“But now your kingdom will not continue. The LORD has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and the LORD has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept that which the LORD commanded you.”
1 Samuel 13:14
To talk about
1. Saul waited seven days, then acted on what he saw: the people scattering, Samuel not come, the Philistines gathering (13:8-12). When have you found waiting on God hardest, and what did you do?
2. Saul had a reason for what he did (13:11-12), and Samuel said, "You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God" (13:13). Where are you tempted to explain your way around what God has said?
3. The LORD "has sought for himself a man after his own heart" (13:14), and later tells Samuel, "the LORD looks at the heart" (16:7). What do you think he looks for in a heart, and what would you want him to find in yours?