These 7 Bible stories about helping others are perfect for teaching your kids about the blessings of helping others.
Our children are the heritage of the Lord, and as adults, we highly regard them, help them keep their hearts pure, and encourage them in any way we can for the glory of God.
God is counting on us, and we cannot fail; for this reason, sharing these bible stories with your kids is a good way of introducing them to the scriptures.
Moreover, these seven bible stories on helping others can even help you. They can reinforce to you the blessings of lending a helping hand.
Bible Stories About Helping Others
So, without further ado, here are a collection of some of the best bible stories about helping others:
1. Jonathan Helps David Escape: 1 Samuel Chapter 18 to 21
1 Samuel chapter 18 records the beginning of a fantastic relationship between David and Jonathan.
David and Johnathan were supposed to be enemies because Johnathan was next in line for the throne, and David was a threat.
But Johnathan loved David, and they became close friends and the best friendship ever recorded in the Bible.
1 Samuel 18:1 “And it came to pass when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul (KJV).
Their friendship and love for each other were a sight to behold, and at all cost, Jonathan was willing to help his friend David escape the sword of his father, Saul.
Expect for friendship, Jonathan had nothing to gain by assisting David.
He was already first in line to the throne and the second most powerful person in Isreal.
But Johnathan risked it all to help David. Why?
Because, as the Bible tells us later in 1 Samuel 20, Johnathan loved David as he loved himself.
Jonathan cared deeply about David and was willing to go to great lengths for him.
Jonathan and his commitment to helping David can teach us a lot.
Johnathan was selfless; he was willing to give up everything he knew and loved.
Do you think we can do the same for others?
Like Johnathan, do you feel that we can teach our kids to sacrifice their desires and needs to show others the love of God? Sure we can.
I encourage you to do like Jonathan. Take a page from his life and practice to help others even when you do not stand to gain anything in return.
If you are at a low point in your life and you need a pick-me-up word to get going, I recommend that you read our powerful post on encouragement and strength.
2. Boaz Helps Ruth: Ruth Chapter 2 to 4
The book Ruth records a beautiful story about Ruth Boaz.
Ruth was a Moabite woman who had immigrated to Israel after the death of her husband, an Israelite.
Naomi, her mother-in-law, had also lost her husband and had returned to her homeland Isreal with Ruth.
They were both struggling financially and had very little to survive.
But Ruth, the daughter-in-law of Naomi, would go to the fields of a man called Boaz every day to glean the leftover grain during the harvest to make ends meet.
Moreover, Boaz was the name of the man whose field Ruth would glean from; he was a landowner and a close relative of Naomi.
Boaz, a close relative of Naomi, begone to take notice of Ruth and was aware of her predicament.
Boaz even instructed his employees to leave enough grain for Ruth to glean.
Eventually, Boaz fell in love with Ruth and got married to her.
The story of Ruth and Boaz has a lot of great lessons for us today.
One of them is the idea that God often uses persons who have been through traumatic experiences to alter the lives of many others.
Second, God will work in unexpected ways. Ruth was a poor widow and a foreigner, but God used her to be a part of David’s and Jesus’ families.
Finally, God’s absolute authority is visible. Even when we do not comprehend what is going on, He has complete control over the situation.
Despite Ruth being a foreigner and poor, Boaz helped her by allowing her to glean in his fields and eventually marry her.
3. A Good Samaritan Helped a Jewish Man: Luke 10:25–37
In the Gospel of Luke chapter 10, Jesus tells the tale of a Good Samaritan.
He tells the story of a traveler who is stripped of his clothes, beaten, and left half-dead along a road.
As the Jewish man lay there dying on the road, other Jewish men passed, looked at him, and left him to die.
However, a traveler, a Samaritan, discovered and helped him immediately.
What is unique about this situation is the Samaritans and Jews hated each other. Yet, the Samaritan helped the dying Jewish man.
The Samaritan is an excellent example of what God wants from us, and he inspires us to support each other even when we do not need to.
We must be like the good Samaritan, ready to assist anyone in need, not just those we like or who like us. But everyone who requires assistance.
See Who Is Your Guardian Angel By Your Birthday
4. Elijah And The Widow 1 Kings Chapter 17
First Kings 17 introduces the prophet Elijah and recounts his interactions with a Zarephath widow.
There was a famine in the land and the Lord God was withholding rain from Israel because of their rebellion.
The drought was a punishment for the nation’s widespread worship, which was overseen by Ahab and Jezebel, the royal couple.
In verse 8, the Lord tells Elijah to travel to Zarephath, a hamlet outside of Israel, where he will be fed by a widow.
As Elijah entered the city, he found a woman gathering sticks and said. “Bring me a little water in a jug for me to drink, and bring me a bit of bread in your hand” (verses 11–12).
The widow then responded by saying, “I have nothing baked, except a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug, as the LORD your God lives. Now, I am gathering a few sticks so that I can go in and prepare it for myself and my son so that we can eat it and die from it” (verse 13).
Elijah then replied: “Until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth,” says the LORD, the God of Israel, “the jar of wheat shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty.” (1 Chronicles 17:14).
Elijah’s response was a test of this poor widow’s faith which shone through in the end.
God kept His word, the widow, her son, and Elijah ate for many days (verses 15–16).
And as Elijah had declared, the widow’s food supply was supernaturally increased.
Again, this is an excellent bible story about helping others.
Both Elijah and the woman helped each other achieve their desires, which, by the way, is something we need to be mindful of and do likewise.
5. Dorcas Helping Those in Need: Acts Chapter 9:36-42
Dorcas, also known as Tabitha, was a Christian woman from Joppa (Joppa was about 35 miles northwest of Jerusalem, on the Mediterranean Sea).
Dorcas lived her life as Jesus instructed by helping and caring for others.
Dorcas was a noblewoman and was well-known in her neighborhood for sewing garments for widows and others in need.
Dorcas, however, fell ill and died.
Her friends then came to prepare her body for burial but heard that Peter was nearby in Lydda, so they sent a message requesting that he come to Joppa.
Peter got the message and came as soon as he could to Joppa.
On his arrival, Peter was led upstairs to the now dead body of Dorcas.
Peter then instructed that everyone wait outside and leave him alone in the room him while he knelt beside Dorcas and prayed.
His prayer was: “Tabitha, get up,” Dorcas then opened her eyes, and Peter assisted her in getting out of bed.
This story of Dorcas is powerful because it teaches us about the power of God that can resurrect the dire situations in our lives, and it also reinforces the importance of helping others as Dorcas did while she was alive.
6. Rahab Helps the Spies: Joshua Chapter 2
After the death of Mosse, the Lord chooses Joshua to lead Isreal and conquer the land of Canaan.
But first, Joshua needs to prepare a combat strategy, so he despatched two spies to Jericho across the Jordan River.
Unfortunately, the spies were spotted and pursued by the soldiers of that city.
But fortunately, a prostitute of the city named Rahab saw the men, knew who they were, and hid them in her home under flax stalks on her rooftop.
In return for her kindness, Rahab asked the spies to save her and her family upon their return to conquer Jericho, and they agreed.
The spies then gave Rahab instructions to tie a red cord to her window so they would know where she was when they returned; she did, and both she and her family survived when Isreal conquered the city.
Although Rahab had lived a sinful life before, she was determined to live a God-fearing life (Joshua 2:8-11; Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25).
She also married an Israelite later in life, and even Jesus was a descendant of hers (Matthew 1:5),
this story shows that when you go out of your way to help others, God is taking notice and will bless you bountifully.
7. Ananias Helps Saul: Acts Chapter 9:1-22
Can you imagine assisting an adversary who assassinated some of your friends?
Well, that is what Ananias did for Saul, who was before a persecutor of the church of God.
Saul was a devout Jew who despised Christians and desired to harm them. Differently put, Saul was a bully, and many Christians feared him.
One day, Saul headed out from Jerusalem for Damascus, where many believers lived. His intentions were clear; to brutally apprehend and cast them into prison.
However, on his way to Damascus, something happened to him. A light from heaven flashed brightly, and a loud voice spoke to him; it was the Lord speaking to Saul.
The light was so bright that Saul could not see after the light went out and needed help from those around to lead him.
Jesus had told Saul to go to Damascus, and there he would be told what to do.
Saul obeyed and continued to Damascus, where he spent three days in a house praying and without eating and drinking.
While this was all unfolding, a Damascus-based disciple of Jesus named Ananias received a vision from God (Acts 9:10-11).
In the vision, God instructed Ananias to carry out a specific task.
You can read Acts 9:11 to see the instructions.
My Thoughts…
Can you imagine what was going through Ananias’s mind?
God is sending him to help a bully, and of course, he is unhappy and uncomfortable with it.
But God insisted that he go and told him that He had a unique plan for Saul.
As a result, Ananias decided to trust God, and he obeyed.
He went to the house, not knowing what would happen, laid his hands on Saul, and helped him get back his sight.
Final Word on Helping Others
These seven inspiring Bible stories about helping others can be used to teach your children about the significance of helping others or to remind you of the blessings of extending a helpful hand.