THE BUILDING OF THE WALL, NEHEMIAH 3
THE BUILDING OF THE WALL, NEHEMIAH 3
It is well to keep in mind that the gates set forth the way by which we enter into what is of God; certain principles being set forth in the different gates, and these principles have to be set up and maintained in our souls if we are to have access to the precious privileges which are the portion of the saints. The teaching of the gates is of the greatest importance for us all. The crowning point in connection with the gates of the [p. 474] city is the fountain-gate, which seems to be connected with the Spirit and therefore requires spiritual persons to enter into it. The previous gates would indicate how spirituality is developed and maintained, which is by separation and by that spirit of self-humbling set forth in the valley-gate, and the refusal of all that would give us self-importance as set forth in the dung-gate. These things would give us spirituality, which we require in order to enter into what is set forth in the fountain-gate.
The apostle says in Philippians, “I count also all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord”. That is the dung-gate. All those things which would give him importance as a man in the flesh he absolutely rejects as filth; all had to go out by the dung-gate. That is very important. We all have to learn it; we all have points by which self-importance would come in. Peter was anxious to retain his reputation as a good Jew, but it had to go out by the dung-gate. These things which the apostle called filth are things which people would be proud of, not ashamed of. The things we are proud of are more offensive to God than anything else.
Uzziah did not make use of the valley-gate; his heart was lifted up to his destruction. That is true of any of us, and therefore the valley-gate is most important. When the disciples asked the Lord who was the greatest, He set a little child in their midst and said, “Unless ye are converted and become as little children, ye will not at all enter into the kingdom of the heavens. Whoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of the heavens”, Matthew 18: 3, 4. That is the answer in the New Testament to the valley-gate. These warnings are for us and stand in connection with the principles of christian fellowship. That is the teaching of this chapter; it sets forth in a symbolical way the great principles of fellowship, how we walk together as a united company in separation from the world, which the wall speaks of, and in humbling ourselves and refusing all that the flesh boasts in, so that we become spiritual. None of us would like to be stamped permanently with the character of being carnal.
In the fountain-gate we come to what requires spirituality. If we do not walk in separation and humility, refusing all that would make something of the flesh, we shall not be spiritual,
[p. 475] and we shall not enjoy the spiritual privileges connected with the fellowship. None of us should merely be content with knowing we have the Spirit, and perhaps be grieving Him all the time.
A man who has been through these three gates, a man who walks in holy separation from the world, refusing all that gives importance to the flesh, that man is a spiritual man. It is a very practical exercise. If we are not enjoying the spiritual gain of the fellowship it is a sad condition to be in. The Lord said in John, “the water which I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life”; that is the fountain-gate. It is the only one of the gates said to be covered, suggesting that it speaks of what is not public; it is only known privately by those who enter. What is spiritual is private; it belongs to the spiritual. It says distinctly that the natural man cannot know the things of God. That is what is suggested by being covered; it is not an open and public matter, but private. The saints as walking together in the fellowship have secret joys known only to themselves, and a stranger does not meddle with them. We do not want to go on only outwardly with things, but inwardly. What is the good of fellowship if we are not going on with the inward joys of it? It is an empty form, and all becomes formal, orthodox and dry. The spiritual side of the fellowship is only known by the spiritual; it is a private matter. This should have a great effect on the service of God. When they carried the tabernacle through the wilderness, all was covered, showing that the holy things are not to be exposed, they are to be covered.
The public witness is maintained as we walk in separation. Separation of walk is very important, and then a lowly spirit of dependence on God for everything, refusing all the pride of the flesh. All these enter into the public witness. The instruction of this chapter is to show how the things of God are maintained in separation from everything else. The principles on which they are entered into are set forth in the gates. A spiritual person is a testimony all the time.
Then there is a spiritual ministry set forth in the pool of Siloam. It is necessary to be spiritual to enjoy the ministry. Carnal people could not enjoy spiritual ministry. The ministry of Christ is found within the circle of christian fellowship. The word ‘Siloam’ means ‘sent’. The prophet Isaiah refers to it when he says, “this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah which flow softly”, Isaiah 8: 6. They set forth the precious ministry of Christ coming out through Isaiah. Where does the precious ministry of Christ come from today? That is what we are to be after. We are very dependent on spiritual ministry for ability to see things. People who pay no attention to ministry never see anything. The blind man washed at the pool of Siloam and came seeing. We are told too what he did see; he saw Christ. How he grew in his apprehension of Him! He began by saying, “a man called Jesus”, and he finished by worshipping Him as the Son of God. That was the result of washing at the pool of Siloam. The thing is to wash in the ministry and that means that the Person of Christ becomes great to us. We must allow the ministry to exercise its power on us so that we get an apprehension of Christ that is of a spiritual order; that is most important. If we walk together in the fellowship, what is our object? It ought to be that we want all to be where the waters of Siloam flow softly. The pool of Siloam is a type of all spiritual ministry. We ought to look and pray for more spiritual ministry. We should not come together for a reading without exercise that there should be spiritual ministry. If the waters of Siloam do not flow in the meetings for ministry, we shall find that the saints will not come.
The king’s garden is another thing. These are a beautiful collection of spiritual thoughts which are most instructive. All spiritual ministry has in view that we come under the influence of impressions of Christ; the result of that will be that there will be something for His pleasure, and that is the king’s garden. The Song of Songs speaks of that in chapter 4: 12. All this is the spiritual side of the fellowship; there is a fresh action of the Holy Spirit in connection with the fountain and there is spiritual ministry at the pool of Siloam, a ministry sent from the Lord. That is what we want on all occasions, not a ministry that a brother has looked up before he came. The result is that spiritual features are developed which become delightful to the Lord as His garden. The Lord looks at each one, and points out something beautiful to Him about each one. He views the saints as having features proper to His sister or spouse. We should all covet to have these features so as to be conscious that the Lord loves us. John speaks of himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. John was conscious all the time that Jesus loved him because he was lovable. The Lord saw John as a beautiful plant in His garden. So with Peter,
who at one time said, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee”. The Lord delighted in that. Thomas, also, said, “Let us also go, that we may die with him”. The Lord appreciated that and loved him for it. The king’s garden speaks of the saints as attractive to the Lord, so that what goes on all the week enters into this. What has the Lord seen in me all the week to make Him pleased to see me come in at the door on Lord’s day morning? Has He seen me do an act of kindness for His sake, or speak of Him, or help some poor needy saint? Have we found pleasure in reading the Word and ministry of His servants? All these things enter into what the saints are as the king’s garden. These are the fruits that come out and bring pleasure to the Lord, and then He delights to see us come in at the door on Lord’s day morning. He will say something about every brother or sister. We can all bring forth something as the king’s garden. There are some choice things contributed by sisters, Hannah’s song and Mary’s and Deborah’s. There are many hymns written in our hymn-book by sisters. There is something for the Lord in all that. It is not simply what we say to Him when we come together; the Lord looks at what we have been in our homes and business life, the things that He can have pleasure in all the time. All that enters into the king’s garden.
This brings out in a figurative way the features and gain of the christian fellowship and what the Lord gets through the saints walking together in the christian fellowship. This refers to our actual responsible life here; sisters are not to speak in the assembly, but that does not say they are not to bring rich contributions to the assembly. The hymns written by sisters are a rich contribution to the assembly. Every sister should covet to bring a rich contribution.
We have the general thought of the fountain-gate, and then certain things associated with it, and then there is a beautiful suggestion that we are not to stop on that level, precious as it is. The stairs go down, but they are used for going up. The actual use of the stairs was for going up, showing that there is something higher and more spiritual than anything mentioned yet — something we have to go up to. Paul could not speak of those things to the Corinthians; they were not spiritual enough. “Revealed to us by his Spirit” is apostolic. If we are in the gain of the christian fellowship and all that is spiritual in that fellowship, that is not the end. God has something more [p. 478] wonderful and precious still to set forth in these stairs, which go down from the city of David. It refers to what is connected with Christ as no longer known after the flesh, what is connected with Christ in His precious place as risen and glorified, which is outside all here, even the christian fellowship. The Supper should be the King’s garden. Brothers and sisters, having been delightful to the Lord through the week, come together to remember Him and eat His supper. That is all connected with the fellowship. But it is possible, after that experience, blessed as it is, to go up to another level. The depths of God are what God has cherished in His love and thoughts before the foundation of the world. The depths of God bring out the greatest heights; if we go down to the depths in the heart of God we come to the highest point of blessing. The youngest of us should understand that is something different from the fellowship. In the fellowship we come together to break bread as people who have pleased the Lord all the week. If we have not, we shall give Him no pleasure when we come together. We break bread to remember the Lord and praise Him; all that is connected with the fellowship, but then there is something else which the Lord would have us think about. There is another region which speaks of our being risen with Christ. That is wholly spiritual because we are not actually risen; it is outside the range of mind and sense and all that is natural. Scripture speaks of our being made to sit down together in the heavenlies, and we have to go up the stairs for that.
This chapter presents a wonderful picture designed by the Spirit of God to help us as to the fellowship. We must all recognise that there is no reality in it if we do not take character from these things. It is a matter for prayer with each of us; we do not set up to say these things are true but to earnestly desire that they may be true. We have to build these different gates, make these principles good in our own souls. This chapter is what the saints do; it is the responsible side. Nehemiah saw how all was broken down and he went to work so that what was broken down might be built up.
All this is most important for all of us. If I was converted only last night, it applies to me to be in separation from the world and from all that is displeasing to God. I am to walk in spiritual humility, refusing what makes much of myself, then I shall want to enjoy and get the spiritual gain of the christian fellowship. It is for new-born babes to go in for these things as well as for us all.