Nehemiah

I am so grateful that I get to teach seminary this year. I am mostly grateful because my disdain for the Old Testament has turned into a love. There are so many great things to be discovered there. This week we were studying Nehemiah and I found out that he was incredible. He was a great leader. He loved the people. He was a motivator and humble. He was the cup bearer for the king which meant that he was the only one who gave the king drink to make sure it wasn't poisoned. He lived a pretty comfortable life, but when he finds out about his people and their living conditions in Jerusalem he is so moved that he mourns and fasts and prays. He heads back and motivates them to rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem. I learned that the gates are incredibly symbolic of our spiritual progression in this life. Kind of a secret map for us to discover to be able to protect ourselves in this life.

Here is what I learned about each of the gates:
Sheep gate- This is the first gate and was where the sheep and goats were brought in for sacrifice. It is symbolic of Christ and the 1st step to progress spiritually is to learn of Him.
Fish gate- This gate was used by the fishermen to bring in their catch from the sea of Galilee to be sold. It is symbolic of us becoming fishers of men which is the thing most of us want to do once we learn the truth.
Old gate- This was possibly one of the original gates that were made. It is symbolic of truth being eternal or old. The Lord's ways are ancient (Jere, 6:16). Too many people are looking for something new or trying to change truth but God is unchangeable and so is his doctrine.
Valley gate- This gate opens out to the valley of Himnon and there is quite a distance between it and the Old gate. It is symbolic of the valley journey's we take in this life. Nothing grows on the tops of mountains but everything grows in the Valley. It is symbolic of personal growth through life experiences.
Dung gate- This gate was used to take all the refuse and rubbish to the valley of Himnon to be burned. This is symbolic of our need to remove the rubbish from our lives through repentance. Also we have refiners fires that purify us. There is also a 'turning of the corner' right after the dung gate.
Fountain gate- This gate is located neat the pool of Shiloah and was where people would clean themselves before entering the temple. This gate is located closely to the dung gate and symbolizes that once the rubbish is removed fountains begin to flow quickly. In Joh 7:38 we learn of stream of living water flowing from us. Once we are clean wonderful things began to happen!
Water gate- This gate was used to go to the Gihon Spring in the valley of Kidron to get water. We need continual water to stay alive and the same applies for us spiritually. That water is given to us through the Spirit as we study the scriptures. We are continually fed through the Spirit and never need to thirst and we study the Word of God.
Horse gate- Horses were symbolic of warfare. This gate was close to the king's stables and the men going to war would ride their horses from here. The war in heaven is still going on, it has just changed locations. We are at battle with the adversary. He does not want us to enjoy the blessings of the Fountain and Water gates. There will always be opposition when we are on the right track. We are at war.
East gate- The East gate is located on the opposite side of the Mount of Olives. Eze. 44:1-3 tells us that the gate was not to be used because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it. It is symbolic of His 2nd coming. When He returns it will be to the Mount of Olives. It is a reminder that Christ will come again.
Inspection gate- This gate is also known as the Miphkad gate. Miphkad is a Hebrew word with military connection. David would meet his troops here to inspect them. For us it is symbolic of the inspection or examination of our lives. There will be a judgement day but we can analyze and recommit ourselves all the time.
Then we come again to the Sheep gate. We always begin and end with Christ! Once the gates and walls were rebuilt they were protected again. We can look at Nehemiah chapter 3 and see what we need to do to be fully protected. I love those treasures found in the scriptures. The hidden maps that the Lord has left every where to point us to Him and happiness. It's so great!

The symbolism is so perfect and now I want to go to Jerusalem and to each gate!