The Daily RootedHome StoriesGradesChurchesWhat's NewAbout
Bible:
Answer key (separate)‹ Back to chapter 15

Every grade prints starting on a new page. No answers are included.

1 Samuel 15 · Preschool

Bleating Sheep

Name Date

Color the sheep and cattle! Their noise showed that Saul had not obeyed.

Can you find these in the picture? Circle each one!

Bible Verse

Samuel said, “Then what does this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the cattle which I hear mean?”

1 Samuel 15:14 (WEB)

Prayer

Thank You, God, for making me!

Take It Home

Read the verse aloud. Say: Saul said he obeyed, but the sheep said baa! God wants us to obey all the way, not just part way.

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.

1 Samuel 15 · Kindergarten

Obey God

Name Date

Trace the Words

Trace each word with your pencil.

OBEY
SHEEP
LISTEN
GOD
Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said to him, “You are blessed by Yahweh! I have performed the commandment of Yahweh.”

1 Samuel 15:13 (WEB)

Match the Pictures

Draw a line from each word to its picture.

SHEEP
CATTLE
ROBE
KING

Mini Maze

Help find the way through the maze.

Draw It

Draw a way you can obey God this week.

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for teaching me to obey. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • What does it mean to obey?
  • How does God feel when we obey?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.

1 Samuel 15 · Grade 1

Obey All the Way

Name Date

Trace the Words

Trace the words and the verse.

OBEYED
SHEEP
CATTLE
ROBE
Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said to him, “You are blessed by Yahweh! I have performed the commandment of Yahweh.”

1 Samuel 15:13 (WEB)

Match the Pictures

Draw a line from each sentence to its picture.

Saul kept King Agag.
Saul kept the best sheep.
Samuel heard the cattle.
Samuel said to obey is best.
Saul tore Samuel's robe.

To Obey Is Better

Write the number 1 to 4 in each circle to show the right order.

Saul spares the best sheep

To obey is better than sacrifice

Samuel gives Yahweh's command

Saul tears Samuel's robe

Draw a way you can obey God this week.

Memory Verse

Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said to him, “You are blessed by Yahweh! I have performed the commandment of Yahweh.”

1 Samuel 15:13 (WEB)

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for teaching me to obey. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • What did Saul keep that he should not have?
  • What did the sheep noise show?
  • What would you like to say to God about this chapter?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.

1 Samuel 15 · Grade 2

Saul Keeps the Best

Name Date

Read the Story

God gave Saul a job. He was to destroy all that belonged to the enemy, the Amalekites. Saul won the battle. But he kept their king alive. He kept the best sheep and cattle too.

Samuel came to Saul. Saul said, I have performed the commandment of Yahweh. But Samuel heard sheep and cattle! Saul had not obeyed all the way.

Samuel said to obey is better than sacrifice. Saul had said no to God's word. So God said no to Saul being king. Samuel turned to go. Saul held his robe, and it tore.

Memory Verse

Samuel said, “Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying Yahweh’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 15:22 (WEB)

Show What You Know

Circle the right answer, or write it on the lines.

  1. Who was the enemy?

    To obeyThe AmalekitesSheep and cattle

  2. What did Saul keep?

  3. What did Samuel hear?

    Sheep and cattleTo obeyThe Amalekites

  4. What is better than sacrifice?

    To obeyThe AmalekitesSheep and cattle

  5. What tore?

    To obeySamuel's robeThe Amalekites

Word Search

Find and circle each word. Words go across and down.

SACRIFICEGHAMALEKWIBYOUHHNBWUBBVFHLIREJECTEDFEHDYTGFHDROBEETTKFHBLSHEEPNUSAULFVRJ
  • SACRIFICE
  • REJECTED
  • AMALEK
  • BETTER
  • SHEEP
  • OBEY
  • SAUL
  • ROBE

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for teaching me to obey. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Why is half obeying not really obeying?
  • Why did Saul blame the people?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.

1 Samuel 15 · Grade 3

Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice

Name Date

Read the Story

The Lord told Saul through Samuel to strike Amalek and utterly destroy all they had. Saul struck the Amalekites. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, cattle, and lambs. They destroyed only what was worthless.

The Lord told Samuel it grieved Him that He had made Saul king, for Saul had turned back from following Him. Samuel cried to the Lord all night. When Samuel came, Saul said he had obeyed. Samuel asked about the bleating of the sheep. Saul blamed the people and said they kept the best to sacrifice.

Samuel said, Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. Because Saul rejected the Lord's word, the Lord rejected him as king. Saul admitted he had feared the people. As Samuel turned, Saul tore his robe, and Samuel said the Lord had torn the kingdom from him. Samuel mourned for Saul.

Memory Verse

Samuel said, “Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying Yahweh’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 15:22 (WEB)

Answer the Questions

  1. What did Saul and the people spare?

  2. What did Samuel do all night?

  3. Who did Saul blame?

  4. What did Samuel say is better than sacrifice?

  5. Why did Saul say he disobeyed?

To Obey Is Better

Write what happened in each box.

1
2
3
4

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for teaching me to obey. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Why did Saul set up a monument for himself?
  • Why is blaming others for our choices wrong?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.

1 Samuel 15 · Grade 4

Partial Obedience

Name Date

Read and Think

God sent Saul to carry out judgment on Amalek for opposing Israel on the way from Egypt. Saul won, but he and the people spared King Agag and the best animals. They destroyed only what was worthless. Saul even set up a monument for himself at Carmel.

When Samuel arrived, Saul greeted him by claiming he had performed the Lord's command. Then came the sound of bleating sheep and lowing cattle. Saul shifted the blame to the people and said the animals were for sacrifice to the Lord.

Samuel's answer was clear: to obey is better than sacrifice. Rebellion and stubbornness are as serious as idolatry. Saul confessed that he feared the people, but he seemed more concerned about honor before the elders than about God. Samuel declared that the kingdom had been torn from him and given to a neighbor who was better than he. The Lord grieved that He had made Saul king.

Show What You Know

  1. Why did God judge Amalek?

  2. What did Saul set up at Carmel?

  3. How did Saul excuse keeping the animals?

  4. What did Saul seem more concerned about than God?

Word Bank Fill-In

Use the word bank to fill in each blank.

sacrificebetterSaulsheepGod
  1. God sent to carry out judgment on Amalek for opposing Israel on the way from Egypt.
  2. Then came the sound of bleating and lowing cattle.
  3. Saul shifted the blame to the people and said the animals were for to the Lord.
  4. Saul confessed that he feared the people, but he seemed more concerned about honor before the elders than about .
  5. Samuel declared that the kingdom had been torn from him and given to a neighbor who was than he.

Think About It

  1. Why is partial obedience really disobedience?

  2. Saul feared people more than God. When do you feel pressure to please people instead of God?

Memory Verse

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because you have rejected Yahweh’s word, he has also rejected you from being king.”

1 Samuel 15:23 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for teaching me to obey. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Why do we sometimes care more about looking good than being good?
  • When do you feel pressure to please people?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.

1 Samuel 15 · Grade 5

Better Than Sacrifice

Name Date

Read and Think

Saul's commission was clear: carry out the Lord's judgment on Amalek, the nation that had attacked Israel on the way from Egypt. Saul won a sweeping victory, but he and the people spared Agag and the best of the flocks and herds. What was vile they destroyed; what was valuable they kept. Saul then set up a monument for himself at Carmel.

Yahweh told Samuel, It grieves me that I have set up Saul to be king, and Samuel cried out all night. At Gilgal, Saul greeted him with a claim of full obedience. Samuel's question about the bleating of the sheep exposed the truth. Saul blamed the people, and claimed the spoil was meant for sacrifice, revealing a religion that used worship to cover disobedience.

Samuel's reply stands at the heart of the book: Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness as idolatry. Saul's confession, I have sinned, was followed by a plea to be honored before the elders, showing his chief concern was his image. The torn robe became a sign of the torn kingdom. Samuel put Agag to death, then mourned for Saul, and Yahweh grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Show What You Know

  1. What did Saul destroy and what did he keep?

  2. What did Samuel's question expose?

  3. What did Saul's plea to be honored show?

  4. What did the torn robe become a sign of?

Crossword

51234

Across

  1. The people Saul was told to strike (15:3)
  2. What then is this bleating of the ____ (15:14)?
  3. To ____ is better than sacrifice (15:22).

Down

  1. Yahweh had ____ Saul from being king (15:26).
  2. The skirt of Samuel's ____ tore (15:27).

Think About It

  1. How can worship be used to cover disobedience? How do we avoid that?

  2. Both Samuel and the Lord grieved over Saul. What does that show about God's heart?

Memory Verse

Samuel said, “Has Yahweh as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying Yahweh’s voice? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 15:22 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for teaching me to obey. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • When are you tempted to obey only part of the way?
  • Why does God value obedience more than outward religion?
  • What is one way you could live out this chapter this week?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.