Don’t let the long, long, long, long, LONG list of names scare you off from reading Nehemiah 7! There’s still much to glean here.
Let’s refresh: Nehemiah has just finished the wall. This is a HUGE victory.
But you can’t just build a wall and then be done; walls require guarding and maintenance.
We all have gates. We must; living in this world, we are to protect a couple gates.
- Our eyes — Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. Psalm 119:37
- Our ears — Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge. Proverbs 23:12
- Our minds — Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2
- Our hearts — I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. Song of Solomon 8:4
- Our bodies — Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? 1 Corinthians 6:18-20
We allow all kinds of things into our lives. We listen to song lyrics and the advice of loved ones; we throw ourselves wholeheartedly into learning new skills and loving new people. We watch reels late into the night. We are allowing things into our lives all day, every day.
We must guard our gates by being strategic on . . .
WHEN WE OPEN THE GATE
Let not the gates … be opened until the sun is hot. Nehemiah 7:5
There is a time and place to open the gates. We don’t have to constantly be averting our eyes from every single thing, of course. Museums are full of beautiful art that add to life. We can learn a lot by listening to the life experience of others.
But, sometimes, it’s best to walk away from conversations that are getting explicit or gossip-ridden. Sometimes we let someone into our lives but realize their fruit is moldy, and we must move them back into an outer circle of our acquaintances.
We must pray that God will give discernment on when to open the gate . . . and when to close it.
WHO WILL OPEN THE GATE
Appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem . . . Nehemiah 7:3
The Bible is clear on one thing: we are not to open the gates of our lives to fools.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers. Psalm 1:1
This looks like allowing them to influence our lives by giving input and thus adjusting our lives. You’ve heard it before, and you’ll hear it a thousand times more: we become like the people we surround ourselves with.
Don’t allow fools to step inside.
HOW TO OPEN THE GATE
Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot. And while they are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors . . . some at their guard posts and some in front of their homes.
- DON’T open it when you’re vulnerable. Here, the gates aren’t to be open during the night (when the city is at its most vulnerable). Know your own vices, so you keep an extra careful watch on those vulnerabilities. Recognize when you’re in a dark place and more vulnerable to bad influences or ideas. It’s okay to keep the walls high and the gates closed sometimes to heal or just allow yourself a break from fighting.
- DON’T keep the door open. The guards weren’t content with just standing by a gate with a wide-open door. No! You gotta keep that door closed! This looks like not just allowing every single thing in. We have to learn to be more discerning. Ask questions, judge everything by biblical standards, and be picky with the people around you. Then, once they’ve passed the test and gotten a passport and gotten through the metal detectors, you can let these things in.
This isn’t a blog post to add more burdens to your life. I, too, was overwhelmed at one point when I realized how much JUNK there is trying to get through all my gates. But I realized that’s the whole point. Many things in life are hard to remind us that we need God Himself to help us.
He’s the one who will give discernment on what to let into our lives. He’s the one who will be the ultimate lock and key, the ultimate bar on the door. Trust Him with that, and see how blessed your life becomes.
