Day 361 Bible Readings – Nehemiah 8: 17 (ESV)

Nehemiah 7 & 8, Revelation 18: 18-24, Revelation 19: 1-10, Proverbs 30: 11-23

Nehemiah 8: 17 (ESV)

“And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and lived in the booths, for from the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so. And there was very great rejoicing.”

In verse 17 from Nehemiah 8, the people who returned from captivity decided to reenact the celebration of booths or the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot. God commanded the people to live in booths for seven days as a reminder of how God provided booths for them when they were wandering in the desert after they left Egypt. The booths are temporary shelters with four sides called a Sukkah with an open roof made of palm branches.

When I read verse 17, I was reminded of how I first saw my first Sukkot in college. A group of students had made these temporary shelters and left them up for seven days in a field that was between the two main college dorms. They called it Sukkot or the Feast of Booths. At the end of the seven days, they threw a big party afterwards and we all celebrated. I wonder now if a revival was going on in campus at that time, like what was going on during the time written about in Nehemiah. Whatever was going on, it’s nice to know that college students celebrated God taking caring of his people when they were wandering in the wilderness. Perhaps they thought of college as a booth or temporary shelter from real life, and was celebrating how God was still taking care of them even in the wilderness of college life.

Day 360 Bible Readings – Revelation 18: 4-5 (ESV)

Nehemiah 5 & 6, Revelation 18: 1-17, Proverbs 30: 1-10

Revelation 18: 4-5 (ESV)

“Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”

Verses 4 and 5 from Revelation 18 is the call to people of faith to separate from Babylon. Some Biblical scholars have said that Babylon is ruled by the anti-Christ and is a dwelling place of demons. But according to Biblical scholars Babylon is seductive as a woman, and many will be tempted to align with Babylon and its principles. Some Biblical scholars equate Babylon with a great commercial city, and we have seen in our modern times how the big cities seem to drive trends in our country for good or bad.

I think people who don’t live in big cities tend to see city people as more sophisticated than themselves, and when they see a trend emerge in a big city they want to adopt it. It doesn’t seem to matter if the trend makes sense for someone living in a big city and not for personal not living there, people glamorize the trend and want to emulate it. As people of faith, we need to review any trend that is happening in culture and see if it aligns with Biblical principles. If the trend goes against Biblical laws and principles, we need to reject it. We must always look to the Bible for how to live our life and not from cultural trends.

Day 359 Bible Readings for December 26 – Proverbs 29: 25 (ESV)

Nehemiah 3 & 4, Revelation 17, Proverbs 29: 19-27

Proverbs 29: 25 (ESV)

“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”

Solomon tells us in verse 29 from Proverbs 29 that we should not be afraid of what other people will think of us and what they will say.  Many bad decisions have been made by people who are afraid of what others will think of them. We should instead trust in the Lord and we will be safe. Trusting in God will never lead us in the wrong direction or cause us to make bad decisions. Every time we have a decision to make, we need to pray and ask God for guidance. We cannot rely on what we think or fear what other people will say about us. Other people’s guidance are often based on their own fears, while God’s guidance is not based on fear. Our lives will also be safe if we trust in God.

Day 358 Bible Readings for December 25 – Nehemiah 1: 11 (ESV)

Nehemiah 1 & 2, Revelation 16, Proverbs 29: 10-18

Nehemiah 1: 11 (ESV)

“O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”

In verse 11 from Nehemiah 1 we read the end of Nehemiah’s prayer to God, and I liked what he said. He asked God to not only listen to his prayer, but the prayers of others as well. Nehemiah also prayers for success in his prayers and the prayers of others as well, and to grant him mercy.

Nehemiah prayed not only for success but the success of others. Normally I think I pray just for myself and my success, but it makes sense to also ask God to grant the prayers of our friends and for their success as well. I also like how Nehemiah is very specific in his prayers, which tells God exactly what he wants. It’s a good way to pray and ensures that God will listen to your prayers.