Day 281: Good and Evil (2026)

Mike Schmitz (0:04)

Hi, my name is Fr. Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to The Bible in a Year Podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture. The Bible in a Year Podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using The Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. Speaking of that story today, today is Day 281, and we are at the conclusion of The Return. We have the final chapter in Nehemiah. We also have four chapters of the Prophet Malachi, who is the last prophet, essentially, when it comes to The Return, when it comes to the people of Israel. The next prophet to come after Malachi is a young man named John the Baptist, who's related to someone that you and I both know. We also have Proverbs chapter 21 verses 25 through 28 We also are reading today from the Bible translation known as the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using The Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com/bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast and receive daily episodes and daily updates just in time for the conclusion of the return and the beginning tomorrow of the Maccabean Revolt and also not only the first book of Maccabees, but there are some wisdom books we're kicking off tomorrow. The first one of those is Sirach that we're going to be reading. So Sirach, you might not have ever read Sirach. I've got to tell you, I have a sense and the sense is you're going to love it. So if you want, that'll be day 282, but today is day 281 We are reading Nehemiah 13, Malachi 1, 2, 3, and 4, and Proverbs 21, verses 25 through 28

The Book of Nehemiah Chapter 13 Foreigners Separated from Israel On that day they read from the Book of Moses, in the hearing of the people, and in it was found written, that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God, for they did not meet the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. Yet, our God turned the curse into a blessing. When the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent.

Reforms of Nehemiah Now, before this, Eliashib the priest, who was appointed over the chambers of the house of our God, and who was connected with Tobiah, prepared for Tobiah a large chamber, where they had previously put the cereal offering, the frankincense, the vessels, and the tithes of grain, wine, and oil, which were given by commandment to the Levites, singers, and gatekeepers, and the contributions for the priests. While this was taking place, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes, king of Babylon, I went to the king. And after some time, I asked leave of the king, and came to Jerusalem. And I then discovered the evil that Eliasheb had done for Tobiah, preparing for him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. And I was very angry, and I threw all the household furniture of Tobiah out of the chamber. Then I gave orders, and they cleansed the chambers, and I brought back there the vessels of the house of God with the cereal offering and the frankincense.

I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them, so that the Levites and the singers who did the work had fled each to his field. So I remonstrated with the officials and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together and set them in their stations. Then all Judah brought the tithe of the grain, wine and oil into the storehouses, and I pointed as treasurers over the storehouses, Shalemiah the priest, Zadok the scribe, Padaiah of the Levites, and as their assistant, Hainan the son of Zakur, son of Mataniah, for they were counted faithful, and their duty was to distribute to their brethren.

Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God and for his service.

Sabbath Reforms Begun In those days, I saw in Judah men treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food. Men of Tyre also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of wares, and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah and in Jerusalem. Then I remonstrated with the nobles of Judah and said to them, What is this evil thing which you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers act in this way, and did not our God bring all this evil on us and on this city? Yet you bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath. When it began to be dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and gave orders that they should not be opened until after the Sabbath. And I set some of my servants over the gates, that no burden might be brought in on the Sabbath day. Then the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside of Jerusalem once or twice. But I warned them and said to them, Why do you lodge before the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time on, they did not come on the Sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves and come and guard the gates to keep the Sabbath day holy. Remember this also in my favor, O my God, and spare me according to the greatness of your mercy.