Evening Prayer + Readings Home + Last + Next
Click HERE for books/eBooks on Daily Office Readings w/ Questions
Friday
The First
Lesson
Nehemiah 2:9-20
9 Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them
the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army
and horsemen with me.
10 When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite,
heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come
a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
11 So I came to Jerusalem, and was there three days.
12 And I arose in the night, I and some few men with me; neither
told I any man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem:
neither was there any beast with me, save the beast that I rode
upon.
13 And I went out by night by the gate of the valley, even before
the dragon well, and to the dung port, and viewed the walls of
Jerusalem, which were broken down, and the gates thereof were
consumed with fire.
14 Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's
pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me
to pass.
15 Then went I up in the night by the brook, and viewed the wall,
and turned back, and entered by the gate of the valley, and so
returned.
16 And the rulers knew not whither I went, or what I did; neither
had I as yet told it to the Jews, nor to the priests, nor to
the nobles, nor to the rulers, nor to the rest that did the work.
17 Then said I unto them, Ye see the distress that we are in,
how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with
fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we
be no more a reproach.
18 Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good upon
me; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto me. And
they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their
hands for this good work.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the
Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to
scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye
do? will ye rebel against the king?
20 Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven,
he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and
build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.
1st Lesson Questions -
Nehemiah 2:9-20. Nehemiah rebuilt Jerusalem. What needs to be rebuilt in my life? RESOLVE.
The Second
Lesson
Acts 13:13-25
13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came
to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned
to Jerusalem.
14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in
Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and
sat down.
15 And
after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the
synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye
have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men
of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.
17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted
the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt,
and with an high arm brought he them out of it.
18 And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners
in the wilderness.
19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan,
he divided their land to them by lot.
20 And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of
four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
21 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them
Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space
of forty years.
22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David
to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I
have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart,
which shall fulfil all my will.
23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised
unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:
24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism
of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25 And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that
I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose
shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.
2nd Lesson Questions -
Acts 13:13-25. What is exhortation? (V. 15) Is there a place for it in today's preaching? Paul rehearsed a bit of Israel's history, which was glorious and gave us Jesus. What's my history like? RESOLVE.