Passage, Paragraph, and Prayer

Have you ever thought some piece of news was so good and joyful that you honestly thought it was a crying shame that the grass, ponds, and hills weren’t able to join you in your happiness? Such is the news of the wonderful works of the Lord. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

“So the man gave names to all the domestic animals, to the birds of the sky, and to all the animals of the open country.” Sounds pretty simple, until you start unpacking the logistics of it. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

In these verses of Psalm 98, the psalmist encourages us to respond to the Lord’s salvation with sincerity, energy, and joy, and he encourages us to pair our words with dignified and joyful music. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

In this episode, we begin to look at Adam’s naming of the animals, which starts with God’s forming of the animals from the ground. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

The questions, “Is there a God?”, “Is there life after death?”, and “Are we alone?” are often presented as unanswered questions. That couldn’t be further from the truth, according to Psalm 98. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

At the end of the first five days of creation, God saw that what he had made was good. But on Day 6, the words “not good” make their first appearance. God’s world will be incomplete and imperfect, until he has instituted marriage. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

The psalmist gives us an occasion to talk about the Bible use of anthropomorphism with God—ascribing human features to the supernatural, spiritual. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

When God says that it’s not good for the man to be alone, we usually think of ordinary companionship. But God is also teaching us something about worship. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

Does the command to sing a new song to the Lord mean that no hymns and Christian songs from the past should ever be sung? Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

“On the day you eat of it, you shall sure die” (Gen. 2:17). Pretty important information, right? God only gave that information to Adam. Why? And what does that tell us about God’s will for families? Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

“Sinners will be consumed from the earth, and the wicked—they will be no more” (Ps. 104:35). This is both a reason for our earnest prayers and a reason for our praise. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

In this episode, Pastor Biebert addresses the age-old question: Why did God put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden in the first place? Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

When we think of all the beautifies of God’s creation and how he preserves them in working order to this day, then we realize our need for the arts. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

In a perfect world, in a perfect garden, the Lord gave work and responsibility to Adam. This tells us something important about work, from God’s perspective. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

The author of Psalm 104 closes with a prayer and song of praise. What does it mean when he asks that the glory of the Lord would endure forever? What is the glory of the Lord? How does it endure? Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

Moses says that the river originating in Eden separated from there and turned into four headwaters—the Pishon, the Gihon, the Tigris, and the Euphrates. Where were they? Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

When living creatures gather, are satisfied, are dismayed, die, are created, and are renewed, who is behind it all? The psalmist tells us, and in the episode’s prayer, we ask God to help us apply the answer to that question to our lives. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

In Genesis 2:20, Moses switches from talking in a narrative past tense to talking as if he were observing something breathtaking in the present. It’s the first time, but not the last, that the Scriptures describe a river of paradise. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724). 

In spite of the fact that creatures “without number” inhabit the “vast and expansive” seas, the psalmist says that “*all* of them are putting their hope in [God] to give their food at the proper time.” If that’s what they do, what about us? Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

When God planted the Garden of Eden for Adam, he caused all kinds of trees to grow up from the ground, not just so that they would produce food for him, but also so that they would be “pleasing to the sight.” In this episode, we think about the fact that God has made us for beauty and the arts. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du mei...

In Psalm 104:25, the psalmist reaches Day 5 of creation and the creatures that God created to fill the sea. With its vastness and the innumerable life-forms that fill it, the sea is a tremendous example of God’s power and wisdom. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

Genesis 2:7 highlights both the custom-tailored way God created man and the special way God animated man. In this devotion, we take a closer look at God’s animating of dust to create mankind. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724). 

Psalm 104:24 serves as a transition verse between Day 4 and Day 5 of creation. It allows us to pause and consider something the scholars of the world generally keep people from thinking about—how the natural world attests to God’s wisdom. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

Genesis 2:7 highlights both the custom-tailored way God created man and the special way God animated man. In this devotion, we take a closer look at God’s custom creating. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724). 

In this episode we consider and thank God for the beauty and benefits of the orderly progression of time. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4