4:8 Unlocking the Gates

Ten gates are mentioned in Chapter 3, and their names are significant. Each is a symbol representing an aspect of our Christian walk.² Let’s take a walk around the city with Nehemiah and unlock the meaning for each of the gates as we go.

Sheep Gate (Nehemiah 3:1)

Through this gate, sacrificial sheep were brought to the temple. The Sheep Gate represents Christ’s sacrifice as the Lamb of God. Accepting His sacrifice on our behalf begins our walk with Him. Remembering His sacrifice draws us closer to Him and inspires us to serve others.

Fish Gate (Nehemiah 3:3)

Fishermen would bring their catch through the Fish Gate each day in order to sell it. The gate reminds us that we are called to be “fishers of men” and that we should always be mindful of the lost. When you think about it, there’s little reason for Christians to still be on earth after salvation unless God wants us to bring others to Him. Without the Great Commission, we’re just working on our spiritual resumes.

Old Gate (Nehemiah 3:6)

The Old Gate (also known as the Jeshanah Gate) exited to the West of Jerusalem. It represents truth, because God’s truth never changes. We live in a world today that believes truth is relative, but we know that it’s absolute and anchored in Scripture. The Old Gate reminds us to live in the confidence of what God has said is true.

Valley Gate (Nehemiah 3:13)

The Valley Gate opened (appropriately) to a valley, though we are not sure which one. For the Christian, it speaks of the trials and tribulations that Jesus guaranteed we would have (John 16:33). While we don’t typically enjoy our valley experiences while we are going through them, they are God’s tool for making us more like Him. Consider that very little grows above the tree line on a mountaintop, but valleys are lush with growth. Our spiritual lives flourish in the valley.

Dung Gate (Nehemiah 3:14)

The Dung Gate led to the Valley of Hinnom, where all the garbage and animal dung was taken to be burned. God uses our valley experiences to surface our garbage so that He can get rid of it. When a silversmith works with silver, he heats it until it becomes molten. Impure materials (called dross) within the metal rise to the top, and the silversmith skims them off. He continues this process until he can clearly see his image in the metal. God allows us to travel through the valleys to turn up the heat on us spiritually. As our impurities rise to the top, He skims them off and gets rid of them so that He can see His image in us more clearly.

Fountain Gate (Nehemiah 3:15)

This gate was at the end of the Pool of Siloam. It reminds us of the streams of living water Jesus said would flow from those who believe in Him and have the Holy Spirit (John 7:38-39). After God has cleared away our garbage, the Holy Spirit flows from us much more easily. He refreshes us as He pours out His blessings on those around us.

Water Gate (Nehemiah 3:26)

The Water Gate was located at the beginning of Hezekiah’s tunnel and the spring of Gihon. It represents the Word of God, and it’s no coincidence that this is the site where Ezra opened the Book of the Law of Moses (Nehemiah 8:1). We need to wash daily in the Word to prepare us for the trials and tests we will encounter.

Horse Gate (Nehemiah 3:28 )

The Horse Gate was used to take horses out for water. Horses in Scripture represent battle, and this gate is intended to remind us that we are in a spiritual war. We should never let our guard down but build our walls with one hand while we hold a sword in the other. Beginning with this gate, the final three gates also point forward as a symbol of the last days. The Horse Gate reminds us of Jesus coming on a white horse as described in Revelation 19:11.

East Gate (Nehemiah 3:29)

The East Gate faced the Mount of Olives and was important because of the anticipated coming of Messiah (Zechariah 14:4). Of course, we know that His coming will not be His first. The East Gate reminds us that we are to look forward to Christ’s return and live with hope.

Inspection Gate (Nehemiah 3:31)

The final gate opened to a road that led to the Miphkad, or “appointed place.” Here, people were numbered or registered for the temple tax. For Christians, it points to the bema judgment of believers. “Bema” is the Greek word for judgment seat, which is a raised seat on which an official would sit as he decided on legal matters. Scripture tells of a judgment for believers only, where their works will be judged and rewards handed out. (No one is punished at this judgment.) As we walk with the Lord, we are to keep our focus on our heavenly rewards rather than our earthly ones.

Nehemiah’s account in chapter three ends with a second reference to the Sheep Gate (Nehemiah 3:32). As we’ve come full-circle around the city, we should remember that our Christian walk begins and ends with Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. The second mention also promises that Christ’s second coming will be to reign here on earth.

*****

Remember the meaning of the Horse Gate? We shouldn’t expect that Sanballat will just sit back and let Nehemiah build up the walls of Jerusalem unchallenged. In the next chapter, we’ll see what the Enemy plans to do about it.

* For more articles about spiritual gates, check out these links:

• GIGO
• Guard Your Gates!
• Who’s Guarding Your Gates?

² Gordon, Iain. “Nehemiah: A Study of the Christian’s Life and Warfare.” 1997. 14 March 2007.

<http://http://www.jesusplusnothing.com/studies/index.htm/>.

4:7 A Vested Interest

Adjoining this, Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house…Beside him, Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, carried out repairs for his district. The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region…Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house… Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house… Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs opposite his living quarters. (Nehemiah 3:5, 10, 17, 22-23, 28, 29, 30 – emphasis mine) 

Nehemiah knew human nature.  He knew that the best way to get people to do quality work on the walls was to get them to build next to areas in which they had vested interests.  The need for self-preservation will do a lot to motivate a group of wall-builders.  They weren’t just building some wall; they were protecting their property, their jobs, their families, even their own lives!

How do we put this principle to work for us?  I recommend that you include your wife in your building crew.  She has the most to gain by having a husband with a strong relationship with Christ.  While the responsibility for staying pure is up to you, here are a few suggestions for how your wife could help:

• Remove her name from lingerie catalog mailing lists.
• Become more selective about which movies she rents for the two of you to watch.
• Set up the internet content filter with a password that only she knows.
• Help you relieve sexual tension when you are struggling.
• Hold you accountable for staying pure when you are traveling.
• Tell you when it’s okay to look if you are surprised with a revealing image on T.V.
• Scan magazines and remove inappropriate pictures and advertisements.

Your kids can participate, too.  (Really!)  You don’t have to give them all the details, but watching their dad fight for sexual purity will make a huge impact on them.  While the actual help to you may be minimal, you’re letting them practice building their own walls.  Depending upon their age, here are a few things they could do:

• Change channels when something inappropriate comes on T.V.
• Let you know about movies and shows that seem inappropriate.
• Throw out catalogs and other mail items that show revealing pictures.
• Hold you accountable for staying pure when you are traveling.
• Advise you of any bad websites or chat rooms that they stumble across.
• Talk with you about the pervasiveness of sex in advertising and use these discussions to decide which companies should not get your business.
• Share observations that they make throughout the day as they interact with their friends and the world.

Once you enlist your family members, be prepared for a higher level of accountability.  On many occasions, I’ve noticed my wife or kids turn to look at me when something I shouldn’t watch comes on T.V.  They are waiting to see what I’ll do.  Will I walk the talk, or will I compromise in the moment?  Just knowing that they are paying attention has helped me improve my reaction time.

4:6 Pride and the Sin of Compare-A-Son

The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.  (Nehemiah 3:5) 

What a disgrace!  The nobles of Tekoa were too good to join in this great work.  Apparently, they were the only ones who wouldn’t help with the walls; no other abstainers were mentioned.  These men allowed their pride to keep them out of one of the greatest acts of God in Jewish history.

 

God hates pride.  It’s at the root of so many of our sins.  Pride caused Satan’s fall; pride caused ours.  We want to be in charge like God, but we’re not qualified for the job.  At most, we are big fish in a little pond.  A little bit of talent or intelligence or money or good looks or whatever… and we think we are better than those around us.

You will have prideful thoughts as you work toward sexual purity.  Promise.  Mine typically come around the time I meet someone who has more serious struggles than me.  I think, “Huh…well, I’ve never done that.”  That’s called the sin of “compare-a-son.” 

I get the name for this sin from the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.  When the bad son returned from his sinful living, the father was so grateful that he killed the fatted calf and threw a celebration for him.  The older, more faithful son had been in the field and missed all the commotion, but he knew a party when he heard one.  When he learned what had happened, the older son became indignant.  He stood outside and pouted until his father came out to find out what was wrong. When his father begged him to come in and celebrate, the oldest son protested that he had been good all his life.  He had never wasted his money on prostitutes.  Compared to the younger son, it was obvious to him who really deserved a party. 

You might agree with him.  The youngest son didn’t deserve a party, but neither did the oldest son.  Sure, the oldest son had led a decent and obedient life, but so what?  That’s what he was supposed to do.  He was never promised a prize for doing what he was supposed to do. 

One of the many rich teachings of this story is that God can do whatever He wants when He chooses to show grace to us.  We don’t deserve anything more than hell for what we’ve done.  All our good works are like filthy rags.  But God, in His grace, chooses to bless us exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ever ask or imagine.

 

Satan is always trying to trigger our pride by getting us to compare-a-son.  He points out other people who are “worse” than we are.  They could be other Christian brothers or sisters, or they might just be our lost neighbor next door.  We compare their lives to ours and say, “At least I’m not like that guy.”  In light of the other person’s sinfulness, we look pretty good, so we are reassured about our own sin.

 

The problem with this line of thinking is that God doesn’t grade on a curve.  God has a firm standard of morality, and it never changes.  When we compare ourselves to others, we are playing an inverted game of “keeping up with the Joneses.”  As long as we stay a little more moral than our neighbor, we’re “okay.”  But instead of getting better and better, we are getting worse and worse.  As “the Joneses” fall more and more into sin, we stay just one step behind them, still confident that we’re okay because we are ahead of them. 

Like the Tekoan nobles, we stop working on our walls.  Our pride convinces us we don’t need them.  After all, ours are already higher than those of our friends and neighbors.  We believe that we are such super-spiritual Christians that Satan can’t touch us.  It’s a trap!  Anyone remember this verse?

 

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.  (Proverbs 16:18)

Or this one?

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12 – NAS)

God doesn’t want us to compare ourselves to each other.  Without Jesus, none of us is righteous (“no, not one”).  God is never impressed that we are “better” than the guy next to us.  What God wants us to do is to compare ourselves to His holy standard and accept no substitutes. 

4:5 Burn the Boats

God is not looking for perfection.  He’s looking for commitment.  He wants to know you will show up at the worksite each day to build your walls with Him.

There’s a great story that will give us a metaphor for this point. 

 

On April 21st, in the year 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez sailed into the harbor of Vera Cruz, Mexico. He brought with him only about 600 men, and yet over the next two years, his vastly outnumbered forces were able to defeat Montezuma and all the warriors of the Aztec empire, making Cortez the conqueror of all Mexico.

 

How was this incredible feat accomplished – when two prior expeditions had failed even to establish a colony on Mexican soil? Cortez knew from the very beginning that he and his men faced incredible odds.  He knew that the road before them would be dangerous and difficult. He knew that his men would be tempted to abandon their quest and return to Spain.

 

And so, as soon as Cortez and his men had come ashore and unloaded their provisions, he ordered their entire fleet of eleven ships set on fire and destroyed. His men stood on the shore and watched as their only possibility of retreat went up in flames and sunk into the bottom of the ocean. From that point on, they knew beyond any doubt that there was no turning back. Nothing lay behind them but empty ocean. Their only option was to go forward, to conquer or die.

 

When change is required, the most essential element is commitment.  It’s much too easy to go back to the comfortable old ways of doing things when Satan attacks us.  We have to eliminate all routes of escape for our flesh.  We’ve got to burn the boats!  If we don’t, we’ll find our flesh sneaking back to the shore at the first sign of temptation.

 

4:4 Lower Your Expectations

It’s not all or nothing. It’s something or nothing. Can you give God something today? Don’t worry about tomorrow. You’ve got your hands full with today. Start small, and work your way up. Open your bible and read one sentence. It’s something! Commit to closing your eyes when the cheerleaders come on during the game. It’s something! Go one day without masturbating. It’s something! Avoid going for coffee where the cute barista works. It’s something! It’s exciting what God can do with something!

Remember the story about Jesus feeding the 5,000? (John 6:1-15) When he challenged the disciples to feed the people, Philip responded from an all-or-nothing mentality:

“Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” (John 6:7)

Translation: “Why try? It’s impossible. If we can’t feed them all, why start?”

Andrew, on the other hand, responded from a something-rather-than-nothing mentality:

“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:8-9)

Translation: “I think Philip’s right. It looks impossible, but I’m willing to give you what I can and trust you with the results.”

The difference between Philip and Andrew is that Andrew gave God something to work with. God isn’t in the business of just doling out freebies. He wants us to give Him what we’ve got. It doesn’t have to be much. It almost never is much. But if we’ll give Him what we can, He’ll take care of the rest.

Want more proof? Check out the story about the Widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17 or the one about Jonathan attacking the Philistines in 1 Samuel 14 or the one about Gideon defeating the Midianites in Judges 7.

We need to have a realistic view of our contribution to living righteously. When it comes down to it, we have no more to offer than the widow with her “two very small copper coins.” (Luke 21:1-4) Our ability to act righteously is poor indeed, but if we’ll give God what we can out of our poverty, He will add the rest from His abundance.

4:3 All or Nuthin’

Don’t try to do all the spiritual disciplines at once.  So many of us men feel that we have to be Super Christians or that we shouldn’t even try.  We either do all the spiritual disciplines and do them better than anyone else (this is the sin of “compare-a-son,” which I’ll talk about a little later), or we give up.  This is a trap. Watch out for it.

 

The danger in this trap is that it causes many of us to give up without a fight. If complete victory over our words, thoughts and deeds isn’t possible, why try? If we can’t keep up daily devotionals 365 days a year, why start? If we can’t commit to God like Billy Graham, why bother? This is the “fool’s choice.” It’s not the real choice we are faced with, but it’s the only one Satan wants us to see. Why? Because most of the time, when the choice is all or nothing, God gets nothing, and Satan knows it.

 

It’s the fool’s choice because the truth is that we are never able to give God “all.” Have you ever had an extended time in your life when you didn’t sin at all? Of course not.  Besides, we don’t build our walls in our own power.  God builds them – at His pace.

 

We come to God with a heart that is willing to submit to Him, and He gives us the power to live righteously. Outside His power, we don’t have a chance of setting even one stone in our walls.

 

4:2 Desire, Discipline, Delight

Spiritual disciplines are habits, and good habits are difficult to form.  (The bad ones just seem to leap into existence.)  When we are working on incorporating a new habit like daily time in the Word, we often struggle mightily to get started.  We do well for a few days, and then our inspiration leaves us.  Guilt ensues.  We begin again.  We fail again.  More guilt.  We wrestle with our own best intentions, but so often, Newton’s first law of motion wins out – things at rest really do stay at rest.   It doesn’t have to be that way.  Understand the universal process for implementing good habits, and you will recognize that victory is simply a matter of time.  I’m borrowing material from Dr. Larry Lea, who wrote a book called Could You Not Tarry One Hour?  In it, he describes a three-stage process for developing good habits.  The three stages are – Desire, Discipline and Delight.¹ 

Stage 1 – Desire

The essential first ingredient in a habit is desire.  You can have all the knowledge, skills and resources you need to get started (remember that treadmill that’s gathering dust in your living room?), but if you don’t have desire, it ain’t happening.  Sure, other people can coerce you into starting a habit through authority, nagging or guilting you into it, but without your own personal desire to make a change, you’ll dump the habit as soon as they take the pressure off.  Desire is the gas in your engine.  Use it to help you push through Stage 2. 

Stage 2 – Discipline

Once you have the desire (yours – not someone else’s) to make a change, you have to discipline yourself to follow through.  Yes, it’s hard.  Yes, it’s painful.  Yes, it takes you out of your comfort zone, but it’s also temporary.  Studies have shown that it takes twenty-one consecutive days of repeated activity to form a habit.  There have been no studies that say you have to enjoy the process.  You just have to stick with it.  Keep your eyes on the larger goal that fuels your desire, and keep plugging.   

Stage 3 – Delight

Here’s the secret.  Your flesh absolutely loves habits – both good ones and bad ones.  It loves habits, because it loves its comfort zone, and habits are comfortable.  If you push your way through the wall of discomfort during the discipline stage, you make it to the third stage.  This is where the habit that was such a chore before becomes a delight.  You long to accomplish it each day.  You can’t wait to get started, and if you neglect the habit for some reason, you feel a tangible gap in your day – like something is missing.  When you get to the Delight Stage, benefits of the habit that you never knew existed suddenly materialize.  You’ve developed momentum that makes the habit easy to continue.   So many times, we give up too soon.  We allow our feelings to dictate our actions.  If we’re tired, we make excuses for not spending time with the Lord.  If we feel unmotivated, we let ourselves off the hook.  If someone dangles an option before us that is even slightly more appealing, we give in to temptation.  That’s backward thinking. Feelings follow actions, not the other way around.  When you discipline yourself to take action, you push through to delight.   

It’s just a matter of time and persistence.  Do it even when you don’t feel like it.  Fake it until you make it.  Resist the temptation to give up, and you can take advantage of the second half of Newton’s first law: things in motion tend to stay in motion.  Be a thing in motion, and your walls will start to take on some height.

4:1 Let the Building Begin!

Nehemiah: Chapter 3

Eliashib the high priest and his fellow priests went to work and rebuilt the Sheep Gate. They dedicated it and set its doors in place, building as far as the Tower of the Hundred, which they dedicated, and as far as the Tower of Hananel.  The men of Jericho built the adjoining section, and Zaccur son of Imri built next to them.  (Nehemiah 3:1-2)

 

As soon as the people had Nehemiah’s vision for a walled city, they began the work.  That’s the power of a clear and compelling vision.  It inspires people to act. 

 

So, what does it mean to build your walls?  Remember that your walls represent the strength of your relationship with Christ.  When this relationship is strong, your heart and mind are protected from evil.  When it’s not, your walls are down, and Satan has access to your heart and mind.

 

Nehemiah’s walls were built with stones.   Our spiritual walls are built through spiritual disciplines.  Spiritual disciplines include (but are not limited to):

 

·         Attending church

·         Avoiding temptation

·         Fasting

·         Fellowshipping

·         Honoring the Sabbath

·         Journaling

·         Living simply

·         Meditating on God’s Word

·         Memorizing Scripture

·         Participating in an accountability group

·         Praising God

·         Praying

·         Reading His Word

·         Serving others

·         Studying God’s Word

·         Submitting to authority

·         Tithing

·         Witnessing

·         Worshiping

 

You don’t have to do all these things to have strong walls.  In fact, don’t feel compelled to do any more than the Holy Spirit leads you to do.  He works with each of us in different ways and at a different pace.  This is not intended to be a checklist of spiritual maturity.  Those lead to pride and can get you distracted from your relationship with Christ.  Good works will not strengthen your relationship if they are motivated by anything other than growing closer to God and doing His will.

 

If your walls are rubble, and you don’t know where to start on this list, try starting with prayer.  Ask God which of these disciplines would help you build your walls and grow closer to Him.  I won’t put all of them in order, because it would be a totally subjective exercise on my part, but I will say that I think attending church is the second most important discipline.  Without the fellowship of other believers, we are easy marks for the Enemy.

 

Spiritual disciplines will build your walls, but sin will erode them.  If you know what God wants you to do and don’t do it, your walls start to crumble.  You’ve got to be diligent to keep building your walls every day, because you are going to sin just about every day.  Maybe that’s pessimistic on my part, but I’ve found that there are few (if any) days when I can honestly say I didn’t commit even one sin.  (And if I do, I’ve probably just committed the sin of pride.)