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I have to admit, though, that when I got to Chapter 3, it just looked like one of those boring chapters: it gave all the boring details about each section of the wall of Jerusalem that was being rebuilt, and gave countless names of the people who rebuilt each section. I was going to skip it and move on to Chapter 4 when I felt the Lord nudge me to look deeper--that there was something here that He wanted to show me. So I dutifully sought the Lord (and a research book, and the internet!), and was ASTOUNDED at the incredible layers of symbolism in the names of the gates! It has turned out to be my favorite chapter so far. :) God is incredibly amazing, huh? The big picture that He has shown me so far? Every gate has a symbolic correlation to our Christian walk on this earth. As I was studying, I found myself taking an imaginary, long, slow walk around this wall, stopping at each gate to pause and ponder that gate's significance in my life.
Historical Background: Nehemiah is extremely organized and meticulous in his plans--you can tell that he thinks out every detail before laying out his plan to rebuild. I am so impressed by that. As he (or the chronicler) is describing the rebuilding, they begin with the Sheep Gate and take us piece by piece all the way around the wall (in order) until we arrive back at the Sheep Gate. What is most astonishing is that each gate's name denotes its practical purpose, with absolutely NO spiritual or symbolic meaning intended by those who named it. HOWEVER, one cannot escape the depth of symbolism in these names. Having said that, several of the gates no longer exist, and even the ones that do exist have been rebuilt and renamed many times over the centuries. Even the exact location of some of the gates is disputed and debated.
Sheep Gate:
- This was the first gate that Nehemiah chose to rebuild.
- It was located near the temple.
- It is believed to be the gate through which offerings and sacrifices were brought into the temple.
- The high priest in charge of rebuilding this gate was Eliashib, which means "God restores."
- Symbolism (a lot of which will probably be obvious to you):
- There was probably a practical reason that Nehemiah chose to start with the Sheep Gate. Nehemiah was definitely a man of prayer and devoted to God, so he would want this gate rebuilt first so they could begin this daunting project by offering sacrifices to God at the temple. BUT, I was also struck with the fact that OBVIOUSLY our Christian journey also starts with accepting Jesus, who is the Lamb who was slain for us. He is the Sheep whose death on the cross takes away our sins, in the same way that the sacrifices offered by the Jews were meant to atone for their sins.
- Also, the fact that this gate leads to the temple (which is where God resided and where the Jews met with God) has symbolic meaning for us. Jesus is our "gateway" to God. Without Jesus, we would have no access to our Creator.
- In the same way that this was the gate by which sacrifices were brought in, we are called to be living sacrifices, laying ourselves down so that God can accomplish His purposes in and through us--we are to die to our own plans, desires, hopes, dreams, etc., and seek His plans and desires for us. Sometimes that is EXTREMELY hard for me.
- Also, even the name of the priest who rebuilt the gate has meaning for us. Astonishing. I'm sure that his parents had NO IDEA that their son's name would point to Jesus! :) Eliashib means "God restores" and that is exactly what Jesus accomplished on the cross: He restored our relationship with God through His sacrifice.
I don't know--maybe it's just me, but I find the depth of symbolism in the Bible amazing and awe-inspiring. I hope this did not bore you today--maybe you already knew it. And this is just the first gate!
In case you're like me and you find this fascinating, here are the main internet sources that I used in my research:
Source 1
Source 2
Source 3
In case you're like me and you find this fascinating, here are the main internet sources that I used in my research:
Source 1
Source 2
Source 3
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