(Neh. 3:)
(Continued from page 246.)
Thus we pass on our journey round the walls, and come next to
THE GATE OF THE FOUNTAIN
"The gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of Col-hozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah:" (ver. 15).
This is surely in beautiful order. First, the body owned as the Lord's; 2d, humility; 3d, judgment of what is unclean ; and now, the freshness and power of the Holy Spirit in the life ; for of this, clearly, the Gate of the Fountain speaks to us.
It has been asserted by many that until the Christian surrenders himself fully to God, he does not receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This is a mistake, " If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His" (Rom. 8:9); "After that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:13)-sealed, too, "until the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30); "Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts" (Gal. 4:6).
But that there is often in the experience of many what looks, indeed, like a "second blessing," no observant believer can deny. What is really meant by it? Simply this:that though the Holy Spirit indwells all children of God in this dispensation, yet in many worldliness and self-pleasing are so characteristic that He who should control us for Christ, and fill us with freshness and power as He ministers Christ to our souls, is become like a fountain choked with stones and rubbish, and thus the life is barren and the testimony powerless. Awakened at last to see the folly of such a life of uselessness to God and reproach to Christ, the saint humbles himself in self-judgment, the filth is put away, and now the once-choked fountain is running over, and the Spirit of God in power takes control of the believer to use him for the Lord's glory, and to make him a vessel of refreshment to others. There is a fountain of living water within, and out of his inward parts flow rivers of living water for others (John 7:38).
" Be ye filled with the Spirit" is a word the importance of which cannot be overestimated. May every child of grace go on to know more of it in power as he walks in obedience to the word of God! For there are two things that in Scripture are practically inseparable:I refer to the Spirit and the Word. A Spirit-filled Christian will be a Word-filled Christian.
THE WATER GATE
"Moreover the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel, unto the place over against the water gate toward the east, and the tower that lieth out" (ver. 26).
The Nethinim were servants, and it is meet that they build up the Water Gate, for water is very generally a type of the word o£ God. "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way ? By taking heed thereto according to Thy Word " (Ps. 119, 9).
"Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the Word," etc. (Eph. 5:25, 26.)
It is remarkable that what in Ephesians is connected with the Spirit, is in Colossians joined to the Word.
Compare Eph. 5:18, 20, with Col. 3:16. Both alike are a source of joy and blessing. And we need not wonder at this similarity in effect, for of the Word it is said, "Holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
In chap. 8:of this book (Nehemiah) we see all the people gathered together "as one man into the street that was before the water gate," there to listen to the reading of the word of God. The result is joy and blessing.
O fellow-believer, I beseech you, "meditate on these things, give thyself wholly to them," and thus '' let the word of Christ dwell in you richly," for '' all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). This, then, is the servant's furnishing. He is to study to show himself "approved unto God, a work man that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth."
And this means far more than reading books, however helpful, written on the Bible. It necessitates diligent, painstaking study of the sacred Word itself. Other books may help, often, to lead out the mind on certain broad lines, but the Book must supersede them all if there is to be real growth in the knowledge of God.
By this alone will you overcome the wicked one, if "the word of God abideth in you " (i John 2:14).
It is this that fits us to carry out the lesson suggested by
THE HORSE GATE.
"From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house " (ver. 28).
The horse is used with striking frequency in Scripture as a figure of the warrior.
It is so described in Job 39:19-25, where " He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha! and he smelleth the battle afar off." In Zech. 1:8, and in Rev. 6:, we read of four symbolic horses, which speak of warrior powers; and when the eternal Word of God, clad in blood-dipped vesture, descends from heaven to the battle preceding the awful supper of the great God, at the beginning of the Millennium, He is seen in vision riding on a white horse, and the saints are seen similarly mounted.
The ass is the symbol of peace; the horse, of war. When the Prince of peace rode into Jerusalem of old, it was on the ass. When He comes to judgment, it is on the horse.
The Horse Gate may speak, then, of soldier-service in a world opposed to God and His truth. It bids us '' earnestly contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints " (Jude 3, R. V.).
The truth has been given to us at great cost, not only to the One who is Himself "The Truth;" but for its preservation, and recovery when lost at times, myriads of warrior-saints have suffered and died.
Alas that we, children of such glorious sires, should so lightly value what to them was dearer than life!
We live in a day, not so much of open persecution, as of laxity and latitudinarianism. We are affected much by the spirit of the times. Hence there are few among us who, like that mighty man of old, grasp the sword of the Spirit to defend the truth of God, and fight till the hand cleaves to the very weapon it holds. (See 2 Sam. 23:9, 10.) But God's Eleazars will have rich reward in the day when many will be saved, but so as by fire.
Let me quote here the words of another, which might well be written in letters of living fire:
"Renounce all the policy of the age. Trample upon Saul's armor. Grasp the book of God. Trust the Spirit who wrote its pages. Fight with this weapon only and always. Cease to amuse, and seek to arouse. Shun the clap of a delighted audience, and listen for the sobs of a convicted one. Give up trying to please men who have only the thickness of their ribs between their souls and hell; and warn, and plead, and entreat, as those who feel the waters of eternity creeping upon them."* *Archibald Brown, London.*
And remember, beloved, as you fight, that the day of testimony for God is fast passing away. It will
soon be too late to stand for the truth, and too late to minister Christ to needy souls.
Of this we are reminded as we pass on to
THE EAST GATE.
"After him repaired also Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the east gate" (ver. 29).
The gate of the sunrising points on, does it not, to the morning without clouds, when He shall come down upon the mown grass, and as clear shining after rain ?
For that glad morning weary saints of all ages have waited and longed, straining their eyes to catch the first glimpse of the bright and Morning Star. Wicked servants have said, " My Lord delayeth His coming; " but He "is not slack, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish" (2 Pet. 3:).
"The night is far spent, the day is at hand." It is high time to be aroused from our lethargy, for already the long-expected midnight cry is ringing through the world, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh. Go ye out to meet Him! "
The shout of the Lord, the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God, will soon resound through the vaulted heavens, announcing the return of the long-absent One, and ushering in the morning. But for many it will be the beginning of the darkest night earth has ever known.
Oh, let us be up and doing while it is called today, that we may not be ashamed before Him at His coming. "Even so, come Lord Jesus."
THE GATE MIPHKAD
is the last in order.'' After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith's son unto the place of the Nethinim, and of the merchants, over against the gate Miphkad, and to the going up of the corner" (ver. 31).
The word Miphkad, according to the dictionaries, means review, or appointment (for judgment). It was doubtless the gate where controversies were tried, after the Eastern fashion. How solemn is this! For it is when the Lord comes that "we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ." That will be the gate Miphkad for the believer. There will be the last great review. Every detail of the saint's life will come up for inspection. It will be then that
'' Deeds of merit, as we thought them,
He will show us were but sin;
Little acts we had forgotten,
He will tell us were for Him."
Oh, the unspeakable solemnity of it! All our ease-loving and self-seeking brought to light then! All our pride and vanity manifested! Everything put on its own proper level! All our works inspected by Him whose eyes are as a flame of fire!
In that day how many of us will wish we had been more true and real in our work down here. Things we valued highly on earth, how lightly will they weigh up there!-as the very small dust of the balance ; yea, lighter even than that; altogether lighter than vanity!
And those things we have neglected and foolishly ignored in the days of our pilgrimage, how much more precious than gold will they appear in the light of that judgment-seat!
O beloved, shall we not seek to be now what we shall wish we had been then; do now what we shall wish we had done then; turn now from what we shall wish we had judged then ?
The Lord grant to awaken His people to the reality of these things, and the importance of living for eternity!
And thus we have traveled round the wall from one part to another, and have, I trust, been blessed in doing so. We might close our meditations here, only that God does not end in this way, for in the last verse we come back again, having made the circuit, to that with which we began,-
THE SHEEP GATE.
"And between the going up of the corner unto the sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants."
It is as though God would not have us turn away without reminding us that the Cross with which we began will be before our souls for eternity. After all has been gone into at the judgment-seat, we shall turn from it to the Judge Himself, who is our Redeemer and Bridegroom. We shall see Him as a Lamb that had been slain. At His once pierced feet we shall fall in adoration, and forever sing praises "unto Him that loveth us, and hath washed us from our sins in His own blood."
We shall never get beyond the Cross. It shall be the theme of our praises throughout all the ages to come. Oh, to ever live in the light of it now! It speaks of sins forever put away, and also of a world under judgment for the rejection of God's Son. Our place, then, is outside of it all. "Let us go forth therefore into Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come" (Heb. 13:13, 14).
So shall we be in a position to learn aright the lessons of THE GATES OF JERUSALEM. H. A. I.