Some Biblical Expressions of Faith

Faith

References to “faith” in the New Testament of the Bible come from the Greek word pistis. Some "faith” references in the Old Testament include the Hebrew words Aman, Mibtah, Hasah, Galal, Mahseh and Batah. These words for “faith” are used interchangeably with “trust”.


Let’s look at Mary, the mother of Jesus, for a moment. Mary's life, up until Gabriel's visit, exemplified her trust and submission to God. However, imagine how Mary must have felt when she heard the news that she would be the mother of the Son of God. She must have felt overwhelmed to say the least. Yet, we see in the first chapter of Luke that Mary clearly expressed her faith and belief that she was part of God's plan. Although Mary may have felt confused, she set her feelings aside and continued to trust God.

Take a minute or two to read Luke 1:26-56. If you don’t have a Bible handy, visit Biblegateway.com and read the Bible text online. At the end of this text we see Mary’s final response.

“I am the servant of God,” said Mary. “Let everything happen just as you have said.”

This statement alone, from Luke 1:26, truly demonstrates the degree of faith that Mary possessed.

Likewise, David, with an armor of faith, confronted Goliath in a way that stunned onlookers. As you will recall, David challenged Goliath, the powerful Philistine giant. Because Goliath was confidant that he couldn’t be defeated, he issued an invitation to the ranks of Israel. He asserted that if any of these men could defeat him, the Philistines would be servants to the Israelites. However, if Goliath were the victor, the Israelites would submit themselves and be servants of the Philistines. The standoff ensued for a time. Finally, David, the young shepherd, left his flock to bring food to his brothers who were serving in the army.

David was there to observe the unfolding events; however, it wasn't long before he became proactive. David was rebuked by his oldest brother and warned by Saul that he should not confront Goliath. However, David was livid with the manner in which this giant was treating the soldiers of the living God.

Indeed, David's lips overflowed with faith as he spoke to Goliath, and as we know, he hit Goliath in the head with a stone from his sling, and Goliath was ultimately killed. Read
1 Samuel 17 (New International Version) Again, you can easily view the text online by visiting http://www.biblegateway.com


An army of men, trembling with fear, couldn’t do what this young, inexperienced boy did. By reading this chapter in its entirety, we see David’s faith in action.

Children and teens respond to these Biblical faith based models. In subsequent posts, I hope to spend more time discussing faith that was demonstrated by specific men and women of the Bible.

Below, are some websites you may want to visit for David and Goliath lesson plans. Tuck these links away for future reference. Some of the information may be applicable for independent study, VBS, Sunday School, etc.


David and Goliath
Lessons for Kids
and
Lessons for Teens and Adults


Discussion Questions About Mary
(Save this link and use next year with lesson plans involving Mother’s Day)


Children’s Sunday School - (Gabriel Visits Mary)
Excellent Discussion Questions