A wall wit doors

Monday April 12, 2021

A wall with doors

I entrusted the government of Jerusalem with Hanani, my brother, and Hananiah, head of the fortified castle ; for he was a faithful man, and he feared God more than many others. Nehemiah 7: 2

Hanani had shown great zeal for Jerusalem when he made the journey to Susa to inform Nehemiah of the condition of this partially ruined and wallless city (Nehemiah 1:2). This is why he entrusted him with the government of the city. Likewise, to take on a task as important as the command of Jerusalem, Nehemiah chose a second trusted person : Hananiah, a faithful man who feared God more than many others.

Nehemiah gave these two men very strict safety instructions, especially regarding the opening and closing of the gates of the wall, as they represented the vulnerable points in the defense of the city. They had to make sure the doors were closed in person.

The wall protected the inhabitants from outside enemies who wanted to attack or infiltrate the city. The guards posted at the gates of the wall watched the comings and goings of people leaving the city to go to their fields or other occupations. Closed and locked at night, the doors were not to be opened, according to Nehemiah's orders, until the sun was high in the sky (Nehemiah 7:3), that is, when the light was shining enough to distinguish the faces.

Individually and together, believers must guard against the evil that fills the world, and yet it is indeed into the world that Jesus sends them. In a moral sense, the wall symbolizes the necessary separation between righteousness and iniquity, between believer and unbeliever, between the temple of God and idols (2 Corinthians 6:14-16).

To protect themselves from evil, certain groups of believers “close the doors” night and day. They are so withdrawn that they lose their character as witnesses of Jesus Christ in the world. Others, on the contrary, out of love for souls or for ease, leave the doors so wide open that they allow themselves to be invaded by all the currents of the world in favor of night or half-day, and thus become vulnerable. We need to ensure the right balance, keeping away from anything that cannot stand the light, while loving our neighbor.

Source (Pleasing the Lord)