The Story of the Flood and David and Goliath

The Story of the Flood:
1. a) What is the meaning of the statement “Noah walked with God?” b) What does God’s willingness to spare the earth because of Noah suggest?
a)”Noah walked with God” means that Noah was an extremely righteous person and close to God, not that he was a God, but that he lived in a Godly way.
b) God’s willingness to spare the earth because of Noah suggests that He trusted Noah enough and thought that Noah was a good enough person to save above everyone else. It also suggests that God did not think Humanity was completely evil, He just thought that they needed to be punished for breaking the covenant.
2. a) How does the flood reduce the earth to its appearance in the early stages of creation? b) How might this fact make humans especially eager to have a covenant?
a) The flood kills all the humans, animals and plants that live on the earth except for the ones that Noah has on his ark. This reduces the earth how it was during creation, before God made animals, plants, or humans.
b) This would make humans eager to have a covenant because they would not have anything left to sustain themselves is God had not ordered Noah to save one of each gender of every animal. Also, because humans do not have any infrastructure, or way of life, they need to depend on God for emotional security.
3. a) What does God require of Noah and his sons before he makes the covenant? b) What is the reason for these demands?
a) Before He makes the covenant, God requires Noah to build an Arc and follow the exact directions the He gives him. He also required Noah to out a lot of effort and energy into his task.
b) The reason God makes these demands was to test Noah’s faith and see how devoted Noah was to Him.

David and Goliath:
1. Is it fair to call the combat between David and Goliath a contest between good and evil? Explain.
It is fair to call the combat between David and Goliath a contest between good and evil in a religious aspect because David is loyal to God, which in the Bible is considered to be good, while Goliath worships pagan Gods which in the Bible can be considered evil.
2. Identify two speeches in which David shows more concern for God’s honor than for his own. Explain your choices.
a. The first speech in which David shows more concern for God’s honor than himself is when he is speaking to the crowd of men in the army about who will fight Goliath, and he says, “What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (Line 26) He is saying that even though the men are afraid to fight Goliath, they must do it in God’s honor because Goliath has offended God’s honor.
b. The other speech that David makes is when he is about to fight Goliath, and he says, “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Isreal, whom thou has defied.” (Line 45) He is saying that even though Goliath could easily kill him and ruin his honor and the honor of the entire army, David has God on his side to help him out because Goliath defied God, and God will help David win to restore his honor.
3. a) David describes to Saul his role as a shepherd. What does this description suggest about God’s role in relation to the Hebrew people? b) How does the story of David and Goliath illustrate this role?
a. When David describes his role as a shepherd to Saul, it suggests that God’s role with the Hebrew people is partly to help them sustain themselves, such as when he tells Saul about his battle with the Lion and the Bear to save one of his animals. It also means that God does not care about class or wealth, that if you are faithful to God, he will help you.
b. The story of David and Goliath illustrates this role because God helps the Hebrew people win the war against the Philistines, and He helps David win it, because he has been loyal and faithful to God.