1 Samuel 15: Group Study Handout

How to use: read 1 Samuel 15 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

God commands Saul to completely destroy Amalek and all that belongs to them (vv. 1-3). Saul gathers an army of two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah for the campaign against Amalek (vv.

Key verse

“Samuel said, “Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying Yahweh’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”
1 Samuel 15:22 (WEB)

Outline

1 Samuel 15:1–3 God's Command to Saul
1 Samuel 15:4–9 Saul's Campaign Against Amalek
1 Samuel 15:10–15 The Lord's Grief and Samuel's Confrontation
1 Samuel 15:16–21 Saul's Defense and Justification
1 Samuel 15:22–23 Obedience Over Sacrifice
1 Samuel 15:24–30 Saul's Confession and Request
1 Samuel 15:31–35 The Consequence of Rejection

Discussion questions

In v6, why does Saul warn the Kenites to depart from among the Amalekites?
What does Saul claim to have done in v13 when he speaks to Samuel?
In vv. 9-10, why do Saul and the people spare 'the best of the sheep'?
In v22, what does Samuel mean when he says, 'to obey is better than sacrifice'?
When have you justified disobedience in your own life, like Saul did in v21?

Go deeper

Passages that echo 1 Samuel 15: Hosea 6, Psalm 51, Proverbs 21.

Before next time: read 1 Samuel 16.