— Our walls come tumbling down when enemies encircle us

As another example of walls broken down … on the day when Joshua and the children of Israel overtook Jericho the walls had actually collapsed owing to a miracle of God. In the story in Jericho in Joshua chapter 6 we see the children of Israel marching around the city once for 6 days and 7 times on the seventh day. The priests blew the 7 trumpets (rams horns) each day but on the seventh they marched around the city seven times and after blowing the horns the people gave a large shout.

The symbology regarding the fall of Jericho is clear. The horns announce the coming of the LORD and in this case it is a call to battle. Seven is a number of perfection like the seven fold spirit of the LORD.

Spiritually the example of Jericho shows us how to attack a fortified enemy city. First, we listen to what God says. If he says be silent and follow directions we do so. If he says march seven times as much on the seventh day and then give a shout of praise, we do that. The key is listening closely and figuring out what God wants. Things he has to say don’t always make sense in the natural.

God is always known to have lived in the temple before Christ’s resurrection but lives in the human heart post resurrection.

If God seems to pull away from you he is always eager to return after an allotted time. The fact that the Second Temple was finished well before the gates and walls shows us that rebuilding our temple is his first priority. We see in the story of the prodigal son, after the son came to his senses he returned to the father who welcomed him back with open arms. Rebuilding our self-esteem and our character is something God considers important. Some will quote the verse ‘God will never leave you or forsake you’ (Heb. 13:15). This promise was first given in Deut. 31:6. Obviously, it appeared that God abandoned Israel with the Babylonian captivity, but this is not entirely true. Daniel was one that had an extra-ordinary spirit in Bablylon (Dan. 6:3). God lives in his holy men and women despite exile. Spiritual exile is the more potent form of exile.

In the parable of the prodigal son the father says ‘for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found’. Certainly spiritual death and being lost is the implication here. That does not mean that the Father completely forgot about his son and lost all hope of him ever returning. Sometimes we can think that God has forgotten about us when the real culprit here is self. It was the son who ran away and became lost, and lived a riotous life. In terms of Israel, Jerusalem had already pulled away from God in practice well before the Babylonian captivity.

In Romans 8:38-39 Apostle Paul says ‘For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ The key take-away here is created thing. That is all of creation to include angels and demons. But we can still walk away. That is called free choice. Money and fame called away the prodigal son. Be careful it does not woo you away too.

Yet rebuilding the temple did take some time. Likewise rebuilding our spiritual temple once destroyed can take time. This is not that God is slow in his promises but we may have to overcome obstacles. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9).

Hebrews speaks about those that have fallen away:
Heb. 6:4-5:: For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

I have personally seen the effects of falling away in regards to those that dabble in new age things and witchcraft and drugs. This stuff defiles the soul and makes your temple uninhabitable by God in the Spirit. Only God can restore a soul that has turned reprobate.

It took Nehemiah took another 70 years to go to Jerusalem after the temple was rebuilt. This delay represents what can happen in our lives when we come back to Christ but are still lacking in certain spiritual disciplines. An unguarded heart leaves you open to further spiritual attack.

Many times emotions cloud our spiritual connection. Emotions can be positive or negative. Works of the flesh are many times emotional: hatred, contentions, jealousies, envy, etc…

— Nehemiah and guarding as we build walls

Zerubbabel led the first wave of Jews returning from captivity in Babylon back to Judah around 527 BC. This was followed maybe 80 years later by Ezra the priest arriving in Jerusalem. The second temple took about 20 years to rebuild and was finished around 517 BC (about 70 years after being destroyed), some sources say it was done in as little as six years. However, Nehemiah does not return to Jerusalem until about 445 BC, over 90 years after the edict from Cyrus the Great allowing for return and 140 years after the temple was destroyed.

As example of walls that are too weak or in a state of disrepair consider the situation in Jerusalem before Nehemiah arrived. Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. (Neh. 4:7). Sanballat was of Samaria and Tobiah of Jordan. Sometimes we see the same thing today with the Palestinians and Arabs. When Israel tries to defend itself with better defenses the armies of their enemies become enraged and try to splinter any alliances made and cause confusion.

Some of the violence on the temple mount in recent years has been confusing, with one report saying almost the opposite of another report. Israeli Jews are many times pitted against Israeli Muslim and Druse in an attempt to divide. The Arabs have their news and Israel their version.

Any time the Lord begins a restoration project to build walls of protection the enemies seeds in confusion and attacks. Many times self is our worst actual enemy. At other times it can be ungodly friendships and relationships which might need breaking (at least temporarily).

Israel has many walls today but walls are many times more than physical. Spiritually and socially we build up many walls of hatred and antagonism and misinformation. Bridge building is a term used to try to bring people together. Dialogue is key to any such effort. The Abraham Accords have done much to bring together countries in the region since it’s inception in August, 2020.

Neh. 1:3-4 And they (men of Judah) said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Broken down walls of protection are a great impediment to protection. There is also the idea of burt up gates. Remember, gates keep things out but also allow in things that need transit. Things like food, water, commercial products, and people often enter and exit thru gates. For us lack of guarding our eyes and ears opens us up to spiritual attack. Similarily people nations need walls and gates to protect us from intrusion and invasion. People might also attack us, like old ungodly relationships and behaviors.

Gates have traditionally been meeting places and provide access through walls. Many times elders and priests would judge at city gates. In Lam 5:14 it says that the elders have left the city gate. Having no gates or keeping them open too much can result in lack of wisdom and counsel. Judgement is left by the wayside.

God needs intercessors that will stand in the gap and declare God’s will upon this Earth. This can and often does include weeping and mourning. Just as Hannah and Hezekiah wept over their situations and the Lord heard them, likewise Nehemiah wept over the condition of Jerusalem – the walls and gates in particular.

Today there are many walls around Jerusalem. I have visited the Walled Off Hotel near Bethlehem, Israel. The hotel is next to a wall with all sorts of graphic depictions, what one might call graphitti. The point is there are many walls in and around Jerusalem these days. Walls tend to keep Palestinians out, in particular those considering harm or terrorism. At the time of Nehemiah walls were necessary to protect the inhabitants from attack by pagan tribes.

Prov. 25:28 says ‘Whoever has no rule over his own spirit Is like a city broken down, without walls’. If we come to the Lord yet have no spiritual walls we might have major issues like a tempor, certain vices, and lack of restraint.

I know a man whom I shall call Brad. He is brilliant in many ways but is open to almost every sort of doctrine and teaching that exists. He has no walls, no restraint, no control. This can make one unstable and mentally handicapped. When challenged, escalation is the result.

Once walls are built and gates restored the city can be brought back to full vitality.

Prophet Jeremiah said it this way:
Jer. 7:33:: I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. For the land shall be desolate.

There was also a promise of Jeremiah that these joyous sounds would once again return:

Jer. 33:10:: Thus says the LORD: ‘Again there shall be heard in this place—of which you say, “It is desolate, without man and without beast”—in the cities of Judah, in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast..

It took Nehemiah about 52 days to complete the walls but almost 20 years to build the temple due to constant interruptions. Also note that is was probably 60 years before Nehemiah that Ezra the priest arrived to start teaching the people Torah. It is interesting that it took over a generation to teach correct living before walls got rebuilt. The process of getting rid of bad habits and beliefs can take a long time, maybe not even being complete during a generation.

Spiritually this process can take a lifetime. We get saved (temple restored), learn godly living (Torah explained). and get our personal walls rebuilt (Jerusalem walls rebuilt). Some want to say it all happend in an instant. That is often called inherited or imputed righteousness. Progessive sanctification takes place as we learn to live godly. Walls should be built up the whole time we are progressing from new birth to sanctification but for some it might never be learnt. That is why it is so important to pass on godly principles to the next generation. Chances are good if friendships between Jews and Palestinians get built it could take a whole generation.

— Walls of protection or walls of isolation?

As example of walls that are too weak or in a state of disrepair consider the situation in Jerusalem before Nehemiah arrived.

Now it happened, when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry and all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. (Neh. 4:7-8).

Sanballat was of Samaria and Tobiah of Jordan. This is almost the same play book today. It is the Arabs of the West Bank, Jordan, and Syria that cause the most problems for the Jews. We call them Palestinians.

When Israel tries to defend herself with better defenses the armies of their enemies become enraged and try to splinter any alliances made and cause confusion. This is one reason the Al Aqsa flood began October 7th, 2023. The Abraham Accords got put on pause up until today. It is an old tactic of enemies and of Satan too. Some of the violence on the temple mount in recent years has been confusing, with one report saying almost the opposite of another report. Israeli Jews are many times pitted against Israeli Muslim and Druse in an attempt to divide. Israel has many walls today but walls are many times more than physical.

Spiritually and socially we build up many walls of hatred and antagonism and misinformation. Bridge building is a term used to try to bring people together. Dialogue is key to any such effort. The Abraham Accords have done much to bring together countries in the region since it’s inception in August, 2020.

So what do walls and gates represent for the Christian? In one’s own spiritual life we have walls that protect us against evil and gates where evil can penetrate. When our walls are broken down evil penetrates. The whole idea of safeguarding our city against evil is akin to not allowing Satan to come in and attack.

Many times it takes teamwork or the help of a friend to rebuild our walls just like in Nehemiah one built, one stood at guard. We must always be on guard against the wiles of evil forces. Ephesians chapter 6 encourages us to put on the whole armor of God. Spiritual armor around our bodies is akin to the walls around a city. Both protect against attack.

Neh. 4:17:: Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon.

Did you not know that building a wall requires teamwork? The last part of that word is WORK. Yes, it requires expenditure of time and energy to build up walls. Satan attacks wherever and whenever he sees a vulnerability. So the job of those who build, those who carry burdens, and those that guard all work together. We must work at repairing the breach and what has fallen down. This fall can affect our reputation, our livelihood, and our spirit. The bible says pride comes before a fall (Prov. 16:18). Some things should be lost but many things are beneficial and needed. We must bear each other’s burdens and pray often (Gal. 6:2). We must stay vigilant to keep each other protected because Satan prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he might devour (1 Pet. 5:8).

There is also an opposite affect when we have walls built around us that keeps us from being helped. This is when someone tries to help us and all we can do is keep ourselves isolated and not let anybody or anything in. This can be due to past hurts and current fears. Sometimes it is easier to keep our walls up than take a chance of being hurt again.

There are also gates around the city that need rebuilding. The gates are what lets good things in but can also be an access way for evil, especially when we are not on guard. There is a childrens song that has two verses that go like this:

1 Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see,
Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see.
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see.
2 Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear,
Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear.
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear.

So eyes and ears are two gateways whereby evil can defile our consciousness. Ephesians 1:18 speaks about the eyes of our heart or eyes of understanding. Go back and read what he says about his power and explosive strength toward us who understand the deeper things of God.

Christ said he is the gate of the sheep fold. He said all them that came before are theives and robbers but the sheep did not hear them (John 10:7-8).

We can ask this simple quesiton then. Why did the sheep not hear them before? Is it because they are deaf? No. They were not listening because they were not interested. Reading on in John, Christ says…

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:9-10).

The door Christ is speaking about is the door to your heart. It is the same as a gate to the city which controls access to the many. If Christ is in your heart then your will and emotions will be in proper alignment to allow his thoughts, his ways, into your heart. Thieves can likewise get into your heart and steal your money, kill your dreams, and destroy what good you are building in your own kingdom. The bottom line is if you let in the wrong person or the wrong ideology you can get greatly harmed. Much of this harm is then within, not from without.

Can you think of any other gates? What about ungody relationships? I have sometimes heard this called ungodly soul ties. Whether this relationship is plutonic or sexual, the company you keep affects you. Apostle Paul said bad company corrupts good character (1 Cor. 15:33). 1 Cor. chapter 6 talks about one having sex with a prostitute. They become one flesh during this union. The problem here is the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. So in essence you are letting a prostitue or a very ungodly person into your temple. This leads to defilement not only in body but in your spirit. Many prostitutes have ungodly belief systems. Have you not heard the phrase ‘pussy whipped’? Prophets Ezekial and Jeremiah had visions of much lewdness and idolotry in the temple. Ezekial sees the spirit of the Lord leaving the temple (Ez. 10-12). So be careful, God can only stand so much uncleanliness in his temple before he leaves. This is called a reprobate heart and described at the end of the first chapter of Romans.