Passage, Paragraph, and Prayer

Have you ever noticed how those who care the most also tend to get worn out the easiest? In Psalm 119:139, the psalmist says this is true of himself. So what does he want us to take away from this? Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

Noah didn’t just pronounce a curse on Canaan so that the curse would be more limited than, for instance, a curse pronounced on his son Ham, but also because he saw, by divine inspiration, how Ham’s moral perversity would live on among the Canaanites. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

If you check five different translations of Psalm 119:138, you’ll likely find five different things being said (even if they’re related). In this episode, we wrestle with what the psalmist is saying about God, his word, and righteousness and faithfulness. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

Especially in early to mid-1800s, when slavery was being hotly debated in our country, many pro-slavery preachers would speak of “the curse of Ham” to defend slavery. But was there actually any curse of Ham? Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

Since God is righteous, he also judges righteously. So how does he judge us not guilty, when we are in fact guilty? Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

In Genesis 9:24–27, Noah pronounces a curse on his grandson Canaan and a blessing on his sons Shem and Japheth after waking up from his drunken sleep. These words have been widely misunderstood and misapplied. In this devotion, we consider how we should always listen to God’s word, regardless of the mouthpiece he chooses to use. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schr...

When was the last time you had a good cry? When tends to bring it on? In this final verse of the seventeenth stanza of Psalm 119, the psalmist gives us one of the best reasons to cry. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

Shem and Japheth’s reaction to their father’s drunkenness was very different than Ham’s. In seeing the very different reactions of three men who all shared the same father and mother, we are reminded of how children inherit both the best and the worst of their parents. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig...

The concept of God making his face shine toward us or on us is repeated in Scripture. But what does it mean? Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

It quickly becomes clear after the Flood that God did not preserve Noah and his family on the ark because of their own merits, but out of his grace. 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 talk about God ransoming and redeeming, we are usually, and rightly, talking about his rescuing us from sin, the devil, and eternal death in hell. But in Psalm 119:134, the psalmist makes clear that God also cares about, and rescues from, human oppression. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

There is a place for noting and observing differences between humans and groups of humans. But it is also healthy for us to note the commonalities we share, including our common blood. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

Christians are not just both sinners in themselves and saints in Christ. They are also both sinners and masters over sin. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

God had told Noah before the Flood that he would establish his covenant with him (Gen. 6:18). Now, after the Flood, he makes a covenant not just with Noah, but with all flesh. Are these two covenants the same or different? Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

What’s in a name? These days it seems like less and less, as parents simply pick names for their children that have a nice ring to them. But when the psalmist talks about the benefits of loving God’s name, he doesn’t just mean we should love the way it sounds. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

When the sun peeks through the clouds after a storm, we usually start looking around for a rainbow. It’s one of the most beautiful sights in nature, and can be observed throughout the world. But did you know it’s not merely a natural occurrence, but has a divine meaning? Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipz...

The psalmist says that he longs for God’s word so intensely that he opens his mouth wide and pants. Really? Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

The covenant God makes in Genesis 9:8–11 is not his most generous covenant, but it is his most inclusive, including all creatures on earth, both humans and animals, until the end of time. Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

God’s word gives light and understanding to simple people. Does that category exclude you? Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

We sometimes hear about overpopulation and population control. But is there such a thing? 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 think of when you hear about a cave of wonders or a palace filled with wonders? We have heavenly wonders, of infinitely greater value than those wonders, right at our fingertips. Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

The reason God gives for his prohibition against taking human life is that he made mankind in his image. Is this referring to a present reality? Is mankind still made in God’s image? Or is this referring back to when God first made mankind, and what he desired by making mankind that way? Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seel...

There are plenty of churches and church bodies today that have narrowed their doctrinal basis for membership or fellowship down to just a few basics, and have said or implied that we can agree to disagree about anything beyond that. Is that a Christian attitude? Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

In Romans 13 Paul says that God has established all governing authorities. To where can we trace that divine establishment? And within that establishment, is the death penalty acceptable, or is it inherently evil and un-Christian? 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 says he loves God’s commands even more than pure gold. Is he just trying to avoid the threat of God’s punishment by flattering him? Or is God’s word actually that valuable and lovable? Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4