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Answer key (separate)‹ Back to chapter 8

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1 Samuel 8 · Preschool

Samuel Prays

Name Date

Color Samuel praying! When he was upset, he talked to God.

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

Bible Verse

“But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” Samuel prayed to Yahweh.”

1 Samuel 8:6 (WEB)

Prayer

Thank You, God, for making me!

Take It Home

Read the verse aloud. Say: Samuel did not like what the people asked. So he prayed. When we are upset, we can tell God about it 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 8 · Kindergarten

God Is King

Name Date

Trace the Words

Trace each word with your pencil.

KING
PRAY
GOD
OLD
But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” Samuel prayed to Yahweh.

1 Samuel 8:6 (WEB)

Match the Pictures

Draw a line from each word to its picture.

PRAYED
KING
SAMUEL
ELDERS

Mini Maze

Help find the way through the maze.

Draw It

Draw God as the true King over His people.

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for being my King. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Who is the king of everything?
  • Who can you talk to when you are upset?

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 8 · Grade 1

We Want a King

Name Date

Trace the Words

Trace the words and the verse.

KING
NATIONS
PRAYED
SONS
They said to him, “Behold, you are old, and your sons don’t walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

1 Samuel 8:5 (WEB)

Match the Pictures

Draw a line from each sentence to its picture.

Samuel was old.
The elders came to Samuel.
They asked for a king.
Samuel prayed to God.
A king would take their fields.

Give Us a King

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

Samuel prays to Yahweh

The elders ask for a king

Yahweh says to make them a king

Samuel makes his sons judges

Draw God as the true King over His people.

Memory Verse

They said to him, “Behold, you are old, and your sons don’t walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

1 Samuel 8:5 (WEB)

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for being my King. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Why did the people want a king?
  • Why did Samuel pray?
  • 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 8 · Grade 2

A King Like the Nations

Name Date

Read the Story

Samuel was old. He made his sons judges. But his sons did not walk in his ways. They took money to do wrong.

The leaders came to Samuel. They asked for a king. They wanted to be like all the other nations. Samuel did not like it. He prayed to God.

God said the people did not want God to be their king. Samuel told them a king would take their sons and their fields. The people still wanted a king.

Memory Verse

They said to him, “Behold, you are old, and your sons don’t walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

1 Samuel 8:5 (WEB)

Show What You Know

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

  1. Who did Samuel make judges?

    A kingHis sonsNo

  2. Did his sons walk in his ways?

    His sonsA kingNo

  3. What did the leaders ask for?

    A kingNoHis sons

  4. What did Samuel do when he did not like it?

    A kingNoHe prayed to God

  5. What would a king take?

Word Search

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

LISTENAJYINATIONSMNMIPRAYEDGCDDUBSGKMLHVPAGTIREFUSEDUNLBELDERSGBKNJUDGEOPSAMUELNN
  • NATIONS
  • REFUSED
  • ELDERS
  • SAMUEL
  • PRAYED
  • LISTEN
  • JUDGE
  • KING

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for being my King. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • How can you follow the good ways your parents teach you?
  • Why was God sad about the people's choice?

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 8 · Grade 3

Rejecting God as King

Name Date

Read the Story

When Samuel grew old, he made his sons Joel and Abijah judges in Beersheba. But they turned aside for dishonest gain, took bribes, and twisted justice. So all the elders came to Samuel at Ramah.

They asked Samuel to make them a king to judge them like all the nations. This displeased Samuel, and he prayed to the Lord. The Lord told Samuel to listen to them, for they had not rejected Samuel. They had rejected God from being king over them.

Samuel warned them. A king would take their sons for his chariots and army, their daughters to cook and bake, and the best of their fields and vineyards. He would take a tenth of their flocks. They would cry out, but the Lord would not answer. The people refused to listen and said they would have a king.

Memory Verse

Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they tell you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me as the king over them.

1 Samuel 8:7 (WEB)

Answer the Questions

  1. What were the names of Samuel's sons?

  2. What did Samuel's sons do wrong?

  3. Who did the Lord say the people had rejected?

  4. Name two things a king would take.

  5. Did the people listen to the warning?

Give Us a King

Write what happened in each box.

1
2
3
4

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for being my King. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • How can you kindly warn a friend about a choice that could hurt them?
  • What things can you be tempted to want more than God?

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 8 · Grade 4

Like All the Nations

Name Date

Read and Think

Samuel had served faithfully, but his sons Joel and Abijah took bribes and perverted justice, just as Eli's sons had dishonored their father. The elders had a real problem. But their answer was to ask for a king to judge them like all the nations.

Samuel was displeased and brought the matter to the Lord. God's reply was painful: the people had not rejected Samuel, but God Himself as their king. Since the day He brought them out of Egypt, they had forsaken Him and served other gods.

God told Samuel to warn them. Samuel described the ways of a king, over and over using the word take: sons, daughters, fields, vineyards, servants, and flocks. They would become his servants. Still the people insisted they wanted to be like all the nations, with a king to fight their battles.

Show What You Know

  1. What real problem did the elders face?

  2. What word did Samuel repeat in his warning?

  3. Who had the people really rejected?

  4. Why did the people want a king?

Word Bank Fill-In

Use the word bank to fill in each blank.

kingnationsSamuelGodelders
  1. The had a real problem.
  2. But their answer was to ask for a to judge them like all the nations.
  3. was displeased and brought the matter to the Lord.
  4. told Samuel to warn them.
  5. Still the people insisted they wanted to be like all the , with a king to fight their battles.

Think About It

  1. Why is wanting to be like everyone else sometimes dangerous?

  2. Samuel took his hurt to the Lord. What can you bring to God in prayer?

Memory Verse

Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they tell you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me as the king over them.

1 Samuel 8:7 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for being my King. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Who can you talk to when you feel left out?
  • What would it look like to let God lead your life?

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 8 · Grade 5

The Ways of the King

Name Date

Read and Think

Israel's request for a king grew from a real failure. Samuel's sons, Joel and Abijah, turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. The elders were right to see a crisis. Yet their solution, a king to judge us like all the nations, revealed a deeper desire: to trade God's unique rule for a visible human ruler like everyone else.

Samuel took it personally, but he prayed. The Lord's answer shifted the focus from Samuel to God: the people had rejected God Himself as king over them. Their request fit a long pattern stretching back to the exodus. Even so, God told Samuel to listen to them, while solemnly warning them.

Samuel's speech describes the ways of the king through the repeated verb take: sons for chariots, daughters as cooks, the best fields, a tenth of grain and flocks, and finally the people themselves as servants. In that day they would cry out, and the Lord would not answer. The people refused, insisting a king would judge them and go out before them to fight their battles. They wanted security they could see, even at a cost to their freedom.

Show What You Know

  1. What deeper desire did Israel's request reveal?

  2. Where did God's answer shift the focus?

  3. What verb is repeated in the description of a king?

  4. What did the people want that they could see?

Crossword

53214

Across

  1. The elders said, Now make us a ____ (8:5).
  2. The people ____ to listen to Samuel (8:19).

Down

  1. The people wanted to be like all the ____ (8:20).
  2. Samuel ____ to Yahweh (8:6).
  3. They gathered and came to Samuel at Ramah (8:4)

Think About It

  1. God allowed Israel's request but warned them of its cost. What does this teach about getting what we ask for?

  2. In what ways do people today look to leaders or powers to do what only God can do?

Memory Verse

Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they tell you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me as the king over them.

1 Samuel 8:7 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for being my King. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • Why did God give the people what they asked for?
  • How do we sometimes trust leaders more than God?
  • 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.