Dec 27, 2019. Moving Ahead!

with the tour of the tenth gate which is “The

Miphkad Gate.” (Nehemiah 3:31). After him Malchijah, one of
the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the
Nethinim and of the merchants, in front of the Miphkad Gate, and
as far as the upper room at the corner.

We arrive at the last gate. Miphkad means “review” or “registry.” This gate speaks of
judgment. Now let me tell you why. When a stranger came to Jerusalem, he had to
have a visa—not like those we have today, but he had to stop at this gate and register.
It was also a gate of review. When the army had been out fighting a battle and returned,
they passed through this gate. It was here that David reviewed his soldiers returning
from battle. When they passed through this arch, David was there to thank his battle-
scarred men for their unselfish loyalty and daring.

Miphkad can be a wonderful gate for you and me to come to someday. The prospect of
it should cause us to examine our lives a little more closely.
We have been all the way around the walls of Jerusalem, and we are right back where
we started.
As you will recall, the sheep gate symbolizes the Cross of Christ. We began with the
Cross of Christ and we end with the Cross of Christ. It is Christ’s Cross that is all
important.
We begin at the sheep gate, and we come out at the sheep gate. I think that throughout
eternity we are going to talk about the sheep gate, where Jesus died nearly 2000 years
ago for your sins and mine.
God’s people who are determined to obey Him will always face problem. We will
always have our enemies, those who resist the will of God. The sad fact is that often our
opposition comes from within our own ranks and not always from outside.
Thought and Application. Nehemiah 4:4-5 prays a prayer many of us would like to
pray. A prayer for vengeance called in the Old Testament an Imprecatory Prayer. If we
did know God – we would still have problems. But knowing God allows us to bring our
problems to Him.
Hear, O our God, for we are despised; turn their reproach on their own heads and give
them as plunder to a land of captivity! Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin
be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the
builders.
To his credit Nehemiah did not seek vengeance himself, but left vengeance to
God. Despite opposition and obstacles, Nehemiah continued with the task God had
given him to do.
Nehemiah 4:6 continued with the task God had given him to do. So, we built the wall,
and the entire wall was joined up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work. To
say that the people had a “mind” to work referred to their internal fortitude, their heart,
their will. They refused to quit. We must remember that the life of God’s people is not
simply a life of prayer; it also is a walk and a warfare.
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Let’s pray. Thank You, Lord, for the inside on each of these gates. Thank You
God that You look deep within the mind and heart of Your people. Nothing is
hidden from you. No matter how many walls we tried to build around within us, or
around us. Because you know each of our motives, we have no place to hide, and
no way to pretend we can get away with sin. Thank you that you forgive our sins.
In Jesus name Amen!