GUARDING the DOORS of our LIVES

 

May 19 Bible Reading: Nehemiah Chapters 7-9

GUARDING the DOORS of our LIVES

And I (Nehemiah) said to them, "Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them shut and bar the doors; and appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, one at his watch station and another in front of his own house." (Neh. 7:3)

Bruce Wilkinson says this about Ezra and Nehemiah..."While Ezra deals primarily with the religious restoration of God's people, Nehemiah is concerned with the political, geographical, and economic restoration. The first seven chapters (of the book of Nehemiah) are devoted to the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls because Jerusalem was the political and spiritual center of God's people. Without walls, Jerusalem could hardly be considered a city at all. Ezra and Nehemiah worked together to rebuild the people spiritually and morally so that the restoration would be complete."

The focus of rebuilding activities in Nehemiah is on the walls of Jerusalem. The walls of the city had lain in ruins since 586 B.C. Then Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had breached them, entered Jerusalem, burned the temple, carried most of the remaining Jews off to Babylon, and knocked the walls down. Consequently the few Jews who remained could not defend themselves (2 Kings 25:1-11). The returned exiles had attempted to rebuild the walls in or shortly after 458 B.C., but that project had failed because of local opposition (Ezra 4:12, 23). However, despite much opposition from Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem, Nehemiah and the Jews had now finally rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and hung the doors securing the city.

Nehemiah, having finished the wall, returned to the Persian court, and came to Jerusalem again with a new commission. He knew that the safety of a city, under God, depends more upon the inhabitants than upon its walls. That is the reason that he instructed his brother Hanani and Hananiah (the leader of the citadel) that they should take utmost care to shut the gates of Jerusalem and stand guard both at the watch station and in front of every house. Only the doors should be opened during clear and broad daylight when the people are ready in case of an assault from the enemy. (Neh. 7:2-3). As Isaiah 62:6 tell us: "I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent."

We need to understand that our safety depends on how well we guard ourselves and our family against sin. We should always guard the doors of our lives, and not allow Satan to make any inroads as we set our minds on things above and not on things on the earth (Col. 3:2). Let’s pay attention to the following words as we guard the doors of our lives: "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him." (Col. 3:5-10)