Study Questions

God Sees Misplaced Faith

May 31, 2026

1 Samuel 4

Study Questions

1.    Do you think it’s true, as Sunday’s message suggested, that one of the problems with the church today is that it does not take God seriously enough? Why/Why not?

2.    Read 1 Samuel 4:1-11. What was the root problem of the decision making with the Israelites according to verse 1. How did it go from ‘bad’ to ‘worse’ according to verses 2-4? And, looking at verses 5-11, what was the ultimate outcome?

3.    Give examples of how today, we as Christians, trust in symbols, tradition or superstition rather than to trust in the Lord fully? Can you relate to the Israelites’ misplaced faith? Have you ever struggled with that? Why? Look up the following passages and discuss how people in the New Testament struggled with the same issue: Acts 19:12-16; Matthew 15:1-9; Revelation 2:4-5.

4.    Read 1 Samuel 4:12-18. According to this passage, how did the Lord fulfill His word through the prophecy given to Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:11-14? What does the Lord teach us about Himself in this account?

5.    According to 1 Samuel 4:19-22, what does the name Ichabod mean and in what way does it summarize about the faith of Israel at this time?

6.    The chapter ends at such a low point for Israel. Does this bother you? Why would God allow this to happen? What was the lesson God was teaching Israel? 

7.    What personal lesson(s) can you learn and apply from this passage?