02-07-2024
Understanding the Truth of God's Power When We Feel Afraid (1 Samuel 17:45)
Today’s Bible Verse: " David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." 1 Samuel 17:45 Want to listen without ads? Become a BibleStudyTools.com PLUS Member today: https://www.biblestudytools.com/subscribe/ MEET OUR HOSTS at https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Full Transcript Below: Hello, thank you for listening to your daily bible verse, the podcast that examines one verse each day to learn more about God and His will for us. I'm your host Grace fox, and I am so glad you're here. I'm also excited to tell you about my new book Names of God living unafraid. If you've ever struggled with fear, then you will want to explore these seven names of God. They help us understand his character better, and by doing so help us rise above fear. The books available wherever Christian books are sold, I invite you to visit my website and subscribe to my updates to receive a printable of prayers based on the seven names in the book. You'll find me at Gracefox.com. And now, after this short word from our sponsor, we'll dive into today's Bible verse, 1 Samuel 17:45. Today's Bible verse is 1 Samuel 17:45. "David said to the Philistine, you come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied." I love watching movies or reading stories where the main character faces a challenge that seems insurmountable and wins. It does my heart good to see the little guy defeat the giant. Maybe that's why I enjoy the Bible story of David and Goliath so much. The little guy in this story was only a teenager, the youngest brother relegated to the despicable task of caring for his father's clocks. One day at his father's bidding, he took food to his brothers who were soldiers in Israel's army. That's when he witnessed a nine foot tall giant in the enemy army, intimidate his brothers and the others fighting in the same forces. The Goliath giant strutted towards the troops and hurled insults and threats, and the entire army ran away in fear. He did this twice a day for 40 days. But things changed when David showed up. Humanly speaking, David didn't stand a chance against Goliath. Like I said a moment ago the giant tower and more than nine feet tall. He was also fully armored. 1 Samuel 17:5-7 says "he wore a bronze helmet and his bronze coat of male weighed 125 pounds. He also wore bronze leg armor and he carried a bronze Javelin on his shoulder. The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver's beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield." This guy seemed impenetrable. It's no wonder he intimidated the Israelite army. Unlike Goliath, whose bronze jacket probably weighed as much or more than David. The teenager wore no battle protection whatsoever. No helmet, no leg coverings no coat to cover his body. David carried no javelin and he certainly had no armor bearer walking ahead of him carrying a protective shield. from a human perspective. His defeat was a guarantee. But here's the thing. David face the giant with no fear. He not only stood his ground, he ran towards a giant in strength and courage because he had a weapon more powerful than a bronze javelin and body armor. He entered the battle in the power of the name of the Lord Almighty. The name Lord Almighty is translated from the compound Hebrew name. Yahweh Saba Oat. Yawei refers to the Lord creator and King over heaven and earth, who desires relationship with us. Saba means host or armies and implies the amassing of forces, sometimes within a military context. As I did research for my new book Names of God living unafraid, I found that scripture suggests three possible applications for this name. First, God is Commander in Chief of the armies of man second And he is Chief over angelic beings both good and evil. And third, he is supreme over all the heavenly hosts, sun, moon stars and planets. Theologians agree on these applications and they also agree that we needn't choose one over the other because God is God. Over all. Different Bible versions translate the name Yahweh Sabaoh in different ways. The New International Version says Lord Almighty, the New Living Translation says the Lord of Heaven's armies. The New American Standard, says, The Lord of Armies and the English Standard Version says the Lord of hosts, regardless of the translation, your way Saba Oh tells us that God is invincible in battle. He is Commander in Chief and nothing stands in his way. Nothing stops him from accomplishing His purposes. David understood this aspect of God's character. And this understanding was the weapon with which David faced the giant. We face giants to don't we not the nine foot tall type, but giants concerning our health or the health of a loved one. We face the giant of addictions, a prodigal child, a difficult marriage, a financial setback or disappointment over a detour on which life has taken us. The Giants we face don't look like Goliath, but they cast a shadow of fear across our way. We feel outsized, and fear says we're out done. Our human bent was to turn around and run. But there's hope, my friend, when fear of uncertainty or failure or inadequacy looms before us and Tom says, Let's not let it intimidate us into running the other way. Instead, let's remember who God is. The Lord Almighty the Lord of hosts, the Lord of Heaven's Armies, Commander in Chief for whom nothing is impossible. He's invincible in battle, and he is on our side, giving us the courage and strength we need to face our giants. I love that God's given us stories about characters like David stories about little guys who faced giants and won because they trusted the Lord Almighty, and refused to succumb to fear. I also love that God gave us the ultimate example of his power to overcome giants, through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus. My friend, the power of Yahweh Saba Oat, the Lord Almighty, raised Jesus from the dead. In doing so he conquered mankind's worst enemy once and for all, who plays faith in Jesus for salvation. This is the power of Yahweh said I thought, and this is the power at your disposal. The apostle Paul wrote about it in his letter to the believers in Ephesus. We find his words in Ephesians 1:19-20, where he wrote, "I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms." We might feel like the little guy when we face our giant, whatever he looks like, fear might make our heart quake and our knees knock. But like David, let's remember that we don't fight our battles in human strength or wisdom. We fight in the name of Yahweh the Lord Almighty, the Lord of the heavens armies, and he is invincible. May I pray for you? Heavenly Father, thank You for manifesting your character to us through your Hebrew names. Thank you for revealing yourself as the Lord of Heaven's army's commander in chief for whom nothing is impossible. When we feel afraid, remind us of this aspect of your nature and help us walk in its truth. As Paul prayed, help us understand the incredible greatness of your power for us who believe you In Jesus mighty name, amen. 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