Working Together for God
Today’s Daily Bible Reading is from Nehemiah 3:1-33. We see in this Scripture in the book of Nehemiah how the Jewish people dedicated to building the wall worked together to get the walls of the city of Jerusalem rebuilt.
They broke up the overall job into different parts and each part was assigned to a certain families or groups. Notice that the high priest was the first one mentioned in the list of people doing the work. He set the example for the rest of the men to follow.
The people sanctified their work to the LORD. Colossians 3:17, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” The city of Jerusalem and the walls of the city were important to God and the people recognized that and dedicated themselves to do this work for the LORD.
Let’s look at some of the gates of the city that are mentioned in this Scripture:
1) The Sheep Gate: This gate was probably where the shepherds fed the sheep. It reminds us that Jesus is the Lamb of God as we see in this Scripture John 1:29 says, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
2) The Fish Gate: This was close to the Fish Market.
3) The Valley Gate: This gate reminds us that even when we go through the valleys of life we don’t have to fear if we have the Lord by our side. Psalm 23:4 says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
4) The Dung Gate: You could probably smell this gate from far away.
5) The Horse Gate: This gate reminds us that we are soldiers in the army of God. They had to have a place to leave their horses.
6) The Gate of the Fountain: In this Scripture the LORD refers to himself as the fountain of living waters. Jeremiah 2:13 says, “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”
7) The Water Gate: This is probably the gate where the water was brought into the city. Water is for cleansing. Ephesians 5:26 says, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.”
8) The East Gate: This Scripture tells us that the LORD came into the house by the East Gate Ezekiel 43:4 says, “And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.”
As Christians we all have different gifts and different places in the body of Christ to build one another up and encourage each other in the work of the ministry. Ephesians4:11-12 reminds us of this, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
Notice that in verse 5 it says that the Tekoites were assigned a section of the wall, but their nobles didn’t take part in the project. What kind of example were they setting? When we all work together we can accomplish a lot more in less time. No doubt most of these men weren’t even builders, but they all came together to get the job done.
Some of the people worked on the walls, some worked on the gates, and some worked on the part of the wall that was closest to their homes. No matter what part they had, they were all assigned a certain part and were responsible for seeing that the work was completed. This was a team effort, but it was important for each person to do his part.
Nehemiah had a list of who was doing what part of the project, so they were all held accountable for their assignment. As you read through the Scripture you’ll notice that there were people from all different levels of society: there was the high priest, there were priests, there were rulers, and there were common men all working together to accomplish the work of the LORD.
Some of you who’ve been fortunate enough to visit the city of Jerusalem may recognize some of the places they’re talking about in this Scripture. Notice that Nehemiah takes us on a journey around the city wall. He starts with the Sheep Gate in verse 1 and goes all the way around the city wall and ends up back at the Sheep Gate in verse 32. This was a huge undertaking. The walls were tall and they were made of heavy stones that had to be placed one by one.
Daily Bible Reading:
Nehemiah 3: 1-33
1 Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with 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.
2 And next unto him builded the men of Jericho. And next to them builded Zaccur the son of Imri.
3 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.
4 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.
5 And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord.
6 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.
7 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.
8 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.
9 And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem.
10 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.
11 Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahathmoab, repaired the other piece, and the tower of the furnaces.
12 And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.
13 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.
14 But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Bethhaccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.
15 But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of Siloah by the king’s garden, and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.
16 After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Bethzur, unto [the place] over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty.
17 After him repaired the Levites, Rehum the son of Bani. Next unto him repaired Hashabiah, the ruler of the half part of Keilah, in his part.
18 After him repaired their brethren, Bavai the son of Henadad, the ruler of the half part of Keilah.
19 And next to him repaired Ezer the son of Jeshua, the ruler of Mizpah, another piece over against the going up to the armoury at the turning of the wall.
20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired the other piece, from the turning of the wall unto the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest.
21 After him repaired Meremoth the son of Urijah the son of Koz another piece, from the door of the house of Eliashib even to the end of the house of Eliashib.
22 And after him repaired the priests, the men of the plain.
23 After him repaired Benjamin and Hashub over against their house. After him repaired Azariah the son of Maaseiah the son of Ananiah by his house.
24 After him repaired Binnui the son of Henadad another piece, from the house of Azariah unto the turning [of the wall], even unto the corner.
25 Palal the son of Uzai, over against the turning [of the wall], and the tower which lieth out from the king’s high house, that was by the court of the prison. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh.
26 Moreover the Nethinims dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that lieth out.
27 After them the Tekoites repaired another piece, over against the great tower that lieth out, even unto the wall of Ophel.
28 From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house.
29 After them repaired Zadok the son of Immer over against his house. After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate.
30 After him repaired Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, another piece. After him repaired Meshullam the son of Berechiah over against his chamber.
31 After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith’s son unto the place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants, over against the gate Miphkad, and to the going up of the corner.
32 And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants.
Things to think about:
- Have you ever visited the city of Jerusalem? If not, would you like to and why?
- Have you ever had the opportunity of working with people from different walks of life? If so, what are the benefits?
- What blessings have you received from working together with other believers?
- Did it matter what kind of project you worked on?
Prayer of the Day:
Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank You for this Scripture in the book of Nehemiah where we see how the people came together to accomplish the project You laid on Nehemiah’s heart. Help us as Christians to encourage one another and to come together to accomplish the work of Your Kingdom. Help us to be responsible and do our part. We love You, LORD. Amen.
This is an excerpt from:
The Book of Nehemiah: A Story of Dedication and Determination
by Deborah H. Bateman
**Click on the link above to get your copy.
Christian Music Video: “There is Power” – Lincoln Brewster
Featured Book:
The Book of Nehemiah: A Story of Dedication and Determination
by Deborah H. Bateman
About the Book:
The Book of Nehemiah: A Story of Dedication and Determination is a Daily Bible Reading Study of the book of Nehemiah by Deborah H. Bateman. The book of Nehemiah is found in the Old Testament of the Bible. Nehemiah was led by God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah was a great leader. He headed up the project. Despite the opposition that the Jewish people encountered they were able to complete this major project in less than sixty days. Their dedication and determination shines through in every aspect of the project.
The Book of Nehemiah: A Story of Dedication and Determination contains eighteen Daily Bible Reading Lessons. Each lesson contains a brief commentary by the author, the Daily Bible Reading Scripture, a few questions for contemplation or discussion and a prayer for the day. This is a great Bible study that can be used for either a personal Daily Bible Reading Study or for a group Bible study.
Go to Amazon to download your copy!
Have a blessed day,
Deborah
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