Study Questions

Careful What You Ask For

October 25, 2026

1 Samuel 8

Study Questions

1.    Read 1 Samuel 8:1-5. What do the elders of Israel want and why do they want it?

2.    Read 1 Samuel 8:6-9. What was the Lord’s response to their demand for a king? 

3.    Now read verses 10-18, what’s the one repeated word that characterizes how this new king will treat the people?

4.    How does Israel's desire to be "like all the nations" reflect the ongoing tension between wanting what the world has and maintaining a distinct faith and trust in God alone in our modern culture?

5.    We wouldn’t make similar choices to the Israelites unless there seemed to be a benefit. What are some areas of your life you find security in the world’s ways than God’s? Why?

6.    What does the Lord promise/offer to believers that the kings and leaders of this world can’t?

7.    How is Jesus unlike the kings of the nations (See: Mark 10:45; John 18:36; Revelation 19:13-16.)? What does it look like in your life today that Jesus is your King? What hope does that bring you?