Passage, Paragraph, and Prayer

If God is refuge and strength for us, and if he is help most readily found in distresses, as we considered in Psalm 46:1, then what should our attitude toward any potential trouble be? Psalm 46:2–3.

“Slavery” is almost a dirty word in our American culture. And it’s obvious why. Our history verifies the cruel way humans ever since the Fall tend to behave toward those over whom they have absolute control. So how is it that people in Bible times could be both followers of God and slaveowners?

Think of all the true stories and events that have had the deepest impact on your soul and strengthened your faith the most. How many of those stories and events are absent of heartache and tears? The Sons of Korah tell us why that is.

“Abram left, just as the Lord told him to,” Moses writes. Really? In this devotion, we consider how God’s grace in Christ covers over and washes away the sin that stains even the good that we do.

Everyone has a refuge to which they run in times of trouble and distress, a source of strength they hope to tap into when they are feeling timid, nervous, anxious, or weak. What is your refuge? What is your source of strength?

In this devotion we look at the why of God’s call of Abram, that is, the purpose God had in calling Abram and also the ultimate reason for calling him to know him and follow him, which is the same reason for calling each one of us.

Can you believe it? We have finally made it to the last verse of the last stanza of Psalm 119. And psalmist concludes his long psalm with a simple and beautiful prayer.

In this devotion we look at the what of God’s call of Abram, that is, the content of his call. It is, at its heart, similar to God’s call of us in Christ Jesus.

In Psalm 119:175, the psalmist prays that his soul would live. That prompts the question: What does it mean for our soul to be dead? And what is the solution when it is?

God willing, over the next few weeks we’ll consider the when, the what, and the why of God’s call of Abram. In this devotion we look at the when. At first glance, it seems that God called Abram while he was in Haran, but Stephen tells us differently in Acts 7.

What do you long for? The answer affects what you pursue and what you delight in. If salvation is your greatest longing, then God’s word will be your greatest delight.

When God called Abram to leave his relatives and his father’s house, and to follow where he would lead, Abram’s father Terah thought he could join the bandwagon. That led to Abram not really following God’s call until after his father died. But God was patient with Abram, and it wouldn't be the first time.

In a day and age when the false teaching of decision theology has infiltrated a large segment of visible Christianity, it might make us squirm to hear the psalmist say, “May your hand exist to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.” But there is a proper way to understand, and practice, his words.

In this devotion, we consider what the hometown of Terah and his family was like and why it is surprising that they left.

The character and nature of God’s word makes it necessary that it be put to music and sung.

In the last Genesis devotion, we began considering some scriptural ways to deal with infertility, and we focused on prayer. In this devotion we consider one either key piece of scriptural advice: Turn outward, not inward. 

What is a praise song? Psalm 119:171 helps to teach us that praise is a fruit of Christian teaching. We are better equipped to praise God the more we are taught God’s word.

In this devotion we begin to consider a couple scriptural ways to deal with infertility. The first and most important way is to pray, and to pray boldly and persistently. In fact, infertility is one of the best schools in which God teaches us how to pray.

In Psalm 119:170, the psalmist pleads with God to do him a favor. What does it mean to ask God to us a favor, and on what basis can and should we do so?

“Now Sarai was barren; she had no children” (Gen. 11:30). This is one sentence, but it packs a wallop for those who can relate to it. In this devotion, we consider what it was like to be infertile back in Abram’s day, and what it’s like now.

In Psalm 119:169, the psalmist describes the believer’s loud cry to the Lord, begging for understanding. It is the type of cry that cannot be faked. Do we desire understanding and instruction that much?

Moses tells us that Haran, the son of Terah and brother of Abram, was known as “the father of Milcah and the father of Yiscah,” as if this were something commonly said about him as a sort of claim to fame. Milcah would eventually become the grandmother-in-law of Isaac, Abram’s son. But who was Yiscah?

All your ways are known to God. Does that comfort you, or terrify you? The answer to that question depends on whether you know and treasure God’s precepts and testimonies.

Moses calls his sixth account “the account of Terah.” Yet Terah will only be mentioned four times in the fourteen chapters that make up this account, not to mention that the main human character of this account is clearly Abram or Abraham. So why is it the account of Terah?

The psalmist says his soul treasures God’s testimonies. What does that mean? This devotion is basically brought to you by the late fourth century preacher, John Chrysostom.

Just as we noted the abnormally long lifespans back in Genesis 5, before the Flood, so we can’t help but note the shrinking lifespans after the Flood here in Genesis 11.

In this devotion we break down the beautiful description of the Christian life the psalmist gives in Psalm 119:166.

Back in Genesis 5, we noted that the meanings of the names of the men in the line of the Messiah from Adam to Noah seemed either to lament mankind’s fallen condition, or to anticipate the Seed of the woman who would undo the damage of sin. By comparison, the meanings of the names from Shem to Abram seem to be secular in nature.

What are the benefits of loving and cherishing God’s word?

In this episode, Pastor Biebert talks about the somewhat difficult subject of variant readings in the Scriptures.

The psalmist says he praises God seven times a day for the decrees of his righteousness. Is he referring to a specific prayer schedule we ought to set up? Or is he wanting to teach us something much more valuable and important?

Genesis 11:10 begins the fifth of the ten “accounts” that make up the book of Genesis. In this account Moses takes us from Shem, the son of Noah, to Abram, the great father of faith with whom the Lord would take his gospel revelation to a new level.

In Psalm 119:163, the psalmist urges us to ask: Do I love truth and hate falsehood and want my life and beliefs to conform more and more with the truth? Or do I have some presuppositions and views that are simply non-negotiable?

Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

This episode is not meant to make any definitive statement about the location of the Tower of Babel. It is merely meant to help listeners to think critically about common assumptions made about its location. It also gives us an opportunity to pray for those who are considered experts in the field of Scripture studies.

Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

Can you imagine stumbling upon great spoils or treasure of some kind, so that you were suddenly, instantly rich? How much joy would that give you? Do you realize that you already have an even greater treasure the provides a source of even greater joy?

Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

What did the Lord’s confusion of human language accomplish, apart from the physical result of scattering humanity over the face of the whole earth? What good came out 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).

We’ve made it to the twenty-first stanza of Psalm 119. The psalmist begins this stanza by confronting us with the question: Whom do you fear more—mortal earthly rulers or the eternal God of the universe?

Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

God did not just confuse everyone’s language randomly and form the people into new groups arbitrarily. He still let the people taste of his mercy.

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 concludes the twentieth stanza of Psalm 119 by stating, literally, that “the head of [God’s] word is truth.” What does he mean by that?

Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

To put a stop to humanity’s rebellion against him, the Lord came down and confused their language. Can you imagine the creative potential for a director if this were adapted for the big screen? What did this confusion look like?

Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).