There is a beautiful picture in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah of God’s people Israel, and how they valued the place where He had put His name. Jerusalem was the city which He had chosen. We know that because of their failure, God had allowed them to be carried into captivity, and they had been in Babylon for 70 years. When that time was up, God in His goodness raised up those who cared about His name and about Jerusalem. In the book of Ezra we have a group of these people coming back and building the house (the temple). In Nehemiah we have the building of the wall. God stirred up the heart of Nehemiah, and others too, to build the wall because the enemy would never leave the people of God alone. He would always seek to attack, so Nehemiah and others were stirred up to rebuild the wall. More than 130 years before, it had all had been broken down, and it took real energy of faith to rebuild.
The first thing they did (in the first verse) was, “They builded the sheep gate.” I’m sure all of us can see the significance of this because the Lord Jesus is the good Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep. There were no locks and bars on this gate. How wonderful it is that the gospel message goes out to whosoever will, telling sinners the way of salvation and how they may enter by the sheep gate. They may come as lost sheep and be claimed and brought into blessing by the One who is the good Shepherd. So we see them building the sheep gate.
Perhaps that would bring before us, brethren, the great importance of gospel work, because all of us who are here tonight that are saved (and I trust we all are saved) had to make that start. What was the start? It was to enter by the sheep gate, to come as lost sheep to the good Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep. So they built this sheep gate and then it says, “They sanctified it unto the tower of Hananeel. And next unto him builded the men of Jericho.” We know that Jericho in the Bible was the city of the curse and God pronounced a curse upon the one who rebuilt that city after the children of Israel had entered Canaan and destroyed Jericho. God brought a curse on this world too, and it is under the judgment of God. When the Lord Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He pronounced judgment upon this world. He said, “Now is the judgment of this world” (John 12:3131Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. (John 12:31)). The judgment has been pronounced. The judge has been appointed. “He [God] has appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:3131Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:31)).
But thank God the message of grace still goes out, and just as in that city of Jericho before it fell, there was a place of shelter for anyone who wanted to enter. It is beautiful that in Joshua we read that in the home of Rahab the harlot, where the scarlet line was, whosoever was there would be safe. Whosoever was not there would be exposed to the judgment that fell upon the city (Josh. 2:1818Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee. (Joshua 2:18)). So, it says in our chapter, the men of Jericho builded it. That is what you and I were, but God has saved us. He has brought us from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God. Isn’t it wonderful those words: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:11There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1))? It doesn’t say there are any locks and bars in that particular gate because God is always willing and desiring the blessing of all. “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:1717And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17)).
G. H. Hayhoe (adapted)