8/30/13- Lift Up Your Heads You Mighty Gates

28 Above the Horse Gate, the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. 29 Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shekaniah, the guard at the East Gate, made repairs. 30 Next to him, Hananiah son of Shelemiah, and Hanun, the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. Next to them, Meshullam son of Berekiah made repairs opposite his living quarters.31 Next to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the room above the corner; 32 and between the room above the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and merchants made repairs. (Nehemiah 3:28-32)

Thoughts: The repairs continued going all the way back to the Sheep Gate up north.  The gate of the east (vs. 29) was the golden gate that the Messiah was supposed to go through (Ezekiel 43:4) and was the gate Jesus entered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday from the Mount of Olives and straight into the Temple courts (Lk. 19; Mk. 11).  Ezekiel prophesied that this gate would remain shut after God entered through it (44:1,2).  Today the Muslims have walled up the golden gate that Jesus entered through. It appears that people made repairs in front of their own house for the most part and others filled in when there was no house owner to repair the wall.  Chapter three completes a circle of the new city Nehemiah was walling in.  It was not nearly as big as the old, and not nearly as big as Jerusalem in the time of Jesus or the current city of Jerusalem (see picture below.  But the beginning of the wall enabled the existence of the city.  If there was no wall around that small section of Jerusalem then, Jesus may not have entered into Jerusalem 400 years later.  The work we do today has consequences far beyond what we will see.  

Prayer: Enter into my heart, Lord Jesus.  May my heart be an open gate for you.  

(Above the Golden (Eastern) Gate to Jerusalem- walled off now). 

Click here to hear "Lift Up Your Heads O Ye Gates" by George F. Handel