This page gives you ready-to-use study questions for 1 Samuel 23, with a leader’s answer or discussion note for each one. It suits a small group, a Sunday class, or personal study, and each set can be used on its own. You can read the questions in order or pick the ones that fit your time.
1 Samuel 23 at a Glance
The chapter moves through three scenes. David rescues the town of Keilah from Philistine raiders after asking the LORD twice for direction, but then learns that Keilah’s leaders would hand him over to Saul, so he leaves with his six hundred men. Saul hunts him through the wilderness of Ziph, where Jonathan visits David in the woods to strengthen him and the two renew their covenant.
The final scene shows the Ziphites betraying David’s hiding place to Saul, and Saul closing in on the mountain until a messenger reports a Philistine raid and Saul must turn back. The chapter ends with David settling in the strongholds of En Gedi, still alive and still under pursuit.
Observation Questions
Use these first to make sure the group has read the text carefully and agrees on what happens before anyone interprets it. Ask one question at a time, let people look back at the verses, and resist explaining too early.
1 Samuel 23:2
Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and strike these Philistines?” The LORD said to David, “Go strike the Philistines, and save Keilah.”
(WEB)
Read this verse to show the group David’s habit of seeking the LORD before he acts. It sets the tone for the whole chapter and invites discussion about how God’s guidance was sought in Israel’s history.
1 Samuel 23:4
Then David inquired of the LORD yet again. The LORD answered him, and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
(WEB)
Reading the second inquiry aloud lets the group hear God’s clear reassurance that the Philistines will be delivered into David’s hand. It is a good moment to talk about God’s promises being specific and trustworthy.
1 Samuel 23:14
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.
(WEB)
This verse captures the pressure of Saul’s daily pursuit alongside God’s protection. Reading it aloud helps the group feel the tension of the chapter before they discuss its meaning.
1 Samuel 23:16-17
16 Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose, and went to David into the woods, and strengthened his hand in God. 17 He said to him, “Don’t be afraid; for the hand of Saul my father won’t find you; and you will be king over Israel, and I will be next to you; and Saul my father knows that also.”
(WEB)
Jonathan’s encouragement is the heart of the chapter’s relational story. Reading it aloud allows the group to hear his words of courage and to consider what it means to strengthen someone in God.
1 Samuel 23:27-28
27 But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come; for the Philistines have made a raid on the land!” 28 So Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines. Therefore they called that place Sela Hammahlekoth.
(WEB)
Reading the messenger’s report aloud shows how God intervenes at the edge of danger. It gives the group a chance to talk about unexpected turns in their own lives and how God may act through them.
Memory Verse for 1 Samuel 23
A Closing Prayer for the Group
Father, we thank you that you give clear direction to those who ask you, and that you do not leave us to act on fear or our own strength alone. Thank you that you kept David safe when Saul pursued him, and that your protection reached him even in the wilderness and the woods. Help us to come to you first when decisions press on us, and to trust your word when our circumstances remain uncertain. Give us friends like Jonathan who strengthen us in you, and make us willing to strengthen others when they are afraid. Teach us to rest in your faithfulness each day, whatever pursues us. Amen.
