In the book of Nehemiah, Nehemiah returned to the city of Jerusalem and began to rebuild the wall. He used, “Eliashib and his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel. And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri. But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. And next unto them repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah, the son of Koz. And next unto them repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabeel. And next unto them repaired Zadok the son of Baana. And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord. Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the governor on this side the river. Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall, And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem. And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, even over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabniah. Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahathmoab, repaired the other piece, and the tower of the furnaces. And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters”,and in chapter three and verse thirteen of Nehemiah, Nehemiah said, “the valley gate repaired Hanun”, where we read,
The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate.
The verse reads, “The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah;” Nehemiah began with the words, “the valley gate” or “the portal, opening and entryway in the narrow or steep gorge” “repaired Hanun” which means “strengthened, hardened and made firm Hanun whose name means gracious”, “and the inhabitants” or “and the people who dwell, remain and abide” “of Zanoah” which means “belonging to Zanoah whose name means cast off which was a city in the low country of Judah”. Nehemiah shared how “Hanun” restored the portal at the narrow gorge alongside the people who lived in “Zanoah”.
The verse goes on to say, “they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate.” Nehemiah continued with the words, “they built it” or “they, Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah, reconstructed the valley gate”, “and set up the doors thereof” which means “and erected and stood up the swinging doors”, “the locks thereof” or “the bolts within the doors”, “and the bars thereof” which means “and the wooden bars within the doors”, “and a thousand cubits on the wall” or “and one thousand measures of about eighteen inches” “unto the dung gate” which means “until reaching the portal, opening an entryway to the ash heap, refuse heap, rubbish or filth”. Nehemiah shared how “Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah” rebuilt the wall, erected the portal doors within it, attached the bolts within the portal and affixed the wooden bars which helped to secure the doors, and they made repairs for one thousand cubits or about fifteen hundred feet until they reached the refuse gate.
When we think through the words in this verse, we learn through Nehemiah how “Hanun” and the people who lived in “Zanoah” worked on the “valley gate” and all it's components, and they made progress for about fifteen hundred feet along the wall. God involved these people to rebuild the protective wall for the people of Jerusalem, and He wants us to be involved in His Kingdom as well. When we surrender our lives to His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected from the grave three days later, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and equip us to produce and complete that which He desires in His Kingdom.
Next time Nehemiah says, “the dung gate repaired Malchiah”, 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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