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1 Samuel 23 · Preschool

A Friend Who Helps

Name Date

Color Jonathan visiting his friend David in the woods!

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

Bible Verse

“Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David into the woods, and strengthened his hand in God.”

1 Samuel 23:16 (WEB)

Prayer

Thank You, God, for making me!

Take It Home

Read the verse aloud. Say: David was sad and scared. His friend Jonathan came and helped him trust God. We can help our friends trust God too.

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 23 · Kindergarten

A Good Friend

Name Date

Trace the Words

Trace each word with your pencil.

FRIEND
WOODS
GOD
HAND
Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David into the woods, and strengthened his hand in God.

1 Samuel 23:16 (WEB)

Match the Pictures

Draw a line from each word to its picture.

DAVID
JONATHAN
FRIEND
HAND

Mini Maze

Help find the way through the maze.

Draw It

Draw a way you can help a friend trust God.

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for friends who point me to you. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Who is a good friend to you?
  • How can you help a friend who is sad?

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 23 · Grade 1

Jonathan Helps David

Name Date

Trace the Words

Trace the words and the verse.

WOODS
FRIEND
ASKED
SAVED
Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David into the woods, and strengthened his hand in God.

1 Samuel 23:16 (WEB)

Match the Pictures

Draw a line from each sentence to its picture.

David asked God what to do.
David saved a city.
David hid in the hills.
Jonathan came to the woods.
Jonathan helped David trust God.

Jonathan Strengthens David

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

David saves Keilah

David asks Yahweh about Keilah

Saul turns back from David

Jonathan strengthens David in God

Draw a way you can help a friend trust God.

Memory Verse

“Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David into the woods, and strengthened his hand in God.”

1 Samuel 23:16 (WEB)

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for friends who point me to you. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • What did God tell David about Keilah?
  • Why is it good to pray more than once?
  • 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 23 · Grade 2

A Friend in the Woods

Name Date

Read the Story

The Philistines fought against a city named Keilah. David asked God if he should go and help. God said yes. David and his men saved the city.

Saul looked for David every day. But God did not let Saul find him. David hid in the wilderness and the hills.

One day Jonathan came to David in the woods. He helped David trust God. He told David not to be afraid. Jonathan said that David would be king.

Memory Verse

“Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David into the woods, and strengthened his hand in God.”

1 Samuel 23:16 (WEB)

Show What You Know

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

  1. Which city did the Philistines fight?

    KeilahGodKing

  2. Who did David ask before he went?

    GodJonathanKeilah

  3. How often did Saul look for David?

    GodKingEvery day

  4. Who came to David in the woods?

    JonathanGodKing

  5. What did Jonathan say David would be?

    GodKingEvery day

Word Search

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

FJEKEILAHOOOUZTVOHHEUNRILAASWFHAEPFNAUOIETOHDUIKOCPHJJLTIRDHHADRBNMFSLONKRGORWOTD
  • JONATHAN
  • KEILAH
  • WOODS
  • EPHOD
  • ZIPH
  • HAND
  • KING
  • SAUL

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for friends who point me to you. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • How can you ask God where to go?
  • How can you help a friend who is scared?

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 23 · Grade 3

God Guides and Guards David

Name Date

Read the Story

The Philistines were robbing the threshing floors of Keilah. David inquired of the Lord, who told him to go and save Keilah. David's men were afraid, so David asked again. The Lord promised to deliver the Philistines into his hand, and David saved the city.

Saul heard and planned to trap David inside Keilah. David asked the Lord if the men of Keilah would hand him over. The Lord said they would. David and about six hundred men left. Saul sought him every day, but God didn't deliver him into his hand.

Jonathan went to David in the woods of Ziph and strengthened his hand in God. He said Saul would not find him, and David would be king. Later Saul's men surrounded David's men by a mountain. Just then a messenger said the Philistines had attacked the land, and Saul went back.

Memory Verse

“David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God didn’t deliver him into his hand.”

1 Samuel 23:14 (WEB)

Answer the Questions

  1. Why did David ask God a second time?

  2. What did God say the men of Keilah would do?

  3. How many men were with David?

  4. What did Jonathan do for David?

  5. Why did Saul go back?

Jonathan Strengthens David

Write what happened in each box.

1
2
3
4

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for friends who point me to you. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • How did God keep Saul from finding David?
  • How can you tell if someone is a true friend?

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 23 · Grade 4

Asking God at Every Step

Name Date

Read and Think

Chapter 23 shows David repeatedly inquiring of the Lord. When the Philistines raided Keilah, David asked whether to go. His men were afraid. So he asked again. God answered both times, and David saved the city. Abiathar had brought the ephod, and David used it to seek God's direction.

When Saul planned to trap David in Keilah, David asked whether the townspeople he had just rescued would betray him. God said they would. David's men left and kept moving. Saul sought him every day, but God didn't deliver him into his hand.

In the wilderness of Ziph, Jonathan visited David and strengthened his hand in God. Then the Ziphites betrayed David's location. Saul's forces closed in until only a mountain separated them. At that very moment, a messenger reported a Philistine raid. Saul turned back. They called that place Sela Hammahlekoth.

Show What You Know

  1. What does David do repeatedly in this chapter?

  2. What did God say the people of Keilah would do?

  3. Who betrayed David's location?

  4. What did they call that place?

Word Bank Fill-In

Use the word bank to fill in each blank.

SaulKeilahGodZiph
  1. When the Philistines raided , David asked whether to go.
  2. answered both times, and David saved the city.
  3. When planned to trap David in Keilah, David asked whether the townspeople he had just rescued would betray him.
  4. In the wilderness of , Jonathan visited David and strengthened his hand in God.

Think About It

  1. David asked God before making decisions. How can you seek God's guidance?

  2. How can you strengthen a friend's hand in God?

Memory Verse

“Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David into the woods, and strengthened his hand in God.”

1 Samuel 23:16 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for friends who point me to you. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • How did the messenger help David?
  • Why is it wise to ask God before deciding?

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 23 · Grade 5

Strength in God

Name Date

Read and Think

David's actions in chapter 23 contrast sharply with Saul's. David, though hunted, used his men to rescue an Israelite town from Philistine raiders, while the king was busy hunting his own servant. David inquired of Yahweh again and again, through the ephod Abiathar had brought. Saul, on the other hand, interpreted events to suit himself, claiming that God had delivered David into his hand.

Human loyalty proved fragile. The men of Keilah would have surrendered their rescuer, and the Ziphites volunteered to deliver David to Saul. Saul even blessed the Ziphites in Yahweh's name for their compassion on him. Yet the narrator gives the decisive truth: Saul sought him every day, but God didn't deliver him into his hand.

In the midst of this, Jonathan arose and went to David into the woods, and strengthened his hand in God. He did not merely cheer David up; he pointed him to God's promise. You will be king over Israel, he said, and I will be next to you. When Saul's trap was nearly closed at the mountain, a messenger diverted him. That place, Sela Hammahlekoth, stood as a reminder that God protects His anointed.

Show What You Know

  1. How did Saul interpret events?

  2. What did Saul do for the Ziphites?

  3. How did Jonathan strengthen David?

  4. What did Sela Hammahlekoth stand as a reminder of?

Crossword

31254

Across

  1. Abiathar came with an ____ in his hand (23:6).
  2. The wilderness where David stayed (23:14)

Down

  1. The city David saved from the Philistines (23:5)
  2. Jonathan went to David into the ____ (23:16).
  3. Jonathan said, you will be ____ over Israel (23:17).

Think About It

  1. How is pointing a friend to God's promises different from just cheering them up?

  2. Where have you seen God protect you just in time?

Memory Verse

“Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David into the woods, and strengthened his hand in God.”

1 Samuel 23:16 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for friends who point me to you. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • How can you ask God for guidance before each choice?
  • How did God guard David when people betrayed him?
  • 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.