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#1—Read it!
Carefully read the following passage:
(Note: Due to
the length of the passage not all the
verses are reproduced here. Read the
entire passage in your Bible.)
1 Samuel 16:1 - 13 (NASB)
v. 1 Now the LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons..."
v. 6 When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him."
v. 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart..."
v. 10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these."
v. 11 And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are these all the children?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep." Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here."
v. 12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he."
v. 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
*See note in #2 Investigate It!
#2—Investigate it!
Click on the highlighted words to find out their meaning. Record your findings on your WordStudy Sheet. Compare meanings. Find definitions of any other words you don't know in a dictionary or search for them here.
Note: Which two highlighted words mean the same thing? Does knowing that affect the meaning of the passage?
-» Online or in your own Bible, look back over the previous chapters to answer as many of the following questions as you can. (Hint: Check the first chapter or the verses just preceding the passage, headings, footnotes, and/or other notations.)
- Who wrote it?
- To whom was it written?
- When was it written?
- Where was it written?
- Why was it written?
- Other facts.
You can learn even more by looking in a Bible commentary. Or try looking up key words in a concordance to find other scriptures where the word is used.
#3—Write it!
On your WordStudy
Sheet, tell in your own words what you think each verse means. Use the information you gathered above to guide you as you think through each verse. Describe any new understanding of the story you get from learning the background information.
#4—Apply it!
Now that you have an idea what the verses are saying, how could they apply to you? On your WordStudy Sheet write what you think each verse could mean in your life. Is there something you should do? Or something you need to change? Get "up-close-and-personal" as you think about it!
#5—Pray!
Ask God to help you do the things you learned about in today's study. Be specific! When we pray specifically, God answers specifically!
#6—Share it!
Share your study with your parents or your teacher
and get their feedback on your conclusions.
Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
