Nehemiah 3--Gate Symbolism

Sorry for my long absence.  I didn't realize it had been so long.  Now that school is starting, I will probably only be posting once per week.  Life becomes so overwhelming during the school year.

This post will be about what God showed me this summer in Nehemiah 3.  I already mentioned the gate where Nehemiah began his rebuilding--the Sheep Gate.  I found that study to be fascinating.

The next gate that is rebuilt is the Fish Gate.  The Fish Gate was called such because it was the gate where the fish market was; people would go there to buy their fish.  This has obvious symbolism: once we have received Jesus (the Lamb who was slain for us), we have a duty to become "fishers of men," as Jesus told his disciples.  In fact, once we receive the amazing gift of salvation, we are usually so excited and grateful that we cannot wait to share our faith with others so that they, too, can have the same hope and joy as we do.  :)

The Israelites next concentrate on rebuilding the Old Gate.  There were various interpretations of this gate, but I believe that the one God showed me is that as we mature in our Christian walk, we begin to take off our "old self" with our sinful, destructive ways, and we slowly transform more and more into the person that God has created us to be.  Slowly our selfishness and other fleshly qualities begin to fade and we become more God-like in our character.  I always think of I Peter 3:3-5.  When I become discouraged because I am having such difficulty overcoming a negative character trait, I encourage myself by remembering who I was five years ago.  I have grown a lot even just over the past five years.  I tell myself that five years from now, if I continue to allow God to mold me, I will see more growth and maturity.

Next is the Valley Gate.  It was named such because it opened onto one of the valleys to the west of Jerusalem.  God showed me that the symbolic valleys that we walk through in this life are a natural and necessary part of our life.  These valleys, as difficult, traumatic, and painful as they are, slowly mold us and develop our strong character.  Through perseverance and faithful, unwavering dependence on Him, we are refined and purified.  I really fight the trials, but I will readily admit that without them I would not be the person or Christian that I am today.

The Refuse Gate is similar in symbolic importance as the Valley Gate.  This is where the trash was taken out of the city (I would not have wanted to live near there!).  As we walk through our valleys, God removes the dirt and rubbish from our character so that we can shine for Him and more fully accomplish His purpose for our lives.

There are still several gates to explain. I will do that in my next post.

I just find it fascinating that these people thought that the names of their gates were chosen for practical reasons (and they were), but that God planned them so that they would have a spiritual significance for us.  I find it interesting that these gates depict every aspect of our Christian walk. There is such a depth to the Bible!