In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed, that I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many”, and in chapter seven and verse three of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot”, where we read,
And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.
The verse reads, “And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot;” Nehemiah began with the words, “and I said unto them” or “and I, Nehemiah, uttered, declared and proclaimed to them, Hanani and Hananiah”, “let not the gates of Jerusalem” which means “do not allow or permit the entrances, portals or swinging doors belonging to Jerusalem whose name means teaching of peace and the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split” “be opened” or “exist as let loose and thrown open” “until the sun be hot” which means “till such time as the sun in the sky exists as warm and heated”. Nehemiah instructed “Hanani and Hananiah” not to “open” the portal entrances to “Jerusalem” until the “sun” in the sky was heated.
The verse continues, “and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem,” Nehemiah added the words, “and while they stand by” which means “and during the time they, the gatekeepers or portal guards, are presenting themselves or being present”,“let them shut the doors” or “allow and permit them, the gatekeepers, to close the entry portals”, “and bar them” which means “and fasten the entry portals or gates”: “and appoint watches” or “and erect and assign preserving guards” “of the inhabitants of Jerusalem” which means “pertaining to the belonging to dwellers and abiders within Jerusalem whose name means teaching of peace and is the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split”. Nehemiah said during the time the gatekeepers are stationed near the “doors”, they should close and secure them. Then they were to put guards in place from the people who dwell within “Jerusalem”.
Finally the verse says, “every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.” Nehemiah concluded this verse with the words, “every one in his watch” which means “each, the whole, all and everybody within his, the people's, protective guarding”, “and every one” or “and each, the whole, all and everybody” “to be over against his house” which means “to exist with what is in front and in the sight of his, the guarding person's, habitation, abode and dwelling place”. Nehemiah ended this verse by stating that each person guarding the gates and doors were to do so with what is in front and within the sight of their homes.
When we think through the words in this verse, we learn how Nehemiah continued to set up the leadership and watchers over the city of Jerusalem. He instructed his brother “Hanani” and reliable “Hananiah” not to open Jerusalem's portal entries till such time that the “sun” was heated in the sky, and they were to close and secure the portals while setting guards to watch the “doors” in the night time. Each of the individuals who were “watchers” were to protect the entrances near their homes, and because this would be the most important and easiest for them to protect, they would have great interest in keeping themselves safe. God knows how to keep us safe and secure, and He provides his wisdom to everyone who will yield their lives to His Son Jesus who died on the cross and was raised from the dead three days later. When we believe and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and provide His wisdom for managing and watching over our affairs when we call out to Him. (See James 1:5)
Next time Nehemiah said, “the city was large and great”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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