Q4. The Living God

[Guest Windy]

Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?

David, knew God was on his side and that he would hand Goliath, over to him. Because David obeyed God. Hebrews 10:31 If we continue to sin, even after we know the truth, we have God's judgment to fear. We would be worse off than an unbeliever. We would be trampling on the Son of God, and disdaining the Holy Spirit, God would have no mercy, and rightly so.

[nonna]

Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?

David knew God to be the eternal God, the I AM, he had complete faith that God sent him to take down Goliath and his faith led him to victory.

God should inspire fear and dread for those who do not worship him....faith is not about having a fairy godmother who gives us our wishes and if we just believe, our lives will be perfect and we will all be so happy. This world has real enemies and we need a God, a warrior who can conquer those enemies, I need a God to overcome the sin and evil of this world not someone to make me happy for today but to cover me in his presence forever. When I am wrong and sin I need grace and forgiveness but there are consequences I still have to pay. With the enemies being supernatural we need a supernatural warrior we need our God.

[Changed 4 His glory]

Living God exists by Himself. He is full of life and power. Unlike other gods He needs no help from others. He is the giver of life and wisdom.

Goliath

[wilma m]

Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?

David knew that the Palistines had their confidence in a mere man, even though he was a giant. He, David, knew that His God is much bigger and will send His heavenly army to help David. He knew that God was trust worthy and the Great Warrior who helped him with the lion and the bear.

God is the eternal Judge and His judgement is perfect and just. We are all guilty and all have to stand before the judgement throne of God - it is fearful to fall into the hand of a just God. But also wonderful to know that Jesus paid our ransom and now we can stand before the throne as His children because of His great love for us. For those who is in Christ there is no judgement, just eternal life in His presence.

[Kathy45]

Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?

David, a man after God's own heart, was confident in God's faithfulness and power, knowing that he was an instrument in God's hands. David understood that, because the Philistines defied the army of God, he did not have to fear Goliath. God would indeed defeat Goliath through David.

God is not going to tolerate rebellion or disobedience. He is a faithful and just God which demands action on His part. He is only slow in vengence to allow repentance but, when the time is perfect, He will repay. Therefore, we should indeed fear and dread but that should, in turn, cause us to take Him seriously and act in obedience to His Word.

[Karen Roddy]

Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?

I think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath by balancing the destructiveness created by Goliath....and the Fear....David considered himself to live by the laws of his Living God and create and enhance life not to take it...being human David would naturally come upon some antagonism in this understanding as he did with Goliath....waying the percentages, the pros and cons for David's well-being against that of Goliath he felt bolstered with God's reverence for Life that allowed David to challenge Goliath .... a paradox maybe but in human terms a conscious effort to grasp the importance of each and every living thing.....the Living God should inspire fear and dread in that it represents Eternal understanding of the futility of conflict....that a path of Love and Compassion is the only productive positioning otherwise destruction will reign supreme.

[rosegarden]

Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?

4. a. David knew his God and had confidence in Him. He knew that the God who had previously rescued him from the claws of the lion and the bear would rescue him from this uncircumcised Philistine. David loved and had faith in his God. With righteous anger he replied to Goliath..."You come to me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven's Armies...the God of the Armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you and I will cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and the wild animals and all the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. This is the Lord's battle, and he will give you to us.

b. If we give up and turn our backs on all we've learned, all we've been given, all the truth we know now, we repudiate Christ's sacrifice and are left on our own to face the judgment - and a mighty fierce judgment it will be.

"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

[mc'el4life]

Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?

with David's understanding of the great and mighty work God did for his forefathers and his personal experience of God while pasturing his father's sheep, he knew quite well and believe that the same God which did all these wonders is still on the throne He is still the El elyon who appeared to Abram, the El Shaddai, The Lord of Host......I am who I am who liveth forevermore and since He lives David has the faith that He can deliver again even from the uncircumcised Philistine.

I believe we should all live by faith and hopeful of eternity, humble ourselves, attribute all powers to God, forsake sin, renew our minds daily with the word of God so that we will be able to stand in His presence at all times in the absence of this, we are working by our own strength/power and are not on Gods side this could really bring judgement and of raging fire. My prayer is that we will not be full of ourselves and fall out of the presence of God.

[karyann]

Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?

1Sa 17:26 And David said to the men who stood by him, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

I think he knew that God was going to be with him, and protect him.

Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

He should inspire fear because, he will be the man to judge us when we go to heaven.

[johnl]

Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?

1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31:

1 Samuel 17:26, 36: And David said to the men who stood by him, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God."

Hebrews 10:31: It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God

I understand that God will always be with David When he challenges Goliath. The living God should inspire fear and dread because God is in haven with his angels that whenever it's trouble, He'll always do this.

[brandon]

How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?

David's is able to challenge Goliath because with god we can do anything. this should inspire fear and dread because what if what we do is displeasing to him.

[nurselaino]

Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?

1Sa 17:26 And David said to the men who stood by him, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

1Sa 17:36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God."

Heb 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

David knows that the Living God is beside him while Goliath relies on idols for his strength. We serve an actual living God. Not some man made idea of a God. This God will at the end judge us and we have the opportunity to spend all eternity with this living God. We need to have respectful fear based on this. This is the God we serve...the King eternal...the only God. To Him we should be certain to give all our Honour, Glory and Praise.

Verse 1:

Unto the King Eternal

Unto the Lord Immortal

Unto the God Invisible

You alone are wise

Chorus:

All Glory and Honor

Forever to You, Oh God

All Glory and Honor

Forever to You, my King Eternal

To You my King Eternal

To You my King Eternal

Bridge:

You alone are wise

You alone are my King Eternal

You alone are wise

You alone are my King Eternal

[Delta Cog]

In response to how David was able to face Goliath, I tried to put myself in his situation. Most would be extremely fearful of the awesome challenge of trying to defeat such an incredible foe. In fact, just seeing Goliath would probably make most

[jacquie7]

David understood that God was with him. He saw Goliath as a mere man who was defying God and he knew that God would fight for him. He focused on God not Goliath.

Those who reject God’s mercy, or refuse to believe Him, He will leave alone in their own sin (which to me is dreadful). Those who choose to do the opposite (accept His mercy and believe Him) are inspired by Him and dread being without Him. Though I always believed and knew about Him (I grew up in church), I was still worldly; doing my own thing. As I got older, I got tired of those things and chose to leave them behind so I can have a much better relationship with God. The more I learn about Him, and the closer I get to Him, I can’t imagine not having God in my life.

[csreeves]

Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?

David worshipped the true living God who enabled the strength of one small person to accomplish something no one would be able to accomplish. Why? Well would he not be God if he didn't give us strength to endure be it while others are with fear and dread towards God. Must he always be weak in the eyes of sinners? I think not.

[gracenglory10]

David knew that He knew that God could go anything and was not afraid to tackle the giant. When we know who God really is, we are not afraid to tackle the enemies He allows across our paths. God is a fearsome and holy God and in His wrath against sin He is a consuming wrath. We do well to be on God's side and against His enemies. PTL, He has called me to Himself.

[Guitar Jim]

Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath?

 

David had been annointed and had God's Holy Spirit in him. He knew in his heart that with the help of the living God, the very God whose Spirit was inside him, he could best Goliath. David's love for God in his early years was truly amazing.

 

 

 

Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?

 

I use this passage to remind people who only think of God as the God of love, that He is also the judge of all creation. There is nothing worse that can happen to anyone than to face God's judgement as an unbeliever!

[Guest Kiteline]

A lot of the verses that mention the Living God talk of how people mock Him or insult Him. By doing so they deny His life and relavancy here and now, or His ability to act and save His people. They treat His intervention in history as a silly fable for weak people. Hebrews 10 also mentions this in vs. 29 where it says "How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant".

 

God's patience, mercy & grace if ignored can allow us to think more highly of ourselves and begin to think God does not act or is not alive. The more we are consumed with our own needs, wants and ambitions and stop looking for where God is moving and leading the more likely we will trample the "Spirit of grace" underfoot and the more terrifying it will be to "fall into the hands of the living God".

 

A living God acts and reacts, moves and removes, stands against and stands with. A living God also feels and has compassion unlike a lifeless set of laws or decrees. So while their is dread there is also great hope in the presence of the"living God".

[ELRaphae]

Here is what I know, Our God Yahweh is real, he is as real to me as every breath I take. He is in me and I in him. If I walk with him he walks with me and cares for me, David knew this as well, he stayed in an almost constant awareness of our God Yahweh,  He was in his thoughts in his actions in his very being. David could do all things, Yahweh was with him because he was a man after Yahweh's own heart. He was a faithful servant to Yahweh. To David it was a forgone conclusion that Goliath could not stand, David was Yahweh's minister of justice to Goliath. David loved Yahweh more than life itself, he knew no fear, for Yahweh was with him, it wasn't just FAITH, he knew it, Yahweh was as real as David's own life.  There is a difference, having faith or knowing. David knew beyond any shadow of any doubt. Yahweh IS.. How can you fear when Yahweh the all powerful all loving all merciful is with you and you with him ? This is where David's strength and courage came from knowing that through Yahweh all the strength and power he needed was at his reach. The giant was felled by the ROCK the almighty son of Yahweh. The Promised one that David knew well of. Yes David sinned but that is all the more wonderful for us to understand as well, even through disobedience Yahweh still loves us, if we confess our sin and return to him, he is faithful to forgive us, and continue to use us and be our Father,  He knows our heart, from him we cannot hide. David was a child of Yahweh. I am sure Yahweh was pleased with him, he will be in eternity of that we can be sure. Bless the Almighty Yahweh forever and ever through eternity my prayer is to filled to over flowing with the Spirit of his Son our King Yahushua to be a useful vessel for his Glory.    

[Majjinniss4]

David was truly anointed.He was blessed with courage and wisdom.He believed that if he could defeat a lion and a bear,his God would deliver Israel from the philistines through him.We see how David put all his trust in God and believed in his saving grace.He was not afraid because God was with him an on their side.

if we disrespect Yahweh, by idolatry   or defile him by any other means he will show vengence. Yet he is a God of love and compassion and a judge.

 

[JanMary]

Names of God; Lesson 3. (1 Sam 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) 

4. How do you think David's understanding of the living God enabled Him to challenge Goliath? 

David had a very personal, loving and trusting relationship with the living God, to whom he'd written and sung his psalms of worship and recorded how his God had empowered him to kill both the lion and the bear and comforted and encouraged him during the long lonely times he was away from his family shepherding his father's sheep. He was just a lad, and yet knew God as His father and friend, his provider and protector. David understood grace and forgiveness, that many do not understand, believing that God punishes and is angry with His children. We have nothing to fear from our perfect Father, who disciplines in love and draws the backslider into His loving arms again if we wander off. (Romans 8)

Read Heb. 10:31 in context. Why should the living God inspire fear and dread?

If one does not have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, then there is reason to fear. Jesus bore on His body on the cross, all of God's wrath and judgement over sin, and when He cried "It is finished", all who receive His gift of eternal life will never experience God's wrath, anger, or judgement. (That would be double jeopardy, to judge Jesus and then to punish us for the sins which were dealt with on the cross, past, present and future) However, those who reject Jesus will meet God when they die, and will experience the "divine penalties, wrath and judgement" mentioned in  Hebrews 10:31. Apparently there are degrees of hell, for those who reject God's gift of eternal life, for in v. 30 "vengeance and retribution and the meting out of full justice, and He will judge and determine and solve and settle the cause and cases of His people." So apparently the stubborn old lady who lived a decent life but who wanted nothing to do with Jesus, will go to hell, but not experience the meting out of divine retribution that someone like Hitler who was a heinous criminal, experiences.

The most misunderstood thing today is that God does not SEND anyone to hell. Those who reject Jesus, choose to accept the penalty, which is hell. Every individual has to make that choice. I know of an elderly woman dying in the hospital and to whom the Lord instructed Doris, the nurse, to go and sit with her and share Jesus' love with her. She obeyed and when she mentioned the Name of Jesus the woman held out her hand and in an angry voice said "STOP! I've been hearing about Him all my life and I want nothing to do with Him!" She died that night, after being given just one more of the many chances she'd been given, to say YES to Jesus.  She chose to face God as Judge, Who would rather have welcomed her into His arms, forgiven, and now His beloved daughter! He wants NONE to perish! (John 3:16)

[Rosesam]

Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?

David knew the Living God, in whose side he belonged to, is the supreme one. There was no one or nothing which is equal to the Living God that he served. He is the incomparable One. David had the surety within his heart that the gods of Goliath wouldn’t stand a chance before the Living God of Israel. This assurance within was what enabled him to stand before a giant of a man with five pebbles of rock, for he knew the God whom he served is bigger than the giant in front of him.

Hebrews 10:31 says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. Goliath, an unbeliever, who in defying the armies of God, had defied God Himself. For vengeance belongs to Him and He will repay. And He did repay by using one stone of David to kill Goliath the giant.

In the New Testament we read that God is love (1 John 4:8), God is light (1 John 1:5) and God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). Fire can be lovely and does give light. But to fall into a raging fire can be a dangerous thing. Even though we think of God as love, because He is also the judge, it is a fearful thing to be opposing God. Being above all things, and having power over all things, it should inspire fear and dread to come against God in our lives.

[av4Jesus]

On 2/15/2006 at 5:48 AM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?

David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath because He knew the true God, unlike the Philistines who worshipped idols. He also called God the Living God showing that he had seen God enable him to overcome challenges before and through Him, he was victorious. Because he knew this, he knew God would fight for Him and that through God, he could do anything. When God is on our side, who can be against us? This is something that David understood and challenged Goliath with complete faith in God to deliver. 

We should not take the Living God for granted or lightly as He is all-mighty and all-powerful. He is sovereign and reigns and rules over all. Everything is in His hands and He needs to be feared.

[Lottie]

David knew that God was real and He had a deep faith in Him. God had caused him to kill lions and bears; not by his own strength but the Lords'. God delivered him from harm and David spent a lot of time with Him. As a shepherd He had time to read the word and contemplate His goodness and mercy towards him. David had time to really get to know and understand who God was and he knew that God was greater than any other god and He was alive. 

The living God should inspire fear and drea because He has the power to send us to hell or heaven. He is all powerful, all knowing and everywhere. There is nothing hidden from Him. He knows our thoughts before we speak. He knows what we are made of and this should cause us to look inside of ourselves and acknowledge our weaknesses and sins and ask forgiveness. 

But for wicked people it should cause them to be afraid for they will get what they deserve in the end. He has no favorites and He will judge everyone for what they have done. In the end mountains will come tumbling down and men will cry out in fear because of His wrath. Let this inspire us to honor and revere who He is and be thankful we are saved from His wrath.

[Mona Burton]

David was able to challenge Goliath because he understood who the Living God was/is and also he knew and had a friendly relationship with Him.  Psalm 8, a Psalm of David where he extols the name of The LORD in singing "O LORD our LORD how excellent is your name in all the earth! ..." proves that he knew  In Psalm 23 he said that the LORD is his Shepherd.  You see, David had experiences with God before he met with Goliath.  in 1 Samuel 17: 34 - 37 he relates to King Saul how on occasions while taking care of his father's sheep a lion and a bear came and grabbed a lamb, how he went after both of them with his staff and rescue the lambs, killing the predators.  In verse 37 he said "The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this uncircumcised Philistine."  Oh how they that know their God shall do exploits!

Hebrews 10: 31 is referring back to what is said in the earlier part of chp. 10 where the writer is exhorting the believers to hold fast to what God had done for them through the ultimate sacrificial death of His Son on the cross for their/our sins without wavering.  What the blood of sheep and goats could not do, the blood of God's Son did in sanctifying us through the offering of His body once for all. Through the blood of Jesus He forgave us our sins and forgot about them, granting us admission into His awesome, holy presence.

Now, if, as believers, after having experienced the full goodness of God in the remission of our sins; after experiencing His sanctifying power; after knowing fully well what Jesus suffered at the hands of sinners for us, so that we can be spared what we justly had coming to us, and sin wilfully, then it will be a fearful thing indeed to fall into the hands of the Living God, for "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins ..."  Despising and rejecting the only begotten Son of God brings to the perpetrator divine displeasure and dreadful recompense.  Zephaniah 1: 14 - 18 is nothing compared to what God will do to those who sin against the LORD in that final day of retribution.