Truths About The Living God - Jeremiah 10:10

Jeremiah 10:10


"But the LORD is the true God, He is the living God, and an everlasting king; at His wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide His indignation."


What do we learn about the living God?


This verse is pretty self explanatory, but just think about it. Our God is not like any human king. He is an everlasting king. He has always been King, and will always be King, over everything. He is the absolute authority. But remember, our God is not like any human king. Everything He does is perfect. There is no way to improve upon anything He does. He is always good, even when we may think otherwise. He always only does what is best, in light of eternity. Jehovah can do nothing wrong; He makes no mistakes.

Our King is deserving of all praise, honor, worship, sacrifice, and anything we can give Him. Does He need anything? No. But as we realize who He is, we should want to give Him all we have, recognizing that anything we have is His to begin with, even our lives. How ridiculous it is to withhold anything from the living God! Whether it be giving money to the Lord, or possessions, or giving our very lives to serve Him, there should be no desire to keep anything for ourselves. Stop living for yourself and "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1)

In the last half of the verse we see our Everlasting King's great might and power. You don't wanna mess with the Almighty King. If you're not with God, you're against Him, and that is a bad place to be. I think that much of the time we focus more on God's attributes such as love, mercy, grace, and all those things that seem "nice" to us. But we are wise to be mindful of God's holiness and justice as well. It is a serious thing to sin against the living God. We are in the age of grace, but "shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid." (Romans 6:1-2) Read the Old Testament and you will see the seriousness of sin, whether it pertain to the Israelites in the wilderness, or to the nations surrounding Israel later on. We may also examine the Scriptures as they relate to the Great Tribulation, the final outpouring of God's wrath and judgment upon the earth.

Jehovah is the true God, the living God, the everlasting King, and the Almighty.

"Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king." (1 Peter 2:17)

Truths About The Living God - Psalm 84:2

Psalm 84:2

“My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.”

What do we learn about the living God?

What does your soul long for? What do you desire above all things? Is it things of this life? Earthly treasures? Things that really will not matter to eternity? Or maybe you have a legitimate desire to serve God in some way.

Even the last mentioned thing may become a wrong desire.  Life can become very busy, especially as a Christian serving the Lord. We need not to be caught up in the matters of life. Instead, we should say, as David said, “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in His temple.” We must always return to the basics of having an intimate, loving relationship with our God. Our primary desire, always, should be simple communion with God.

In the second half of this verse, the psalmist literally says, “My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.” Do you find joy in your God, in the one and only living God? Knowing your God should fill you with joy, and make you want to praise Him! There are so many reasons to praise God. Spend some time right now praising the living God for a variety of things. 

Truths About The Living God - Psalm 42:2

Psalm 42:2


"My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?"


What do we learn about the living God?


Think of a day in your life when it was extremely hot outside, and you were working or playing hard in the blazing sun. Perhaps you were running a marathon, or playing an indoor sport. I don't know. When you were done doing whatever it was you were doing, what did you do? I'm going to guess that you were thirsty, and that you got something to drink. That would be the logical thing wouldn't it? Remember that awful feeling of thirst? Your mouth was all dry and pasty, and hardly able to swallow anything. You would just about give anything for some water, or anything to cool you down.

Does your soul feel that way about God? Do you desire nothing more than to be in God's presence, and to experience a close relationship with Him? Do you want to be filled with Him? Jesus said in John 7:38, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink."

Now think of when you got your drink. I bet you didn't just sip it a little at a time. You probably chugged it down and possibly dumped some of it on your face, but it felt great didn't it? Oh and you probably didn't stop with just a couple swallows.

This is the way it should be in our relationship with God. You should always have that thirst for the living God, and when you are in His presence, you should be satisfied, refreshed, and renewed. If you don't thirst for the living God, chances are, you're filling yourself with other junk. Jesus said to the woman at the well in John 4:13, "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." Only God can fill that thirst that you have. Dwell in His presence, and always be thirsty for God. Only He can satisfy.

Truths About The Living God - 2 Kings 19:4, 16

2 Kings 19:4, 16


"It may be that the LORD  your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left....Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God."


This passage is very similar to the previous passage we looked at in 1 Samuel. The same word reproach is used in both passages. What does it mean?

First of all, let's look at the word as a verb, since that is the way it is used here. There are a few definitions:

1. To charge with a fault in a severe language.
2. To upbraid; to suggest blame for any thing.
3. To treat with scorn or contempt.

Reproach as a noun is defined as:

1. Censure mingled with contempt or derision; contumelious or opprobrious language towards any person; abusive reflections; as foul-mouthed reproach.
2. Shame; infamy; disgrace.
3. Object of contempt, scorn or derision.
4. That which is the cause of shame or disgrace.

If you read the context of these verses, you'll see the whole story. The king of Assyria and his minions were boasting against Israel and against God, mocking them, and reproaching the living God. The Assyrians did not realize who they were dealing with. This is the living God they're speaking so disrespectfully about. They classified Jehovah with all the false gods of the day. Little did they know, they were extremely wrong, and they would soon receive their just reward. Look at what happens to these wicked people:

"And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses--all dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place." - 2 Kings 19:35-37

What do we learn about the living God?


As we have previously seen, the living God is to be taken seriously. He is the one and only living God. He is infinitely holy, set apart from all other things. It is a serious thing to mock Jehovah, and to treat Him with scorn, or to speak wrongfully about Him. It is a fearful thing to be contrary to the living God. Those who blaspheme Him will ultimately pay the price, as Sennacherib got what he deserved. But those of us who are saved by Jesus Christ must every day acknowledge God's holiness. He deserves all we can give Him. Some have tried to display God as our "buddy," but God is not our buddy. He is the living, almighty God. We must display reverence to Him. It is true, God loves us and desires a close relationship with Him, but He must be honored, as a child should honor his father.

When we have a correct view of God, which is a high one, we will have a correct view of ourselves, which will be a humble one. We also will see sin for what it is: an attack on God. So having a correct view of God will lead to a life of holiness, which is what we should all be striving for. As we strive to be holy, we must not do it on our own strength, because we will surely fail. We must always depend on the Holy Spirit to enable us to live a holy life. Do you have a correct view of God? If you do, you will not tolerate sin in your own life.

Truths About The Living God - 1 Samuel 17:26, 36

1 Samuel 17:26, 36


"And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that 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 slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God."


What do we learn about the living God?


Israel was a nation chosen by God. They represented Him in the world. At the time of this text, Israel was at war with the Philistines. The armies of Israel were supposed to be fighting in the name of Jehovah, but they were intimidated by Goliath the giant. This guy was said to be 9 feet tall. He was a beast. However, the Israelite army failed to see that he was still simply a man. They forgot who they were fighting for. David showed up to remind them.

David arrived on the scene, and he couldn't believe what was going on! This "uncircumcised Philistine" was blaspheming the name of Jehovah. Goliath defied the armies of the living God. Since Israel represented God, Goliath was defying God Himself. David could not just ignore this. David knew and loved the LORD deeply. He could not let this man, though he was a giant, defy his God.

In David's career as a shepherd, he had killed at least one lion and one bear to protect his sheep. He knew that the living God was on his side, and that He would enable him to be victorious. This evil Philistine was going down. You probably know the rest of the story. If not, just keep reading 1 Samuel.

How does this apply to your life? Well just as Israel represented God in the past dispensations, we the Church represent Him in this dispensation. 2 Corinthians 5:20 tells us that "we are ambassadors for Christ." We need to faithfully uphold the name of the living God. If you are a Christian, you have a duty to be like Christ. The world is going to see God through us. If you misrepresent Christ, you are keeping others from the truth, and destroying their chance of being saved. At the same time, when you see someone defying the living God, or His people, it is your duty to take a stand and defend His name.

Are you intimidated or afraid, like the Israelite army, when you see or hear someone attacking your God? You have nothing to be afraid of! The Lord has given the Holy Spirit to us all. He lives inside us, giving us the power and strength we need. The most the world can do to us is kill us, and then we will be present with the Lord! Do you love Jesus Christ? He has saved you! You should be proud to share His Word and represent Him in the world. Remember who it is that you represent, and recognize that on your own you are unable, but the Almighty Holy Spirit lives in you. In Acts 1:8 Jesus says, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."


Be a faithful witness for your Lord Jesus Christ today. It is your duty.

Truths About The Living God - Joshua 3:10-11

Joshua 3:10-11

"And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan."

What do we learn about the living God?

We are taught about God in the Bible, but how do we know He really does exist? The illustration of the wind may be used. Wind cannot be seen. Nevertheless, we know that there is wind. We can feel it on our skin and we can see its power as it creates waves in the ocean, as it makes drifts and dunes in the desert, and as it blows trees, dust, and snow. We cannot see the wind, yet we know it is there by what it does. In the same way, We cannot see the living God, yet we know He is there by what He does. He has created all things. The universe works in perfect order. Everything He has made is beautiful, from the tiniest atom, to the largest planet or star. There is such detail in every part of creation. How can anyone deny the existence of God?

So we know that God must have created all things, as there is no other logical explanation. However, we must also ask, is God still around? or did He just leave once He created everything (a.k.a. Deism)? God did not merely set the universe in motion and go on vacation. God has always loved His creation. Everything was made for His glory. He created man in His own image. We are made "a little lower than the angels." (Hebrews 2:7) God has always had a special plan for all mankind. He planned in eternity past to send His Son Jesus to pay for our sin. The Lord loves us. The living God cares for us. He is very much a personal being. Just like the wind, we know that God exists, because of what He does. We know what He has done, by creating, but He is always active. He is the living God. Look at Matthew 6:26,28-30

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?... And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"

So you see, God is active even in the little things, like providing for birds, and growing flowers, and most importantly in this passage, taking care of us, His children. 

We know that the living God is with us, by the great, mighty, and impossible things He does. As He was with the Israelites, who were a small, seemingly insignificant nation, He is with us. He defeated a great number of peoples through the Israelites, and they knew He was there, because He did things that they could not do alone. In the same way, when we trust God every day, in all our battles, in our times of need, and any time we are in distress, we will see Him do amazing things. Someone has said, "Seek out the mountains, and you will witness God doing things through your life that can be explained only by His mighty presence." When situations that seem to be impossible arise in your life, seek the Lord, and you will see Him do wondrous things. As you trust the Lord each day, others will see God working in your life, and they will know as well that your God, Jehovah, really is the living God. Seek Him today!

Truths About The Living God - Deuteronomy 5:26

Deuteronomy 5:26


"For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?"


What do we learn about the living God?


The living God is almighty, all-powerful, entirely and infinitely holy, and One to be feared. The Israelites understood that. No one else had the privilege of having the living God accompany them at all times, and even speak to them! Not only that, they didn't die!


Look at Isaiah 6. Here you can get an idea of the holiness of the living God. When Isaiah found himself in the presence of God, he cried, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." The prophet understood the holiness of God, and his sinfulness. Therefore he was afraid for his life.


Now take a look at Daniel 10. When Daniel saw the "man" (God the Son) in his vision, his response was, "I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength. ⁹ Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground."


When John saw the Son of Man in Revelation 1, and wrote, "when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead."


I would like to suggest that these days Christians in general lack that fear and reverence for our God. There is a tendency to treat God as our buddy and pal. It is true that the Lord is our friend, but He is much more than that. You may think of God in the Old Testament as One who judges or One who is very harsh, while in the New Testament He appears to be a God of love. The living God has never changed, nor will He ever change. The God in the Old Testament is the same God in the New Testament, and the same God we love and serve today. When we really know and understand who He is, our lives will be changed, and we will fear the one and only living God. Do you know Him? Do you fear Him?

Truths About The Living God - Intro

Our God is the living God. Think about the implications of that title: The Living God. First of all, He is the living God. When the word the is used, it implies that there is only one. Otherwise, we would use a, or an. Jehovah is not a living God; He is the living God. Different people groups have worshiped many different idols and images as gods, but none of these are alive. Only Elohim, the God of the Bible, is called The Living God.

Next we must see the implication behind the word living. What does it mean to be alive? The dictionary gives a couple definitions: having life; living; existing; not dead or lifeless; in a state of action; active. Jehovah is distinct from any other gods because He alone is alive. There is nothing dead or lifeless about Him, and He is always active. Acts 17:28 tells us, "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being..."

Lastly, God. As you may know, the Hebrew word is Elohim. This is the plural form of El. The use of the plural form is explained by the doctrine of the Trinity. God is three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, yet they are all equally God. Of course we cannot understand this fully, but it is a truth taught throughout the Holy Bible.

Over the next few weeks, I plan to go through the 30 times The Living God is mentioned in Scripture. 15 in the Old Testament, and 15 in the New Testament. I hope you'll read along and study for yourself, as I study through these passages. 

The Living God

When I started my internship at SSBC three years ago, I began studying and preaching through the passages in Scripture that mention 'the living God.' I didn't quite get through it all (someday I'd like to finish it) but here are the passages to study:


Deuteronomy 5:26 -  For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?

Joshua 3:10 -  And Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites:

1 Samuel 17:26 -  Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "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?"

1 Samuel 17:36 -  Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God."

2 Kings 19:4 -  It may be that the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.' "

2 Kings 19:16 -  Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.

Psalms 42:2 -  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

Psalms 84:2 -  My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Isaiah 37:4 -  It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.' "

Isaiah 37:17 -  Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.

Jeremiah 10:10 -  But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.

Jeremiah 23:36 -  And the oracle of the LORD you shall mention no more. For every man's word will be his oracle, for you have perverted the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts, our God.

Daniel 6:20 -  And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?"

Daniel 6:26 -  I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end.

Hosea 1:10 -  "Yet the number of the children of Israel Shall be as the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass In the place where it was said to them, 'You are not My people,' There it shall be said to them, 'You are sons of the living God.'

Matthew 16:16 -  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Matthew 26:63 -  But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, "I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!"

John 6:69 -  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Acts 14:15 -  and saying, "Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them,

Romans 9:26 -  "AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, 'YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,' THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD."

2 Corinthians 3:3 -  clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

2 Corinthians 6:16 -  And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM. I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE."

1 Timothy 3:15 -  but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

1 Timothy 4:10 -  For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.

1 Timothy 6:17 -  Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

Hebrews 3:12 -  Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;

Hebrews 9:14 -  how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

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

Hebrews 12:22 -  But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,

Revelation 7:2 -  Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,

Falling Flat

“Then the hand of the LORD was upon me there, and He said to me, “Arise, go out into the plain, and there I shall talk with you.” So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold, the glory of the LORD stood there, like the glory of which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet…” –Ezekiel 3:22-24a

How do you respond when you encounter the Lord? Do you scoff at Him? Do you run away? Do you get angry with God? Do you tell Him all your problems? Do you pay attention to what He has to say to you? Do you stand in amazement of who He is? Or, like Ezekiel, do you fall on your face before Him?

Ezekiel knew what it meant to be in the presence of the Lord. He probably knew what the Israelites said in Deuteronomy 5:26: “For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?” Ezekiel knew that where he was standing was one of the most privileged places he could ever be. He was standing before the glory of the Lord God. He responded correctly by falling on his face before God.

As believers, we are encouraged, even commanded to come boldly before the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4). But there still needs to be a realization of who it is we are actually going before for help. When we enter the presence of the Lord through prayer, we are bringing ourselves before the Almighty God, the Lord of hosts, the living God. We stand before the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present God who sent His Son to provide the only way of salvation for us. So when we enter the presence of the Lord, we stand on holy ground.

The proper response would be for us to fall on our faces before Him. We must realize that we are nothing in His sight and without Him, we can do nothing. Ezekiel demonstrates for us the principle we find in James 4:10: “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” Ezekiel didn’t stand before God and plead his case. He didn’t try and defend himself, or say anything at all. He merely fell before the Lord, humbled to be in the presence of the Almighty. When Ezekiel showed his humble attitude, the Lord lifted him up and set him on his feet.

So I ask again, how do you respond to an encounter with the living God? May I suggest you humbly fall flat on your face before Him and let Him lift you up.