Passage, Paragraph, and Prayer

How does wealth, yes, all the wealth of the earth, compare to God’s testimonies? Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

We already considered how the devil questions the goodness and wisdom of God’s word. But the first temptation also shows us how the devil twists God’s word, in order to portray it, and God, in the worst possible light. 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 bookends Psalm 119:13 with our lips on the one side and God’s mouth on the other. In this devotion, Pastor Biebert talks about what we could call the cycle of heavenly pollination. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

In this episode we begin looking at the devil’s tactics of temptation. The devil begins by questioning the reasonableness, goodness, and kindness of God’s word, especially when he tells us we cannot do something. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

“Blessed are you, O LORD,” the psalmist says (Psalm 119:12). How can God be blessed? Isn’t he the One who blesses, and we are the ones who are blessed? In this episode, Pastor Biebert talks about the two main ways the Bible uses the concept of “bless” and “blessed.” Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

Sometimes after Day 6, when God saw that everything was “very good” (Gen. 1:31), the devil came to tempt Adam and Eve. But how did there come to be a devil 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).

What do you put in a treasure chest? And what do you do with it there? In Psalm 119:11, the psalmist tells us to think of our hearts as treasure chests for the sayings of God, and he tells us how it will benefit us. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

The serpent was also one of God’s good creations in the beginning, and his craftiness or shrewdness was good too. But the devil took these creations and abused them for his own evil purposes—the same thing he does today. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

Why do we make commitments and promises to God when we’re always going to violate them until he brings us to heaven? Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

Before the fall into sin, humans went about naked without any shame or embarrassment. Can you even imagine that? Our difficulty imagining that (without imagining other shameful and horrifying things accompanying it) should also help us appreciate the honorable way Jesus had wooed us as his Bride. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du m...

Youthful innocence is often therapeutic for us when we get older and start growing jaded and cynical at the world. But what can we do to help our children and young people retain their (relative) innocence and bring it with them into adulthood? The psalmist has the simple answer. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

The author of Genesis 2:24, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, recognizes that what God has done for and with Adam and Eve is the way he wants it to be on earth as long as the earth endures. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

In the final verse of the first stanza of Psalm 119, the psalmist nicely sums up his thoughts. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

Remember the instructions and prohibitions (with attendant consequences) that God gave Adam in Genesis 2:15–17? Who would pass those along to Eve? Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

Understanding the concept of God’s righteousness as expressed especially in the psalms was at the heart of the Reformation. Unfortunately, many English versions of the Bible don’t reflect this understanding in their translations. The psalmist says he thanks God with uprightness of heart as he learns the decrees of God’s righteousness (Ps. 119:7). That can only be true after what he just said in ve...

Oftentimes Bible translations render Genesis 2:23 along the lines of, “This is *now* bone of my bones...” But Adam actually used a word that means “finally” or “at last,” which says a mouthful not only about his attitude, but also about the ideal, godly attitude of every husband and wife. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine See...

If a writer inspired by the Holy Spirit had shame when surveying not some, but all of God’s commandments, then what does that say about us? Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

When God brought Eve to Adam to be his wife, Adam couldn’t help himself. He spontaneously broke out into the first human poem. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

After telling us that God’s precepts are to be kept thoroughly, the psalmist leads us in crying out to God for help with our paths. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

Why did God build Eve from Adam’s rib? Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

Is our attitude toward God’s word an indifferent, ho-hum, or casual one? If so, God wants to correct that. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

When God walked Eve down the aisle to Adam, so to speak, and introduced her to him, Adam would have noticed the complementary differences between him and Eve—differences in shape and soul. In this devotion, we consider some of the general differences in soul (reason, emotions, and will) between men and women. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “J...

How can the psalmist say that those who walk in the instruction of the Lord do no wrong? Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

When God walked Eve down the aisle to Adam, so to speak, and introduced her to him, Adam would have noticed the complementary differences between him and Eve—differences in shape and soul. In this devotion, we consider some of the general differences in shape between men and women. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BW...

When we consult God’s word for knowledge, wisdom, and guidance, we are encountering God himself. How does this fact affect our treatment of God’s word and our attention to it? Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4