THURSDAY April 6, 2017
Building Stations
Beyond the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. After them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs in front of his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, made repairs. - Nehemiah 3:28-29
Nehemiah organized the people and he placed them at certain stations, like the Sheep Gate, at the north-east corner of the city. Interestingly there are ten different gates that are mentioned in the city. Each one of them has a symbolic meaning––spiritually speaking.
The Sheep Gate in Nehemiah 3:1 was where the animals––goats, sheep and lambs were taken through and brought into the temple to be sacrificed. Symbolically speaking, this gate reminds us of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29; John 5:2).
The Fish Gate was located on the west side from the Sheep Gate (Nehemiah 3:3). It was positioned after the tower of Meah, a Hebrew word for hundred and the tower of Hananel, which means in Hebrew God is gracious. The Fish Gate was not only where the fish were brought into the market place, but it speaks of a Christian who has become a fisher of men (Matthew 4:19). Incredibly the Fish Gate, in typology, speaks of soul winning, our evangelism––as we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
An interesting gate was the Old Gate recorded in Nehemiah 3:6, it was stationed in the northern quarter of the city, this gate symbolically speaks of reckoning the old man to be dead (Romans 6), whereby our old sinful nature is crucified.
As we begin to study the symbolic meaning of all these different gates, it would be good to ask ourselves these practical questions: Have you accepted Jesus Christ sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins? As a Christian are you sharing your faith with others? Are you living a crucified life?
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me…
~Galatians 2:20~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit Somebodylovesyouradio.org!