Procession on the Parapet

Posted on February 10, 2015 by wamplerp

image

At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres. The musicians also were brought together from the region around Jerusalem—from the villages of the Netophathites, from Beth Gilgal, and from the area of Geba and Azmaveth, for the musicians had built villages for themselves around Jerusalem. When the priests and Levites had purified themselves ceremonially, they purified the people, the gates and the wall.   I had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall. I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks. One was to proceed on top of the wall to the right, toward the Dung Gate. Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed them, along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, as well as some priests with trumpets, and also Zechariah son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zakkur, the son of Asaph, and his associates—Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah and Hanani—with musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God. Ezra the teacher of the Law led the procession. At the Fountain Gate they continued directly up the steps of the City of David on the ascent to the wall and passed above the site of David’s palace to the Water Gate on the east. – Nehemiah 12:27-37

The wall is done and the Israelites,and the people from around Jerusalem, are celebrating with songs of thanksgiving. The priests and levites purify themselves, the people, the wall, and the gates. I assume they did so with water and perhaps ceremonial cleansing. There are choirs too to sing songs of thanks. This is quite a production.

The procession on the parapet passes the Fountain Gate and the Water Gate with Ezra leading the procession. Ezra has shown that he is a faithful follower of God and he has led the Israelites into a restored relationship. Both Ezra and Nehemiah have passed the Meribah Test by leading the people into a closer relationship with God.

This is a relatively straightforward passage. The only take home message I am getting is to celebrate and thank God when you accomplish things that lead you into a closer relationship with God. If this passage is a model, our celebrations should be extravagant.

Prayer: God help us to celebrate when we grow closer to You.

Posted in Christian Community, Faith, Following God, Life Together, Nehemiah | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Amazing Grace in a Safe Place

Posted on February 9, 2015 by wamplerp

You gave them kingdoms and nations, allotting to them even the remotest frontiers. They took over the country of Sihon king of Heshbon and the country of Og king of Bashan. You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess. Their children went in and took possession of the land. You subdued before them the Canaanites, who lived in the land; you gave the Canaanites into their hands, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, to deal with them as they pleased. They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees in abundance. They ate to the full and were well-nourished; they reveled in your great goodness. – Nehemiah 9:22-25

This is another circling back passage to remember the transition to the Promised Land and where the Israelites took possession of wells they did not dig. Moses himself was not allowed to cross over into the Promised Land.

As I write this I am wondering why Nehemiah felt the need to recount all this history of where the Isarealites had been and ways that God has taken care of them.  Was it because he wanted to remind the exiles of where they had been and Who had carried them like a son or daughter?

Perhaps Nehemiah wanted them to appreciate God’s providence and avoid previous pitfalls as they try to chart a new relationship with God.  This is not a bad idea for our walk with God.  Maybe it would be good to take time when we gather together as Christians to be more intentional about: 1) remembering where we have been; 2) sharing ways God has provided for us; and 3) discussing times that we have messed up.  What might this look like in practice?

The first one could be something as simple as remembering some of the great followers of Christ and what made them great followers.  I would envision this as a series of short vignettes that could be shared for 5 minutes at some point during a gathering of service.  The purpose of these vignettes would not be to paint these great leaders as somehow perfect, but rather fellow flawed followers who accomplished great things despite their flaws.  I am thinking of people like Martin Luther, C.S. Lewis, Billy Graham, John Newton, Martin Luther King.  Each of these people and many others have amazing life stories that could help us remember where we have been.

The second item, “sharing ways God has provided for us” could include both historical providence and contemporary answers to prayer.  Both are powerful reminders of the God who sees us.  These need not be elaborate or long.  They could even be “pop ups” where someone feels led to stand up an share about a historical or contemporary providence.

The third one can be tricky.  There is certainly a value in confessing and discussing when we have messed up as Christians.  We tend to dwell on extreme examples of failure like the Salem witch trials, the crusades, and the inquisition.  These were all dark days for Christendom to be sure, but there have been others less prominent ones which may be worth discussing.  For example, what was the church doing right and what was it doing wrong in the time of slavery in the southern United States?

I think our discussions should focus on what was going on in the hearts and souls of those “messing up”.  What actions and habits fostered the state of their heart and souls and most importantly how can we choose habits and actions that will help us avoid the same mistakes, by God’s Amazing Grace.

Prayer: God help us to learn from those who came before us, share ways You provide for us, and boldly discuss when we fail.   

 

Posted in Conflict, Covenant, Faith, Following God, Nehemiah | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Water for our Thirst

Posted on February 8, 2015 by wamplerp

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAYou came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good. You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand to give them.   “But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies.   “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen. – Nehemiah 9:13-21

Water for their thirst…what powerful imagery here.  The israelites were in the desert or wilderness to learn how to trust God.  He provided for them in miraculous ways with Manna from heaven and water from rocks.  They are remembering His provision in this passage.

I am not a big fan of drinking plain water.  I much prefer juice or green tea if I have to drink liquid.  I drink it because I know my body needs it.  There are times when I wish I could have some sort of intravenous fluid so I didn’t have to think about drinking water.

There was a time a couple years ago when I was doing research in Haiti with a student when water became a big issue.  Toward the end of our trip we decided it would be really interesting to do a long hike up into the high mountains — far away from roads and people and buildings.   We donned our backpacks early in the morning to beat the heat.  We each were carrying about 2 liters of water.

We climbed about 1500 feet vertically through beautiful rock formations and fields of corn and beans.  Our intended destination was a French fort near the top of the mountains.  As we neared our destination we discovered that two liters of water was not enough for the climate of Haiti and the exertion of climbing the mountains.  I was a little worried and we were close to trying to find a water source when we happened upon a garden with mature sugar cane.  We negotiated with the farmer to purchase a couple of canes for about 10 gourds (about 25 cents) to satisfy our thirst and also give us a much needed boost of energy.  I do not think I have ever gotten anything more satisfying for 25 cents in my life.

We made it down the mountain safe and sound after making our way through a Dr. Seuss-esque landscape of limestone outcrops (see photo above) called Pinnacle Karren.  There are few times in my life when I have felt more thirsty than when we arrived at the vehicle that picked us up.  We drank and drank and drank.  My sense is that this is the type of thirst we are to have for God — an urgent need that is not like any other need in our lives.  God has promised to provide living water for those that ask for it.

I think spiritually many of us have become satisfied with intravenous fluids rather than the living water that God provides.  We dislike being thirsty so we connect ourselves to an “IV drip” from our local church or some other God surrogate.  The pre-packaged liquid provided by surrogates like our church, pastor, and fellow Christians is comfortably regular and predictable and does not require the scary reliance on God for satisfying our thirst — but God wants us to rely on Him.

Prayer: God thank You for providing living water to satisfy our thirst.  May we seek it out rather than more predictable surrogates.

 

Posted in Christian Community, Christian Leadership, Christianity, Faith, Following God, Miracles, Nehemiah, Obedience, religion | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

Remembering how to Remember

Posted on February 7, 2015 by wamplerp

“You are the Lord God, who chose Abram and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous.   “You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt; you heard their cry at the Red Sea.  You sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his officials and all the people of his land, for you knew how arrogantly the Egyptians treated them.  You divided the sea before them, so that they passed through it on dry ground, but you hurled their pursuers into the depths, like a stone into mighty waters. By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take. – Nehemiah 9:7-12

This is a circling back passage to remember ways that God has shown up for the Israelites in the past.  This comes at a time of soul searching and spiritual stretching as a result of listening to Ezra read the law of Moses and trying to apply what it is saying.  The Israelites are acknowledging that God kept His promises even when the Isrealites did not.  He parted the red sea and had the Isrealites back as they fled the Egyptians.

The Israelites are talking about God like he is a rock star …”You made a name for yourself, which remains to this day.”  They have come a long way from grumbling in the desert, wanting to go back to Egypt.

By remembering the God who sees them they are seeing God in a new way.  They are willing to be guided by God’s light rather than seeking to make their own.  The Israelites are restating here something that Joshua said back in Joshua 24:5-15…As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

This practice of remembering the things God has done is something that the Christian Church sometimes struggles to figure out.  The Israelites used standing stones to commemorate memorable events in the life of their community.  What do Christians do?  How do we remember and commemorate the times when God shows up in our lives and the lives of those we love?

Certainly the Lord’s Supper, Communion, Eucharist, or whatever we call our remembering of Jesus’ offering of His body and blood for His disciples, and us, is a great “remembering”. Then there are Christmas and Easter, both of which are times of remembering. I wonder if there are less prominent events worth commemorating and remembering.

Perhaps something really unconventional like having a bowl of mud that we could commemorate Jesus healing the blind man described in John 9:6.   It would be interesting, and perhaps instructive, for Christians to experiment with new ways of remembering.  Even reminding one another with words would be a good way to practice remembering.

Prayer: God help us to remember ways you have shown up in our lives and talk about them when we gather together.

SDG

 

 

Posted in Christian Community, Christianity, Covenant, Discernment, Faith, Following God, Life Together, Miracles, Nehemiah, Obedience, religion, Trusting God | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Water Gate Wikiups

Posted on February 6, 2015 by wamplerp
image

http://www.historyforkids.org/

On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written.    So the people went out and brought back branches and built themselves temporary shelters on their own roofs, in their courtyards, in the courts of the house of God and in the square by the Water Gate and the one by the Gate of Ephraim. The whole company that had returned from exile built temporary shelters and lived in them. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.   Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly. – Nehemiah 8:13-18

We return the water gate for this passage with a slightly different purpose, no Super Bowl sermons this time.  Ezra is continuing to read from the Book of Moses.  The Israelites “give attention to the words of the Law”.  They are listening and understanding what the Lord requires of them.

The directions they receive are interesting “live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month…and proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem”  This is the first time I can remember where the Israelites are called on directly to share what they are learning about God.

When I was a teenager I went through a phase when I was really into learning about survival skills like fire starting, building shelters, and making rope out of cedar bark.  One of the fruits of this phase was a large Wikiup that I built with a couple of friends in the forest near our house.  It was a large shelter made of branches and fir boughs.  It was big enough to have a fire inside without burning it down.

I am not sure why the Israelites were to build temporary shelters.  I suppose it could be merely functional in that it would not make sense to build permanent shelters in front of the Water Gate which presumably was meant to allow people to enter the city.  It could also be symbolic and represent the need for the Israelites to be constantly “sending out“, and reaching out, to those around them rather than focusing only on building their own homes.

This celebration and response from the Israelites is a new thing not seen since “the days of Joshua son of Nun”.   There is a very real sense that they are learning how to faithfully follow God in a new way.

Prayer: God help us to follow you in a new way and spread word of You to those around us. 

 

 

Posted in Faith, Following God, Nehemiah, Obedience, religion, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Eddying Out – God News

Posted on February 5, 2015 by wamplerp

P1000142Well this is my 225th post and I felt like I needed to eddy out today and take a breather.  The passages from Ezra and Nehemiah have not been particularly challenging, like a series of class II rapids with no breaks.  There have been a few hidden wells, but I have not felt like the water passages were particularly enlightening or inspiring.  My favorite passage from Ezra and Nehemiah so far has been this one.

I was praying the other morning about this blog and something crystallized in my understanding.  My walk with God to explore water references in the bible is a deeply personal journey.  I wonder sometimes why God has directed me to share this journey in this most public of ways…on the internet for all to see.

As I was praying about this God reminded me that our relationship with  Him through Jesus is also a deeply personal journey, and one that we are to share with others in a very public way…ah there’s the rub…there is a tension between my desire to hide and protect my relationship with God and God’s desire that I share the Good News (God News) with others.

Prayer: God thank You for helping me to balance my desire to know You intimately with my desire to share You with others.

Posted in Christian Community, Christian Leadership, Christianity, Eddying Out, Faith, Following God, reconciliation, Redemption, religion, The Nature of God, Trusting God | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Lord is Your Strength

Posted on February 4, 2015 by wamplerp

Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.   Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”   The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”   Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them. – Nehemiah 8:9-12

The 6+ hour reading of the Law of Moses has generated some strong emotions in those who are listening.  They are weeping and grieving.  If we can agree that tears are samples of our souls, and that they reveal important clues about what is going on with our spirit, then what does this response mean for the spirit of those who are listening?

I have been pondering and praying about this and I have come up with a couple of options…there are probably more but these are the ones that came to mind as I was walking my dog in the blustery Michigan snow.  I think the tears may mean the Israelites: 1) are really tired and exasperated with Ezra for reading the law for over six hours; 2) are grieving the loss of the lives they had been living (i.e. the foreign wives and children that they would have to give up); 3) are sad because they have heard and understood the law in a new way and feel overcome with the “weight” of it; 4) are weeping because they feel guilty for their past behavior; 5) are weeping because they do not know how else to respond to this new intimacy God is trying to build with them.  Of course their weeping may mean something else than I have thought of too.

I find it interesting that Nehemiah comforts the people by saying “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”  This would imply that the Israelites were feeling overwhelmed by the sheer weight of the Law of Moses and they did not feel they had the strength to live up to it.  They sensed that this law required them to deny themselves and faithfully follow God….that is hard.

C.S. Lewis once gave a sermon once called “the weight of glory”.  In it he makes the point that self-denial is not an end in itself.  There is no glory in a monastic life if that life does not lead us to pursue God with more passion and zeal.  I think that is the response that God, and Ezra, were looking for from the listeners in this passage.  God wanted them to realize they had fallen short of the law and pursue God as their strength to make up the difference.

We are called to do the same as Christians.  Jesus calls on us to do very hard things like love our enemies and lose our life so that we can find it.  We all fall short (Romans 3:23) and it is our job, just like it was the job of the Israelites, to look to God to make up the difference.

Prayer: God thank You for being our joy and strength, an making up the difference

Posted in Christian Community, Conflict, Covenant, Discipleship, Faith, Following God, Life Together, Love for the Lost, Nehemiah, Obedience, religion, Sin, The Spiritual Realm, Trusting God | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The “Superbowl” of Sermons

Posted on February 3, 2015 by wamplerp

…all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.   So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.   Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.   Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the Lord , the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. – Nehemiah 8:1-6

The recent cultural catharsis that occurred yesterday (Super Bowl XLIX) was truly a spectacle to behold….not that I watched it…OK so I watched most of it…but I didn’t enjoy it….OK so I enjoyed it a little except the part at the end where we all got to participate in Pete Carroll’s nightmare.  But seriously — the amount of money circulated for illegal betting alone was reported to be about 3.8 billion dollars, which is about twice the annual operating budget for Haiti.  Something seems a little askew here.  Let’s not even think about the amount spent to sell products during the game.  I wonder if something similar happened in ancient Rome during the gladiators and the coliseum?  Were there merchants in that time that made massive sums of money on the people who came to see the gladiators duke it out?

But I digress…back to the passage and water in the bible.  This is an amazing scene.  Hundreds, or maybe even thousands of people, are gathered around a raised wooden platform at the water gate to hear Ezra read the book of the law of Moses. Kind of a super bowl of sermons.  When was the last time you either saw, or were part of, a crowd that had gathered to publicly read a book of the bible?  The answer for me would be never.

Kind of hard to imagine isn’t it…why is that?  Has the bible become merely an antiquated book that has no wisdom or words worth listening to?  I sure hope not. That has not been my experience.  During my journey walking with water in the bible over the last six months I have discovered many hidden wells that I did not know existed.  Some of them in very unlikely places like Leviticus and Numbers.

It is interesting that the author of this passage stresses several times that the people “were able to understand” as Ezra read the Law of Moses.  Why the emphasis on their ability to understand it?  Was this to make sure that they had no excuses for not obeying in the future?  They have certainly had their troubles remembering God, and the Law of Moses, in the past. Ezra read the book of the law from daybreak until noon…”and all the people listened attentively”.  No sleeping in the back pew for these folks.

Maybe we are making things too complicated when we gather together as Christians.  Wouldn’t it be interesting just to gather together and read books of the bible out loud as Ezra was doing with the law here.  I wonder if we might see God move in amazing ways with this simple exercise of faith.  Maybe we could do without the wooden platform though…

Prayer: God help us to delight in reading and hearing the words about You, and those who have followed You, written in the Bible.

Posted in Christian Community, Christian Leadership, Christianity, Covenant, Discipleship, Following God, Life Together, Nehemiah, Obedience, religion, The Earthly Realm, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Hammer and the Sword

Posted on February 2, 2015 by wamplerp

From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.   Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”   So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water. – Nehemiah 4:16-23

Well the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem has ruffled some feathers among the neighboring rulers and they have begun to taunt and make it more difficult for the Israelites to go about their work of building strong walls stone by stone and family by family.  The Israelites respond by calling up reinforcements and post armed defenders while they work to rebuild the walls.  They even have to have guards when they go for water.

They have to divide their time between building and guarding, and they have to carry both a hammer and a sword.  An early warning system consisting of a trumpet is implemented to call people to the aid of any section of the wall that is under attack.

I am a big Lord of the Rings fan and this reminds me of a scene in the second movie in the Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers. Boromir uses the horn of Gondor to call legolas and Aragorn to his aid.  He is under attack by many Uruk-hai (half man and half Orc) and he is trying his best to protect two of the hobbits, Pippin and Merry.  Aid does come for Boromir, but not until he is pierced by many Uruk-hai arrows. Aragorn and Legolas are discouraged and heartbroken at the loss of Boromir.

This must have been a discouraging time for the Israelites.  Many of the people enlisted to rebuild the wall are not professional masons — they are goldsmiths, farmers, and politicians.  Now they are called upon to be fighters and defenders while they are working.  If we can accept that the rebuilding of the wall in Jerusalem meant more than putting stone on stone, and was in fact a rebuilding of a relationship between God and the Israelites then the resistance and efforts to prevent the rebuilding were also efforts to keep the Israelites from rebuilding a relationship with God.

Christians are also in the process of building a relationship with God.  Just like the Israelites Christians can encounter resistance and distraction that can slow down the building process.  Now I am not saying that we need to carry swords, but we should be aware that there are people and influences in our lives that can distract us from the “building process”.  The dynamic of this distraction is presented in a fictional classic by C.S. Lewis called the Screwtape Letters.  This book describes the complex spiritual landscape that surrounds us as we go about our lives and how the battle for our souls plays out.

God knows that we are not always skilled at the building He calls us to do and He provides what we need when we need it.  We can also call out to Him whenever we feel that we need help — blow the trumpet if you will — and He will answer.

Prayer: God as we go about the task of building a relationship with You guard our hearts and souls from those who would sabotage our work. 

Posted in Christian Community, Christianity, Conflict, Faith, Following God, Life Together, Nehemiah, Obedience | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Strong Walls

Posted on February 1, 2015 by wamplerp

The repairs next to him were made by the priests from the surrounding region. Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house. Next to him, Binnui son of Henadad repaired another section, from Azariah’s house to the angle and the corner, and Palal son of Uzai worked opposite the angle and the tower projecting from the upper palace near the court of the guard. Next to him, Pedaiah son of Parosh and the temple servants living on the hill of Ophel made repairs up to a point opposite the Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower. – Nehemiah 3:22-26

Unfortunately, the words “water” and “gate” used together have forever become associated with scandal, politics, and pistachio-colored pineapple salad for me, and probably anyone born before about 1970.  This passage is talking about a very different “water gate” located in Jerusalem near the Gihon Spring.

The water gate was a crucial point in the defense of the city, because as we have learned up to this point a city under siege without water is lost.  Apparently water both entered and left Jerusalem via this gate depending on the amount of rain and the amount of water needed within the city.  Historically, the water gate was associated with the temple and the spiritual life of the Israelites.

The rebuilding of the walls was done in pieces as we explored in yesterday’s post, stone by stone and family by family.  In this passage the process of everyone building their small part of the wall continues.  I guess this makes sense from a functional perspective since the wall would have to be free of large gaps to be of much use for defense.  I guess on some level this is true of the Christian church and followers of God.

As we build the body of Christ, and our faith as followers of God, we also need to build all the “parts of the wall” at once.  If we leave a part neglected it will leave a weak spot in our defenses and we may find ourselves “under attack”.

Richard Foster did a great job of summarizing the parts of the “spiritual wall” that we need to build in his book “Celebration of Discipline”.  He divides these disciplines into the inward disciplines: meditation, fasting, prayer, and study; the Outward disciplines: simplicity, solitude, submission, service; and the corporate disciplines: confession, worship, guidance, and celebration.  This is quite a list.  It is a good thing we are all working on this together as believers….

Prayer: God help us to work together as Christians to encourage one another in the spiritual disciplines that bring us closer to you.

Posted in Christian Community, Christian Leadership, Christianity, Discipleship, Following God, Life Together, Nehemiah, religion, Satan, The Spiritual Realm, Trusting God | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment