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David knew, with every fiber of his being, who God was. He understood what we sometimes don't. God is alive. God is eternal and all powerful, able to do whatever it takes to defend him who is standing up for Him. David knew that as long as he was on God's side, God would be on his side. He had no worry or fear because he knew he was on God's side. We sometimes forget that it's not that God is on our side, but rather we must be on God's side. We oftentimes treat God as if He were "Santa" or "a fairy god mother"--someone who will grant our wishes, give us what we want--if only we do all the right things. There is no magic formula for getting God to do what you want (i.e. healing a dying friend). If we feared and dreaded the Living God, we would be better servants. We would understand that our lives need to be lived for God and not ourselves. We would be certain that we are on the Lord's side.

God is. He always has been, He always will be. He was first--He existed before anything and everything else. He is last, He will exist even after everything else is gone. He is eternal--He was (past), He is (present), and He is to come (future). God simply put, Is.

What eternity will be like I cannot even imagine. We live on this earth and then we die. Since my mother just died last week, I have been meditating on this quite a bit. I know that our soul does not die with out body, yet it is hard to imagine the two as being separate. God will give our soul a new body to reside in in eternity, a body which will not die or come to an end. To sit with God and Jesus totally amazes me. I really believe that we will not be sitting at all, but constantly worshiping God and Jesus. I cannot fathom the happiness I will feel on that "day".

Yahweh means "I am that I am". God is. That's all there is to it. He is not "I was as I was" nor is He "I will be as I will be". It is hard for us as finite humans to comprehend that God is, in that He always has been and always will be. Although the always will be is a much easier term for us to accept. It is hard to understand that God had no beginning. God's power, as He is, endless--it too had no beginning nor an ending--His power has always been. The Egyptian idols came and went. They could and would create another god anytime it suited them. Their gods all had beginnings and endings. Yahweh is much greater than this.

What would have happened if Jesus had called on the heavenly host when in the Garden? God had a purpose for Jesus' life and Jesus knew that purpose. He knew that if He called on the heavenly host that two things would happen. First of all, I don't believe the heavenly host would have come to his aid--it was against God's purpose for Jesus. Second, Jesus would have sinned (by calling on the heavenly host he would not have fulfulled God's purpose) and therefore, would not have purchased our/my salvation. I for one am very grateful that He obeyed God in this purpose and was able to become the perfect sacrifice for my sin. He rules the heavenly host and leads them into battle against the nations of the world.

Elisha's servant could not see the "army" that was with Elisha--guarding him, protecting him. Elisha had spiritual eyes that allowed him to see this "army", but his servant did not. We must be in close relationship with Christ/God, just as Elisha was. 1 John 4:4 tells us that we have one that is greater than the world on our side. We have "Commander of the Angel Army" on our side.

The Commander was not on either side, because the Commander was (is) "The Most High". The question wasn't whose side "Commander" was on, but rather whose side was Joshua on? Joshua was to do God's bidding, not God doing Joshua's bidding. I'm sure Joshua felt a lot like I did when I realized that he was asking the wrong question. God is not there to do my bidding--be like a "Santa" for me to get whatever I want or think I need, but rather, I am to fulfill His purposes--do whatever He wants/needs me to do for Him. I'm sure that after this encounter however, Joshua felt honored that "Commander" would give him such an honored task. I also believe that he was more aware of what he was doing, or about to do, and was very careful to do just what "commander" requested of him, so that "Commander" would be there with him in the battle(s).

God is supreme. He is above all things--everything in the universe!!! He alone is to be worshipped. He is forever--no beginnning, no ending. I however am like the one spoken of in the second portion of this scripture (Is. 57:15) I am lowly, contrite and I need Him to revive my heart. I need to treat God with more awe and reverrence.

The titles, King of Glory and Father of Glory, bring two things to mind for me. 1. King depicts God's reign and rule. He is the King--the high ruler of all things. 2. Father, shows His loving side. While He is Supreme over all things, He is also loving, like a father with his children. The fact is though that these two titles bring another facet to mind. Glory. What is glory? Praise, honor, worship. God is the King of all glory (praise, honor, worship). He reigns over and absorbs all praise, honor, and worship. Nothing else in the world (or universe) is to be praised, honored, or worshipped more than or over HIm. Likewise He is the Father of Glory. He created praise, honor, and worship. He begat it so to speak. According to 2 Cor. 3:18, we are a reflection of God's glory (praise, honor, and worship). As we become more and more like Him, we give off more of His glory (praise, honor and worship). By praising Him, honoring Him, and worshipping Him, we become more and more like Him.

I was considering this phrase last night as I lay in bed praying. As I thought of people in our society that have a high ranking (President, Queen of England, even well known personalities from Hollywood) I thought of how I would act in their presence, how I would show them honor. Then I thought of God--God Most High, it brought forth such awe, I cannot describe it. Here is God, Most High (higher than any human or any other being) listening to my prayers (mine--a sinner, a person who has often ignored Him, someone who should not even matter). And that mere thought brings me to my knees, because He does care about me--very much. He loved me so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to this earth to live and endure pain, even the pain of death (a horrible death at that) just for me. All I can say is WOW!

Both Abram and Melchizedek believed that "El Elyon" was the one true Creator of Heaven and Earth. Melchizedek believed that El could and would bless Abram, and that Abram enjoyed victory over his enemies as a direct result of El's intervention. Abram believed that El was to be honored above all, and that any vow or promise to El must be kept, 100%. Both men agreed that El was the Most High God, there was no other god above Him.

Hi everyone. My name is Jan and I live in Indiana. I have been feeling like I need a Bible study for some time now, but just didn't know where to look. I finally realized last night that I probably could find a Bible study on-line and ended up at Joyful Heart. My husband (of nearly 27 years) and I have 4 beautiful daughters (ages: 24, 18, 15, and 12). We have homeschooled them since 1989 and plan to continue homeschooling for the next 6 years, when our youngest will graduate. I am very much looking forward to beginning this Bible study and hope to continue my spiritual growth. I teach Sunday School (my youngest's class) and am a member of a small group (in our church) and the Emmaus Community. I can hardly wait to get started.