The Gates of Jerusalem. Nehemiah 3: 1- 32 (Part 1)
Isa 58:12 And [they that shall be] of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
The first task Nehemiah and his men undertook was the rebuilding of the gates of Jerusalem. There were 12 gates of Jerusalem but only 6 are mentioned in
Neh. 3 as having been repaired. These 6 gates are of significance, because, by looking closely at them, we can see a picture of the mission of God’s Church.
The first gate to be repaired was the SHEEP GATE. This is important because the sheep gate was the gate used to bring the sheep into the city for use in the sacrifice. The sheep gate represents several things:
1. The sheep gate was repaired by Eliasib, the high priest and his brethren the priests. Jesus , our Hgh Priest, is repairing the sheep gate. Jesus said “I am the Door of the sheep”. Jesus, who sacrificed His life for our sins, is our High Priest who makes intecession for us. Ministers of the Gospel, the “priests” who minister God’s Word to us, maintain the sheep gate by caring for God’s church.
2. The sheep, brought through this gate, were offered as a sacrifice on the altar of repentance. The sheep gate represents the need for all to repent of their sins. The message of repentance and remission of sins must be preached to all who will hear.
3. The ministers primary responsibility to the church is to “feed the church of God”. Jesus told Peter three times to “Feed my sheep”. The sheep must be cared for…. The church is an oasis for wandering sheep to find refuge, and safety from a sin sick world.
4. Of the 6 gates repaired, this is the only gate that was also “sanctified”. It was the only gate that was “set aside” for a specific purpose. Gods church is a sanctified church- set aside for the specific purpose of pleasing our Father. The Bible tells us “we are not our own”. We were purchased by the Blood of Jesus, our sins were washed away and we have been sanctified by the Lord. And, we must remain that way, keeping ourselves unspotted from the things that are displeasing to the Lord who redeemed us. The SHEEP GATE- the Church, must remain sanctified, set apart, from the blemishes of division and strife.
The second gate to undergo repairs was the FISH GATE. This gate was used by merchants to bring their wares into Jerusalem where they were sold to the residents of the city. The Bible tells us to “Buy the truth and sell it not”. The FISH GATE points to the primary purpose for the establishing of God’s church. Jesus said “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men”. Our primary purpose is EVANGELISM. “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” is God’s mandate for His people. If we lose our burden for lost souls, if we aren’t actively engaged in evangelistic effort, our FISH GATE is in need of repair. Its interesting to note that some- “their nobles”- involved in rebuilding the fish gate “put not their necks to the work of the Lord” (3:5). Theirs was a half-hearted, feeble attempt that shows an uncaring and indifferent attitude among some people. They simply don’t care about lost souls. Their indifference is not unlike the “nobles” among us today- the “spiritually superiors” among us whose hearts are so full of self-righteousness and spiritual pride, they have no concern for the lost and have no interest in evangelism.
The third gate in need of repair is simply known as the OLD GATE. There seems to be a trend in todays church that seems to say “Out with the OLD, and in with the NEW”. The old fashioned Gospel of Jesus Christ is slowly being removed, replaced by a “new age” gospel that tickles the ear. Certainly we should look for new ways, new methods and new means to reach the world for Christ, but
Jer 6:16 tells us to: “…Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where [is] the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk [therein]. ” The old fashioned message of the Cross of Christ cannot be set aside. Our faith cannot stand on a gospel that is void of the very foundations of God’s Church. The “old” gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord is the Gospel that was chosen by God by which the world can be saved. If we remove our foundational message, our message is built on shifting sands…it will not stand. God tells us “….thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations…” . Instead of removing our old landmarks and destroying our old foundations, we need to be known as “The restorer of paths to dwell in.” ( Isa, 58:12)
The fourth gate in need of repair was the VALLEY GATE. The valley gate was the means for workers, who labored in the fields of the valleys to return from their toils. After a long day of labor, the city must have seemed like an oasis, a refuge from the scorching sun. God’s church is a place of refuge for those returning from the valleys of trials and tribulations. “In the valley, he restorth my soul”. Many times, in the fields of life, we get discouraged, but on the top of the mountain, we have access to restoration. The church should always be a place of restoration for weary souls.
The fifth gate, the DUNG GATE, in spite of its name, was a crucial gate. Through the DUNG GATE, discarded waste was removed from the city of Jerusalem. Without the means of disposal, Jerusalem would be awash in filth. This gate represents the need for us to remove the filth of the world from our midst and even from our very hearts and lives. The Bible tells us that we are to keep ourselves unspotted from the world, and we need to remove “garbage” from our lives from time to time. God’s church, washed in His very Blood, is a clean church. We live in a trash filled world and, from time to time, its necessary for us to pass through the dung gate to rid ourselves of the dung that collects around us. Admittedly taken out of context some what, but we need to be a people who “… shall build the old waste places…”. The mounds of the garbage we remove from our lives should be building up, but it seems some people are scavenging the dump and returning to their old way of living. God brought us out of the trash heaps of this world and we cannot return to it. Haul the garbage of the works of the flesh out through prayer and seeking the Lord.
The sixth gate repaired was the FOUNTAIN GATE. Water was a precious commodity in the deserts of ancient Israel and it was crucial that the city be supplied with clean, flowing water. Its imperative that we keep the Spirit of God flowing in our lives. Jesus promised that He gives us “a well of water springing up into everlasting life”. Fresh water, “living water”, the power of the Holy Ghost, is crucial to the survival of God’s Church. The way for us to keep the Spirit of God flowing in our midst is found in
John 5:24. “God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship Him in spirit and in truth”.
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