After three days, without pomp or ceremony, Nehemiah takes a few men and surveys Jerusalem under the cover of night. No doubt the reasons were twofold: firstly, he did not want to arouse the opposition of the enemy, and secondly, he did not want to either excite or create fear in the hearts of the people. The remnant had lived under these deplorable circumstances and seemed resigned to them.
One can imagine being with Nehemiah on that night. It is dark; the scene is lit, perhaps by the moon, perhaps by lamps, but wherever we go, ruin is visible — great stones lie in the valleys, blackened pillars indicate where gates once stood. The walls of the city, designed to protect, are broken down. The gates which provided access are burnt with fire. When we arrive at the gate of the fountain and the King’s pool, we do not find “a garden inclosed ... a spring shut up, a fountain sealed” (Song of Sol. 4:12), but rather, the destruction is so great that the way is impassable.
The brighter the light shines on that dark night, the greater the exposé of the ruin. It is no different in our day; the brighter the light of the Word of God, the greater the evidence of the ruin. Whatever testimony there is to the true nature of the church, the great house character of Christendom will be more vividly highlighted. Many Christians are, sadly, indifferent to the state of things, or worse still, so blind that they actually believe that all is well: “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” (Rev. 3:1717Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: (Revelation 3:17)).