Nehemiah.3:1-32 The 10 Gates CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
The gates in Nehemiah 3 represent the spiritual growth and development of a child of God – as these gates are in the wall around Jerusalem and whereas New Jerusalem is our mother [Gal 4:26], we can see the typology connected with the names of these gates and the order in which they are repaired. Notice:
The Sheep Gate – v.1 – before we were saved we were like a wild ass’s colt [Job 11:12] and had to be redeemed [Ex 34:20] – after we were saved by the Lamb of God [Jn 1:29] we became one of the Lord’s sheep [Jn 10] – and so to grow as a Christian you first need to be saved and be a sheep.
The Fish Gate – v.3 – the first thing we need to do after getting saved is to start telling others about Jesus – we need to go fishing for men [Matt 4:19].
The Old Gate – v.6 – the next thing we need to do is find and walk in the “old paths” [Jer 6:16] – people are too quick to assume that a young Christian won’t stick unless he is in a contemporary church – not true – in a contemporary church he will remain a babe in Christ – he needs to follow the old paths [KJV, hymns, prayer meeting, sound preaching, and doctrinal Bible teaching] in order to grow.
The Valley Gate – v.13 – this is the gate that represents humility – in order for a Christian to serve God he has to humble himself like Jesus did [Matt 20:26-28; Phil 2:5-8; 1 Pet 5:5-6].
The Dung Gate – v.13 – sin and trash in your life will keep you from growing and will hinder your walk with God – get out the dung of your old life [Phil 3:8-10] and cleanse yourself from all the filthiness of your flesh and spirit [2 Cor 7:1].
The Gate of the Fountain – v.15 – the next thing in the list has to do with the Holy Spirit – you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit [Eph 5:18] – Jesus said that when a man believes on him, “out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water,” [Jn 7:37-39].
The Water Gate – v.26 – this is the gate that represents the word of God [Eph 5:26, Jn 15:3] – you need to stay in the word of God on a daily basis in order to have the fulness of eternal life – when you find yourself apart from the word of God, something in your life is inhibiting your desire to read and study – usually the culprit is sin.
The Horse Gate – v.28 – when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to this earth, he is going to be riding a white horse [Rev 19:11] and we are going to follow him on white horses [Rev 19:14] – so we are soldiers in an army that must fight now and keep fighting all the way through the second advent [2 Tim 2:3-4].
The East Gate – v.29 – this is significant of the second coming of Jesus because he will enter Jerusalem through the east gate [Ezek 43:1-5] – from there he will rule the world [Is 9:6-7].
The Gate Miphkad – v.31 – Miphkad means, “muster, gather, appoint” – after Jesus takes the throne of David in Jerusalem, he will assign responsibilities to his saints that have served him well [Lk 19:11-27] – and we will rule and reign with him on the earth as kings and priests [Rev 1:5-6, 5:8-10].