| “They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded [those who helped to place loads on others], everyone with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon” (Nehemiah 4:17). |
| One of the things about which Nehemiah was very concerned was that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down, and everything there was in a mess. Also, some of the gates of the city had been burned. As we have already said, it had been that way for more than 130 years, and no one had had the energy to clean up the mess, and rebuild the wall. It was a disgrace, and Nehemiah wanted to do something about it. |
| In Nehemiah 3 we read about the building of the wall, and I would suggest that you read this chapter. See if you can find the names of the ten gates in the wall that are mentioned in the chapter. They all have a meaning, but there is not room in our outline today to go into all of those meanings. In addition to the names of the ten gates, there are a lot of details about those who built the wall, how much they did, and how they did it. But everyone worked hard, and each did something, until the wall was finished. |
| The wall is a picture of separation from this world, and protection. Nehemiah realized that even though they had already rebuilt the temple about 65-70 years before, the city was not safe unless they rebuilt the wall as well. This is a good lesson for us too, for we need to be separate from this world if we are going to worship the Lord properly, and serve Him. We do not build a literal wall of bricks and mortar, but we need to walk in separation from this world. |
| However, if you read some of the other chapters in Nehemiah, such as chapter four and chapter six, you will see that some of the people who lived in the land of Israel were not at all happy to see the wall rebuilt. Some men came and tried to hinder the work, and even threatened to attack those who were working. That is why it was necessary for Jews to work with a tool in one hand, and a weapon in the other. |
| This is a picture of how we ought to live as believers too. We do not carry actual weapons, but when we work for the Lord, we need to be on guard, as Satan has those who will try and hinder the work of the Lord, just as they did in Nehemiah’s day. |
