Passage, Paragraph, and Prayer

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

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

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

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 cultural differences.

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

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, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4

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 Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).

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

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

Righteousness has been a major theme of the eighteenth stanza of Psalm 119. To close this stanza, the psalmist explicitly spells out the means of our righteousness, and concludes with a fitting prayer.

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

Hearing about the sons of Noah fathering children after the Flood gives us an opportunity to reflect on how their parental attitude might have changed in their new circumstances, and to reflect on our own parenting.

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