Passage, Paragraph, and Prayer
Episodes
437 episodes
Suspicious Activity in Shinar, Part 3 (Genesis 11:1–4)
The building of the enormous tower in the Shinar settlement was also symptomatic of humanity’s disobedience toward God. But this tower also betrays the root cause of all their disobedient symptoms.Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit...
Your Compassions Are Many (Psalm 119:156)
“Your compassions are many, O Lord,” the psalmist says. It’s one of the many statements of the Bible that seem to be grossly understated. NOTE: Stay tuned after the usual sign-off message for information about how you can listen to even more au...
Suspicious Activity in Shinar, Part 2 (Genesis 11:1–3)
The humans after the Flood wanted to settle together in a fertile area and build a permanent settlement with quality building materials. What was wrong with that?Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,...
Self-Invented or God-Invented Salvation? (Psalm 119:155)
How are you saved? What are the works that are pleasing to God? Just as important, do your answers to those questions originate with you or some other human, or with God?Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto...
Suspicious Activity in Shinar, Part 1 (Genesis 11:1–2) *with BONUS Content
God had told Noah and his sons and their wives to “throng in the earth and multiply in it” (Gen. 9:7). But we don’t get the impression that humanity wanted to do that, even a century after the Flood. (In the bonus content, we consider possible ...
Take Up My Case! (Psalm 119:154)
It seems pretty bold to ask the holy and almighty God to take up your case, as if he were some nonprofit legal organization seeking justice for the innocent. But in Psalm 119:154, the psalmist encourages us to do so. In this devotion we conside...
The Same Speech and Vocabulary (Genesis 10:31—11:1)
Even when we speak the same language as someone else today, we can’t always understand them. But from the beginning of the world up to about a century after the Flood, humans all spoke the same way and shared the same vocabulary.Music Cr...
“See My Affliction!” (Psalm 119:153)
The psalmist begins the twentieth stanza of Psalm 119 asking God to see his affliction. We have a good basis on which to ask the Lord of the universe to pay attention to us.Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Conce...
Of Joktan’s Descendants and Gold (Genesis 10:1, 21–22, 24–30)
This devotion could also be called “The Descendants of Shem, Part 3.” Our last Genesis devotion was about Eber and Peleg. In this devotion we look at the descendants of Eber’s other son, Joktan, one of whom became renowned for gold.Music...
The Self-Authenticating Scriptures (Psalm 119:152)
From where do the Scriptures get their authority? How do we defend them, or become more convinced of their eternal and reliable character?Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4
The Descendants of Shem, Part 2 (Genesis 10:1, 21–22, 24–25)
After tracing the sons of Japheth and Ham, Moses now pursues the line of the Messiah, which will continue to be his focus in the rest of Genesis. In this devotion, we consider how Eber and Peleg received their names, and how their lives coincid...
The One Who Is Near (Psalm 119:151)
Those who pursue evil plans are constantly drawing near to Christians. But there is Someone else who is always near, who is infinitely more powerful than all of them combined and whose word and promises never fail.Music Credit: Johann Se...
The Descendants of Shem, Part 1 (Genesis 10:1, 21–23)
Moses is going to focus on Arphaxad and his sons, including Eber, because they will be in the lineage of the Messiah. But first he briefly covers the other sons of Shem, giving a little extra attention to Aram, due to the Aramaic influence on G...
Those Who Are Near (Psalm 119:150)
This side of heaven, Christians are not immune from evil things or evil people and evil spirits. Those who pursue evil plans are constantly drawing near. What does this mean for us?Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenbu...
The Descendants of Canaan (Genesis 10:1, 6, 15–20)
The Canaanites were descended from Noah’s son Ham, and inhabited the Promised Land before the Israelites. Where did they settle, and what were they like?Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria fr...
Scripture Feeds Our Prayers (Psalm 119:149)
The trial the psalmist introduced at the beginning of this stanza is continuing and is sapping his strength. But his devotional regimen provides him with bold and confident petitions to set before God.Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach,...
The Descendants of Mizraim (Genesis 10:1, 6, 13–14)
On the surface, the descendants of Mizraim just look like a lot of unpronounceable names. But these peoples would noticeably factor into the history of God’s people, for good and (more often) for ill.Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen ...
Ending the Day the Right Way (Psalm 119:148)
In Psalm 119:148, the psalmist leads us to think about why evening is a good time for devotion and prayer.Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4
Nimrod the Hunting Hero (Genesis 10:1, 6, 8–12)
Moses continues telling us about the Israelites’ very distant relatives. But he is also showing us how it didn’t take long for people after the Flood to become like people before the Flood—Nimrod the hunter being a prime example.Music Cr...
Starting the Day the Right Way (Psalm 119:147)
In Psalm 119:147, the psalmist leads us to think about why morning is a good time for devotion and prayer.Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4
The Sons of Ham (Genesis 10:1, 6–7)
Ham and his sons are identified primarily with Arabian and African territory. In this devotion, we attempt to locate more precisely where Ham’s sons and grandsons settled. We also consider how much we have in common with them, in spite of our c...
Gospel Strength (Psalm 119:146)
In verse 145, the psalmist lamented his failure in the Christian struggle. In verse 146, the psalmist tells us what kept him from despairing and gave him the strength to keep fighting the good fight.Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, T...
The Sons of Japheth, Part 2 (Genesis 10:1–5)
Japheth and his sons are identified primarily with European territory. In this devotion, we attempt to locate more precisely where Japheth’s sons and grandsons settled.Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schr...
“Help Me Not Live a Contradiction!” (Psalm 119:145)
Do you ever feel like you’re living a lie or a contradiction as a Christian? You’re not alone.Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4
The Sons of Japheth, Part 1 (Genesis 10:1–5)
Moses begins the fourth account of Genesis with an overview of Noah’s three sons and their descendants. He starts with Japheth and his descendants, who are likely the ancestors of majority of those listening to this podcast.Music Credit:...