1 Samuel 16: Group Study Handout

How to use: read 1 Samuel 16 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.

Overview

Yahweh instructs Samuel to stop mourning for Saul, saying he has rejected Saul as king and chosen a new king from Jesse's sons (vv. 1-3). Samuel travels to Bethlehem, where the elders meet him with fear, but Samuel reassures them that he has come peaceably to sacrifice (vv.

Key verse

“But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 (WEB)

Outline

1 Samuel 16:1–3 God's Command to Samuel
1 Samuel 16:4–5 Samuel's Arrival in Bethlehem
1 Samuel 16:6–11 The Selection of David
1 Samuel 16:12–13 David's Anointing
1 Samuel 16:14–16 Saul's Troubling Spirit
1 Samuel 16:17–22 David Becomes Saul's Armor Bearer
1 Samuel 16:23 David's Music Relieves Saul

Discussion questions

In v4, what do the elders of Bethlehem ask Samuel when he arrives?
What does Samuel do to Jesse's sons in v5 before the sacrifice?
Yahweh's statement in v7 about seeing 'the heart': how does this contrast with Samuel's initial choice?
In v14, what does it mean that 'an evil spirit from Yahweh' troubled Saul?
When has someone looked at you for your appearance instead of your true character?

Go deeper

Passages that echo 1 Samuel 16: Jeremiah 17, John 7, 1 Chronicles 28.

Before next time: read 1 Samuel 17.