7 Bible Stories About Helping Others You Can Read to Your Kids

Published June 11, 2024

For Christians, the Bible is one of the best sources of stories with moral lessons. So, if you’re looking for stories about helping others, look no further than the Bible.

The Bible abounds with stories about helping others, charity, and kindness from the Old to the New Testament. Here are some of them:

Bible Stories About Helping Others

1. The Good Samaritan

When discussing helping others, there’s no bible story more famous than the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

If you’re not familiar with the story, it’s about a Samaritan who helped a Jew who was beaten and left to die on the side of the road. A Jewish priest first passed by him, followed by a Levite, but both ignored the dying man. And then a third man passed by – a Samaritan. The Samaritan took pity on the man, bandaged his wounds, and took him to the nearest inn to recover. He even paid the innkeeper to care for the Jew until he was fully recovered.

The most compelling part of this story is that, in Jesus’ time, Jews and Samaritans were sworn enemies. And it’s not just a simple family or tribal feud. We’re talking about a deep-rooted hatred that goes back generations. Because of this, they don’t talk to or trust each other.

Yet, as the story tells us, of the three people who passed by the dying man, only the Samaritan stopped and helped. He didn’t care that the dying man was a Jew; instead, he saw a fellow human being who was in great need of help.

This makes the Good Samaritan Parable one of the greatest Bible stories about helping others. It tells us that kindness has no race or borders. If someone is in need and we are in a position to extend help, we should do so. Someone’s belief, skin color, or religion shouldn’t matter because we all belong to the same race – the human race.

2. Moses and the Pharaoh’s Daughter

Most Christians are familiar with who Moses was and how he helped free the Israelites from slavery. Yet the story of how he, an Israelite, became the son of an Egyptian princess is often left untold.

Moses was born when there was much fear among Egyptians that the Israelites might one day rise against them. So the king of Egypt ordered that all baby boys born to a Hebrew (another name for Israelite) mother must be killed.

To save his life, Moses’ mother put him in a basket and allowed the basket to float down the Nile River. One of Pharaoh’s daughters was bathing in the river at that moment. When she saw the floating basket, she became curious and asked one of her servants to pluck it from the water.

Upon opening the basket, she saw that it was a Hebrew baby. Knowing full well the danger he was in, she took pity on Moses and adopted him. And that’s how Moses grew up in the court of the Egyptian king.

Just like the parable of the good Samaritan, Moses’ adoption story proves that kindness transcends race. The Egyptian princess was well aware of her father’s orders. Yet she went against him and risked his wrath to save the boy. She may not have known it then, but her act of kindness eventually saved an entire nation.

3. Jonathan and David

What would you do if you learned that your father intends to kill your best friend? This was the dilemma Jonathan, son of the Israelite king Saul, faced.

Saul was the reigning king of Israel when God instructed the prophet Samuel to anoint the successor He chose. So Samuel went and anointed David, a shepherd’s son from Bethlehem. David went on to serve the king and even commanded an army. He and Saul seemed to get along well in the beginning.

At this time, Saul’s son, Jonathan, liked David. The two became good friends and even swore to protect each other.

But when David killed the giant Goliath, the people started singing him praise. This triggered intense jealousy in Saul. He tried to kill David twice but failed. So, he sent him to fight in battles, hoping the enemies would do the job he failed to do. But instead of being killed, he won battle after battle.

When Saul heard this, he became even furrier and ordered his men to kill David. When his son Jonathan heard about this, he warned David, and he was able to escape. Then Jonathan convinces his father to spare David, but his father’s wrath intensifies, so he helps David escape to his hometown.

Upon learning about what his son had done, Saul exploded. He told Jonathan he could never be king as long as David was alive. To which Jonathan replied, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” In his anger, Saul almost killed his son, but Jonathan did not falter. He protected David even if it meant going against his father.

At first glance, Jonathan and David’s story might seem like a perfect example of a story about true friendship. But it also tells us that helping others requires great sacrifices. Imagine choosing between your father, the possibility of being a king, and your best friend’s life. But sometimes, you just have to do what your conscience says is right, no matter what it may cost.

4. Joseph the Dreamer

Joseph, son of Jacob, is probably one of the most remarkable stories in the Bible.

As a young man, Joseph was sold by his brothers to slave traders. He was then sold to a master in Egypt who sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t do. But because of it, he had the opportunity to interpret the Pharaoh’s dream.

Joseph told the king that his dream was a premonition that Egypt would have seven years of abundance followed by seven years of severe famine. With this, he suggested that the king keep some of the harvests so that Egypt would not starve when famine came.

Heeding his proposal, the king appointed Joseph governor of all Egypt, second only to him. Thus, Egypt was saved from the famine that struck most surrounding lands.

One day, his brothers, who sold him, came to Egypt desperate for food, as the famine had also hit their land. They did not recognize Joseph initially since he was quite young when they sold him, but Joseph recognized his brothers immediately.

Despite what they did to him, Joseph helped them. He gave them food and even let them bring their families to Egypt to escape the famine in their homeland.

Joseph’s story is a powerful example of forgiveness and kindness. After everything that he went through because of them, he could have refused to help his brothers. Yet, he didn’t. He helped them because he knew they’d starve if he didn’t. And that’s how helping others should be. We should not think about what will happen if we help those in need but what will happen if we don’t.

(Related: Why Are Moral Values Important in Children?)