Gated Community

Then Eliashib the high priest arose with his brothers the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They consecrated the wall to the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel. Next to him the men of Jericho built, and next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built. (Nehemiah 3:1-2)

A gated community needs a significant and substantial gate.  It is significant that the priests repaired the Sheep Gate and significant that the name of the High Priest is mentioned. The Lord, our Shepherd, the Great High Priest, is also called the Door of the sheep. In His great redemptive and restorative work He became the entrance for us, the sheep of God's pasture. This gate is substantial because no man comes to the Father except through the Son. The way to God's place and God's presence was not accessible or even visible until Someone hung the gate... Someone hung the Door. The cross is where the door of the sheep was consecrated and sanctified through sacrifice. The cross is symbolic of an entryway from ruin to restoration. From helplessness to hope. In Nehemiah's timeframe in Jerusalem, repairs were necessary because something was broken. And it was more than a wall. There was a broken sense of community amidst personal responsibility that suffered disrepair. The effort of the community is seen here with a common purpose. The walls and gates were repaired. The officials and their offspring were involved. Even the daughters were working. It seems that the community responsibility for the walls and gates was immediate. And the personal responsibility for the area around their house was assigned. It is here that we see that we are personally and corporately responsible as people of God for our lives. If someone neglects their section of wall, the whole community suffers. They are at risk from marauding bands who are not concerned with their wellbeing. We also cannot give ourselves to community at the expense of personal family responsibility. It is often here that we as God's people fail miserably. It can come as the greatest shock that someone's family disintegrates, falls apart from neglect, while the leader of the family is so devoted to church life. Our first calling is to our family. Strong and secure families make strong and secure communities. They were not only trusting in God to rebuild the wall, they were trusting in the effort of God's people. God would help them rebuild. But He wasn't going to lay the stones. They had to work at their part. We need to hear that today. We are given something that is precious. It should bother us to see God's intended honor, His spiritual treasures, that which we have been given as God's people fall into disrepair, disgrace, and reproach. It bothered Nehemiah greatly. It kept him up at night. The condition of God's people in which He has placed His name to dwell should bear heavy on us. We are not who we used to be or supposed to be. We have become a symbol of irrelevance and the name of our God is a mockery. So how does the wall look adjacent to your house? Is your neighbor's trash blowing into your domain? If your property is secured, are you helping your neighbor? Are they part of the community of the people of God? Does this concern you? If God were to change the nature of your neighbor, the strength of your community would increase. Sounds like a wise investment. Are you representing the Door of the Sheep well? Are you easily accessible and able to share the truth about how one enters the Kingdom of God? The Truth is the Door…tell ‘em about Jesus, the Great High Priest who is our Shepherd. We are the sheep of His pasture.