Israel Wants a King

We introduced Samuel, whom we had already seen as an obedient young boy.  But now he is old (sprinkled baby powder on his head).  We introduced his two sons, who were not good guys like Samuel, surely not fit to judge Israel (they are pushed back into their seats).  Instead of asking God what to do about this problem, the people came up with their own solution.  They wanted to have a king, like all the other nations around them (you know, the ones of whom God said “you shall not go after their ways…”).  Everyone chants, “We want a king!  We want a king!”

Samuel thought this was a horrible idea!  He asked the people, when you tried to get the ark to win your battles for you, did that work? (no)  So why do you think a king will win your battles for you?  Who is the only one who truly gives victory? (God)  Not only that, says Samuel.  God loves you.  You think a king is going to love you?  Ha!  I’ll tell you what a king will be like!  (Introduce “king” wearing crown.)  He will take your sons to be his chariot drivers (king sits in desk chair with wheels, two boys pull the chair along by ropes).  He will make them plow his fields (one child pushes a push broom).  He will make them build a palace for himself (a couple of kids stack a bunch of stools).  He will make them be soldiers in his army (two kids fight with swords, both “die”).  He will take your daughters and make them cooks in his palace (one girl busies herself stirring in three woks).  He will make you provide food for him out of your own harvest (someone brings the king a snack from the kitchen).  You will have to tithe your herds and flocks to him (hand out two sheets of paper to two kids, one with ten cows, one with ten sheep; they have to cut one of the animals out and give it to the king).  And after all this, there is still no guarantee that having a king will give you victory over your enemies!  But the people chant again, “We want a king!  We want a king!”  Samuel is very discouraged.  He kneels to pray.  An angel in a halo comforts him and says, it is not your fault.  Let them have their king.  So he gets up and tells the people they can have a king.  Everyone cheers.  Samuel tells them to come back next week and find out who God will give them as their king!

Our game followed the theme of a king taking your sons & daughters and hauling them off.  A “king” in a crown chased the others with a big inflatable swimring.  But whoever got caught with it in this version did not have to go be a slave in the palace; he/she got to be “king” and chase the others.  We played until everyone had been caught at least once.

 If you want a king like other nations, sooner or later you’re going to want a national flag, right?  (Say yes!)  So for craft time the kids pasted the various elements of the flags of Macau, China and Israel on appropriate-colored rectangles, following the examples each got to look at.