David Spares Saul Sunday School Lesson for Kids

This free David spares Saul Sunday school lesson teaches kids to repay evil with good. King Saul was hunting David, but when Saul came into the very cave where David was hiding, David only "cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily" (1 Samuel 24:4). He told Saul, "mine hand shall not be upon thee" (24:12), and Saul wept: "thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil" (24:17). It comes in four age levels, each a separate printable teacher lesson, plus one take-home sheet for families. Everything is in the order you teach it.

Choose your age level

• Preschool (ages 3–5), 20–30 minutes, 2 pages: a hide-in-the-cave game, a short story with hand motions and repeat-after-me lines, three simple questions, a shortened memory verse ("thou hast rewarded me good") with a motion, and a drawing activity.
• Kindergarten to 2nd grade, 45 minutes, 3 pages: the Tiptoe to the Robe game, the story in simple words, five recall questions with answers, a verse game with four paper strips, and a Good for Evil ball game.
• 3rd to 5th grade, 45–60 minutes, 4 pages: a matching-pieces game, kids look up verses in their own Bibles during a fuller story (the rocks of the wild goats, the cave, the LORD'S anointed, the skirt of the robe, "The LORD judge between me and thee"), five thinking questions and three recall questions, and a Bible look-up race.
• Preteens (ages 11–12), 45–60 minutes, 3 pages: students read 1 Samuel 24:4–12 and 24:16–22 out loud themselves, then discuss revenge, conscience, respecting authority and letting God judge. Six discussion questions, a journal page, and two memory verses (1 Samuel 24:17 and Romans 12:21).

Lesson at a glance

• Bible passage: 1 Samuel 24:1–22
• Main point: Repay evil with good. Let God be the judge.
• Memory verse: 1 Samuel 24:17 (KJV), with Romans 12:21 added for preteens
• Ages: preschool to preteen, in four versions

Lesson outline (the same in every version)

1. Opening game: a short game about hiding quietly, getting close without being heard, matching cut pieces or choosing good over payback.
2. Bible story: Saul seeks David in the wilderness of En-gedi (1 Samuel 24:1–2), Saul comes into the cave where David hides (24:3), David cuts off the skirt of Saul's robe and spares him (24:4–7), David holds up the skirt (24:8–11), "The LORD judge between me and thee" (24:12), and Saul weeps (24:16–17). Every fact has its verse reference so you can check it.
3. Questions to ask: with answers, at the right level for each age.
4. Memory verse: a game or motion to help kids learn 1 Samuel 24:17.
5. What this means for us: repaying evil with good, the gospel (Acts 2:38), and a challenge for the week.
6. Activity: the word search, crossword, maze, worksheet, the David spares Saul craft, a good-for-evil ball game, a Bible look-up race or a journal page, depending on the age.
7. Prayer.

Tips for teaching David spares Saul

• Read 1 Samuel 24:6 straight from your Bible. It is the heart of the story: David would not stretch out his hand against the LORD'S anointed.
• Bring a piece of cloth and cut off a corner as you tell it, then hold it up when David shows Saul the skirt (24:11).
• Kids who are being treated unfairly can learn from David: he did not pay back evil, and he let God be the judge (24:12).
• Short on time? Do the story, three questions and the memory verse. That is a solid 25-minute lesson.