Feel Like Giving Up?

Ezra 4:4: “Then the people of the land 

weakened the hands

of Judah and

troubled them in building.” 

We are more familiar with the story of the rebuilding of the walls from the book of Nehemiah. However Ezra was the prophet and scribe of that day and his account gives another aspect of the scene.

This story takes place at the time of Israels return from captivity.  The Northern kingdom of Judah had been taken into captivity by Babylon, however during their exile and captivity, Babylon fell to the Persian Empire. (Persia is modern day Iran). Because of two brave individuals Daniel and Esther, the Jews found favor with the Persian kings.

(The term Jew is the name given to the Israelite tribe of Judah. Today it is often ascribed to all people living in Israel, not just those from the tribe of Judah, son of Jacob.)

Although Daniel was from the tribe of Judah, he was still a favorite of the Persian King Cyrus the Great (559-530 BC). He also found favor with Cyrus’s grandson King Xerxes (486-465 BC), Esther’s stepson King Artaxerxes I (465-424 B.C.) loved Esther like she was his own mother and because of this the Hebrew people had great favor with him; so much so that he granted a decree that allowed Nehemiah and Ezra to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple while under the protection and backing of the Persian Empire. 

When Nehemiah returned to the land he found that it was occupied by Assyrian settlers. These were the people who had been sent to occupy the land many years earlier by the Assyrian empire, which was now no longer in existence.  

These settlers who had moved there from the land of the Amorites, Moabites, and other nations, were not too happy that the Jews were planning on returning; and in fact, they were afraid of them because of the support given them by the Persian empire.   

So they were determined to harass, intimidate and sabotage the incoming Jews to the point where they would just give up trying to regain the land and would just go back to Persia.  

This story has a familiar ring to it and we know that history does repeat itself.  

Because the Persian Empire, which ruled the known world at that time, was supporting and backing the Jews; they couldn’t declare outright war against them, as it would have amounted to suicide. Instead they began a strategy, a plan of campaign, sometimes called a war of attrition, designed to wear the Hebrew children down.

A war of attrition -meaning

Romanized: Ḥarb al-Istinzāf;

Hebrew: מלחמת ההתשה,

Milḥemet haHatashah

Attrition warfare is the term used to describe the sustained process of wearing down an opponent so as to force their physical collapse through continuous losses in personnel, equipment and supplies or to wear them down to such an extent that their will to fight collapses.

The way they decided to attack them is something still used in many places around the world today, which we call terrorism.  

As time passed, King Artaxerxes was overly occupied with his own domestic issues and ongoing problems in his kingdom, as well as the threat of other nations wanting to engage in war against Persia.  Because of this, King Artaxerxes gave his son Susa the responsibility of overseeing the Israelite/Jewish/Hebrew nation. Susa did not know his grandmother Esther and was not endeared to the Jewish people; to put it in a modern term, word, he was anti-Semitic. Because of this, Persia’s support of the Jews dwindled away. Nehemiah and Ezra believed that if God wanted Jerusalem rebuilt He would do it without the help of Persia; so the lack of support did not disturb or deter them. We know from scripture that indeed our Heavenly Father did help them.

However, when the Amorite, Moabite, and settlers from the other nations heard about Persia withdrawing their support, these enemies steadily increased their harassment and terrorism. Although Nehemiah and Ezra were confident that God would protect them, unfortunately, the people refused to trust in God. 

In Ezra 4:4 we read that this ‘war of attrition’, was being very effective.

The people of Judah’s hands were weakened and they were troubled by their enemies in the rebuilding of Jerusalem.   

The phrase: their hands were weakened, 

expresses the idea of,

‘becoming discouraged’ and fearful’.  

The word 

weakened 

in Hebrew is 

meraphim 

which comes from

the root word rapah 

which means:

to sink down or to loosen one’s grip.

  

The word is found in a Piel (intensive) form

so it has the idea of

just letting go.  

 

In other words, 

just giving up. 

In Strongs 7503 [e]

מְרַפִּ֖ים
mə-rap-pîm

tried to discourage.

Englishman’s Concordance

mə·rap·pîm — 1 Occurrence

Ezra 4:4 
HEB: עַם־ הָאָ֔רֶץ מְרַפִּ֖ים יְדֵ֣י עַם־
NAS: of the land discouraged the people
KJV: of the land weakened the hands
INT: the people of the land weakened the hands the people

 At some time during our years of serving the Lord we can feel that way too.

 There are times that it seems like people and circumstances just come at us from every side and angle, they criticize, condemn, and accuse us of things that we did not do.   

This is a time when the enemy tries to make us react in the flesh trying to make us resentful and bitter. He wants

to discourage us

and cause us to want

to meraphim or give up.

Because of the constant harassment by their enemies, the people of Judah did become very weary and discouraged.

 

Although initially, their enemies were unable to physically harm them, they mocked them and made fun of them. Then they robbed their homes while they were working on building the walls. The terrorism continued as they destroy their crops while they were concentrating on the work in hand.   

Nehemiah had returned to Persia for a period of time and when he came back to Jerusalem, he found a people who were in a state of spiritual despair. They had given up working on rebuilding the walls of the city to protect their own homes, families and crops; and in the process they had fallen into spiritual idolatry and even turned to pagan practices while being preoccupied with building their own houses and making money.   

Gods’ people had merephim – given up.  

It is not something that just happened thousands of years ago it is happening to people all around us today.

What did Ezra do to encourage the people?

We can find the answer in

Ephesians 15:19: “Speak to one another with Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.  

This story is the source of the well known and often quoted verse from Nehemiah 8:10: 

“The Joy of the Lord is our strength.”  

We will not fulfill the assignments our Heavenly Fathers has for us if we fall into the enemy’s traps, snares; and give in to his war of attrition and terrorist attacks against us like he did with the people of Judah.  Instead, we need to fill our hearts with the Word of God like Ezra did, and encourage each other with scriptural songs of praise and joy.  Praising the Lord will stop the enemy in his attacks.  Praise binds kings…Psalm 149:8-9 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints

The Joy of the Lord

becomes a weapon against discouragement.

It is a spiritual force because it comes from a spiritual source, our Heavenly Father.

God is spirit as Messiah said in

John 4:24.

He does not have emotions like we understand emotions and feelings, His joy that He imparts to us, is to strengthen us in the inner man so we will rise up and

be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Ephesians 6.

Not our own strength which is limited, but His strength which is unlimited and always available. It is the Father’s and Jesus/Yeshua’s desire, and in His own words… that our joy may be full.

These things have I spoken unto you,

that My joy may be in you,

and that your joy may be fulfilled.

John 15:11

We draw from the well of our salvation with Joy.

Joy is like the ‘dipper,’ the container, that we use to reach deep into that well, that spring of living water within us from the Fathers Holy Spirit, that is what will sustain us. The fullness of what our salvation means gives us the hope that will never be disappointed; and strength comes from allowing the Word of God, both in scripture and in the person of Messiah, to be the living word dwelling richly in us.

They experienced the rise of resistance, and as so many of us have experienced in our walk, discouragement is one of the devils favorite tools that he uses against believers in Messiah Yeshua/Jesus. He will always resist the work of the Lord and stir up opposition to try and hinder what God wants to do. He is persistent but we must be more persistent and persevere in what we have been called to do. James encourages us that we must resist the devil and he will flee. and by doing that in Messiahs name we will experience the rise of resistance in our own walk.

Phil 4:13 we can do all things through Messiah.

Proverbs 23:17-18

Whenever we are fully occupied with the will and work of the Lord we will always encounter opposition and intimidation. If we were not a threat to hasatan he would not focus on us so much; we could interpret this as a backhanded compliment! We must persevere even when there seems to be no immediate solution or answer in sight. The enemy will come with fear which causes us to take our eyes off of God and onto our circumstances. Our Heavenly Father will make a way where there seems to be no way. It’s our red sea moment and Jeremiah 32:27 encourages us: is anything too hard for the King of the universe?

2 Chron. 16:7

As the world grows darker and more violent, we are to shine brighter and bring true shalom/peace to all with whom we have contact; ever ready to share the good news of the gospel of the kingdom and encourage one another to stay strong and never meraphim.

Luke 18:1 always pray and never give up!

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim and mishpachah!

Peace to friends and family.

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.

Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord, Deliverer and soon returning King; and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

Not sure ..you can be…

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,

SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past. I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.

Occupy Till I Come

Anyone who has been following Messiah Yeshua/Jesus for any length of time is painfully aware of the fact we are in an ongoing war. It is not simply a physical war but one that originates in the realm of the spirit. This war will not stop until Messiah returns; which is why He told us to..

occupy til He comes!

Luke 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

When He said that, it is a call to build and extend the Kingdom of Heaven using/applying all the resources, gifting’s and talents that our Heavenly Father has imparted to us for His purposes.

And because the war is not a physical one we are told that

are not carnal/physical in 2 Cor. 10 :4 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;

They are mighty through Him.

The enemy’s warfare and battle plans are rooted way back in ancient millennia, he is not new at the tactics he uses against us; which is why we need the insight provided by Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit, so we can wage a victorious warfare. There is one kind of warfare which we now term as guerilla warfare which does not play by any known or mutually agreed rules or strategies. This is where the enemy knows that those they are in conflict with are so strong that they cannot win; but nevertheless they hope to gain a victory by wearing down the enemies troops with a type of guerilla warfare or terrorism. Daniel 7:25 tells us this that the wearing out of the saints is a very well used strategy.

This is the kind of persistent and unabated assault that brings us to the point of just wanting to give up; it’s summed up in the word attrition. It involves consistent harassment which causes extreme frustration causing one thing after another to hinder distract and we often say the idiom: like having a spanner in the works! Everything we try to do is plagued by annoyances, irritations and aggravations. Certainly most readers will have had these kinds of experiences at one time or another.

The scriptures are written for us for many reasons 2 Tim. 1:7 & 3:16 to encourage and educate and we are most certainly not alone in our fight.

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: His Word is for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live.

One great example of how the enemies tactics occur is in the life of Nehemiah when he returned to Israel from the Babylonian captivity and discovered that the land had been taken over by many people from other nations including the Amorites and Moabites. These new occupants resisted the Israelites when they began to return to their homeland. One reason they feared the Israelites was because of their support from Persia, the then most powerful nation in the world. The people who had taken over Israel knew that victory over the Persian Empire supported Israelites, was a war they could not win; but they could harass them to the point they might give up and go back to Persia. This war of attrition has never stopped and is still evident today both against nations and individuals.

For those readers who may not recall that the story of Nehemiah and Ezra takes place at the time of the return of Israel from captivity where they were exiled.  The Northern ten tribes of Israel, Samaria were taken into captivity by the Assyrian Empire.  After the collapse of the Assyrian Empire, the Babylonian Empire became the world empire and the Northern ten tribes of Israel were scattered throughout the world.  The Southern Kingdom, Judah, remained unconquered until the rise of the Babylonian Empire, which finally conquered Judah and took them away from their homeland.  

During their captivity Babylon fell to the Persian Empire.  Daniel was a favorite of the Persian King Cyrus the Great (559-530 BC) and the Jews enjoyed favorable status with the Persian Empire.  This, however, resulted in much jealousy among the people of the other conquered nations. This jealousy was evident in the story of Haman who plotted to have the Jews destroyed. The plan was thwarted because of the courage of Esther (a Jew) who was then the Queen of Persia and had much favor with her husband King Xerxes who was the grandson of Cyrus the Great (486-465 BC).  Esther’s step son King Araxerxes I (465-424 B.C.) granted a decree that allowed Nehemiah and Ezra to lead their people back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple under the protection of the Persian Empire.  This is almost a repeat of Jewish History beginning in 1948 AD when the United Nations granted Israel the right to return to their homeland.

The responsibilities on King Artaxerxes and the increasing threats of war from other nations became so great that he put his son Susa in charge over the Israelites. Susa was the grandson of Esther and sadly had no respect for her or the fact that she was Jewish and so Israels support from Persia broke down.

Both Nehemiah and Ezra had faith that even when Persia’s support failed them The Lord God Almighty would not ever fail them. If God wanted Jerusalem to be rebuilt He could and would do it, without the help of the Persian Empire. This proved true however, the lack of support from Persia did give their enemies some confidence to further harass Israel.

God never fails us but sometimes people give up before they see the answer to their prayers and needs, failing to simply trust in our heavenly Father and His timing and provision.

We read in Ezra 4:4: “Then the people of the land weakened the hands of Judah and troubled them in building.”

So it would appear that the battle including these acts of attrition were effective.

The expression 

their hands were weakened 

is an ancient idiom meaning

to become discouraged and fearful.

The word weakened 

in Hebrew is 

meraphim

spelled mem resh pei yod mem

Ezra 4:4
HEB: עַם־ הָאָ֔רֶץ מְרַפִּ֖ים יְדֵ֣י עַם־
NAS: of the land discouraged the people
KJV: of the land weakened the hands
INT: the people of the land weakened the hands the people

מְרַפִּ֖ים

Meraphim comes from the root word

rapah

which means:

to sink down or to loosen one’s grip.

The word is found in a Piel (intensive) form so it really has the idea of:

just letting go.

In other words,

just giving up.

It’s not a strange thing to experience, and no doubt most readers have felt that way at times during both personal lives and in ministry. Sometimes It can seem as if individuals just focus on and take aim at you from every angle, criticize, condemn, and accuse you of things that you never said, did or intended. Nothing is going the way that was hoped or planned and if we are not vigilant with our hearts, eventually, a person can become discouraged and then they meraphim or give up. Sometimes ending up with deep resentment and bitterness. Those in ministry are getting no response, no one seems to want to support them and they face one obstacle after another; it seems the enemy is relentless. The idiom of the last straw, the final blow to all the fighting and pressing in falls on us and its all designed with the goal of getting us to give up- to merephim.

The constant harassment by their enemies caused the Israelites to become so weary, tired and discouraged from the mocking rhetoric. The attacks were not actually physical to them personally, but while they were building the walls their homes were robbed and their crops destroyed. This persisted and when Nehemiah returned after a visit back to Persia, he found the people had merephim – weakened and given up.

They had given up working on the walls to protect their own interests and they had fallen into spiritual paganism and idolatry.

Ezra encouraged the people and stirred them up to complete their mission

and so did Nehemiah.

This is where we get our well known phrase in

Nehemiah 8:10: 

The Joy of the Lord is our strength.

We will not fulfill God’s work for us if we fall prey to the work of the enemy, to his war of attrition and his terrorist attacks against us like Judah did, and allow negative thinking and words to control us. Instead, we need to fill our hearts with the Word of God like Ezra did, by finding a congregation, assembly or fellowship of like-minded believers where you can encourage each other with songs of worship, praise and joy, and then enter into the joy of the Lord. When we encourage others with songs and testimonies of praise and joy and they in turn encourage us, together we will stop the enemy dead in his tracks. For where you were merephim – weak, the joy of the Lord will make us strong.

Ezra 4:4: “Then the people of the land weakened the hands of Judah and troubled them in building.”

There is a personal application for us individually in our own spiritual walk with our Heavenly Father and Paul, gives us a solution in Ephesians 15:19: “Speak to one another with Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.”

We must not allow the work of the enemy to succeed against us like Judah did, and allow negative thinking and words to control us.

Instead we need to fill our hearts with the Word of God like Ezra did and encourage each other with words from scripture.

The Hebrew letters resh-pei in the word for weakened, reveal an interesting insight and it may be this is what has happened with those in charge of some countries and their citizens.

The Resh – people have become judgmental;

Pei – people talk to much; and the

resulting in them becoming self-deceived.

Are countries inflicting a war of attrition against themselves and thereby weakening themselves? If this way of life continues, no doubt many will give up.

Here as in Exodus 19:2.

many need to

face the mountain.

As the Body of Messiah, we are to have a combined mission and goal and the more united we become as one with Him, He is us and we in Him; that common commitment and devotion to the Fathers’ will, plan and purpose will transform any barriers that prevent victory. It will turn them into stepping stones on our way to achieving that which our Heavenly Father has called us to do. It seems that until we are faced with an insurmountable mountain, our petty differences will not diminish. And until we are delivered from pride and ego and put our focus and intent on hearing, receiving and being a doer of His Word, any forward motion and spiritual maturity is hindered and splintered.

Proverbs 22:10 Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.

Cast out the scorner/scoffer/tormentor and strife will go, for where there is strife there is every evil work. James 3:16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice.

Prov 13:10. Among the proud there are always contentions: but they that do all things with counsel, are ruled by wisdom.

Arrogance leads only to strife, but wisdom is with the well-advised.

Strife can develop when a difference of opinion becomes the priority in a relationship. Strife and war or fighting are inseparable.

Strife is always accompanied by pride and an unteachable spirit.

Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

For where envying and strife is, there is confusion. Where emulation, zeal, and rivalry exist, there also are sedition, anarchy, restless disturbance, and every villainous act. The whole state is evil, and utterly contrary to the rule of the Gospel.

The enemy will always try to divide and conquer and sow questioning seeds of doubt and unbelief, causing our faith and trust in people to waver. It started in the garden…and will not stop until Messiah returns. Keep that helmet in place protecting our minds from the whispering accuser.

In the secular world it is said that to be successful one must surround oneself with positive people. If we surround ourselves with negative thinkers and talkers we will become negative too.

If anyone has ever helped out in the nursery during meetings you will quickly learn an important lesson. If one of those little ones began to cry, within moments the others begin to cry and truthfully, adults are not much different.  If we are around one person crying, complaining and moaning, it’s not long before others add their own complaints.

We sometimes feel we in a prison or a hole in the ground with seemingly no way out.

Psalms 28:1 “Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.”

silent to me

The Hebrew word for 

pit is bore

953 bowr: cistern

Original Word: בּוֹר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: bowr
Phonetic Spelling: bore
Definition: a pit, cistern, well

בֽוֹר ḇō·wr.

בּר, cistern,

well (= בְּאֵר) 1 Chronicles 11:17,18

pit Exodus 21:33 (verb פתח),

prison/dungeon pit with no water in it 

Jeremiah 38:6Zechariah 9:11

Crypt, pit, of the grave Proverbs 28:17;

which could mean a well, a prison, or a crypt.

In ancient times a prison was a pit that someone was thrown into and without someone sending down a rope, a person could not get out of it. Similarly, if you fell into, or were lowered into a well, as old abandoned wells were often used as a prison, remember Joseph?  Crypts were used for the same thing, they are places where once you go in, you usually don’t come out.

Regarding Psalm 28, to say that if David doesn’t hear from the Lord, he will die or enter a place he cannot get out of.  Some of us have no doubt felt like we entered a dark place, like a deep well or a prison and if we did not get some direction and help from our Heavenly Father, there was a feeling that we would never escape.

It’s a curious statement that when David says that he calls on Adonai, He is silent. Does it simply meaning that when David presents his request to Adonai, his prayer is not answered?

The word silent is karash. חָרַשׁ

karash/charash: altogether

Original Word: חָרַשׁ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: charash karash
Phonetic Spelling: khaw-rash’
Definition: to cut in, engrave, plow, devise

1 cut in, engrave, of worker in metals נְחשֶׁת וּבַרְזֶל ׳ח Genesis 4:22 (J),

 נחשׁת ׳ח 1 Kings 7:14; figurative 

עַללֿוּחַ לִבָּם ׳ח Jeremiah 17:1 

engraved on the tablet of their heart.

2 plough, literally, human subject (animal usually with בְּ), no object expressed 1 Kings 19:19Deuteronomy 22:10Isaiah 28:24,

so יַחֲרשׁ בבקרים Amos 6:12 

(but read probably יֵחָרֵשׁ בבקר יָם, see We and others);

with accusative of congnate meaning with verb חֲרִישׁ ׳ח 1 Samuel 8:12 plough his ploughing (= do his ploughing), 

Proverbs 20:4; figurative of Judah Hosea 10:11; with ethical reference רֶשַׁע ׳ח Hosea 10:13(“” קצר), אָוֶן ׳ח Job 4:8 (“” זרע, קצר); עַלגַּֿבִּי חָֽרְשׁוּ חֹרְשִׁים

Psalm 129:3 upon my back have ploughmen ploughed (figurative of oppression by wicked); חֹרֵשׁ = ploughman Isaiah 28:24Amos 9:13 (“” קצֵר); ׳ח with oxen subject only Job 1:14.

3 devise (as one who works in, practices), usually bad sense, object רָעָה Proverbs 3:29

רַע Proverbs 6:14;

מַחְשְׁבת אָוֶן Proverbs 6:18

חֹרְשֵׁירַע Proverbs 12:20

Proverbs 14:22;

but also חֹרְשֵׁי טב Proverbs 14:22.

It is closely related to the word karas which means to be rough.

Maybe some of us can relate to that feeling, wondering why our Heavenly Father seems to be being so rough with us? The word Karash isn’t only used for silence but in its primitive form, refers to a plow or till which makes an engraving into the ground.  In the form of a noun, it’s describing a cutting instrument. The word karas spelled with a Sade at the end means to lacerate, or wound. Karash is also used for an enchanter, magician, or to be artificial. It could be understood that silence from our Heavenly Father is similar to the cutting of a deep wound.

The use of this word would seem to point to the situation David was not asking for deliverance from the problem he found himself in, as he had confidence that was already covered. Rather he was wanting deliverance from the deep emotional distress he was experiencing, which was the result from people who were saying things about him that were not true. Could it be that this was the deep hurt, fear and worry that followed, causing an overwhelming feeling of oppression and dread that stole his joy for life itself?  David was speaking as if he just wished Adonai would take him home and away from it all; even today, that’s not a strange wish for many going through horrible persecution. In such a position we wish for and desire to know our Heavenly Fathers comforting presence and in the next verse David speaks of his supplications

Heb. Canan/ chanan.

Tehinnah

Or (feminine) tachanuwnah {takh-an-oo-naw’};

from chanan; earnest prayer — intreaty, supplication.

HEBREW chanan 2603

chanan: beseech

Original Word: חָנַן
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: chanan
Phonetic Spelling: khaw-nan’
Definition: to show favor, be gracious

chanan/canan/Supplication here means:

to show favor.  

David is saying that he is showing favor to God and He is doing it with his hands lifted up.

Questions we need to ask ourselves, when we go to our Heavenly Father with a need, who is it we are wanting to favor, ourselves or our Heavenly Father?

David is asking that he not be drawn away from the Lord by the intentions of the wicked in verse 5. The verses seem to indicate that to him the pressures of job, relationships, and health, were not that important; and we know that David did suffer the loss of his job through the broken relationship with Absalom his beloved son, as well as the loss of his health.

What David was looking at in this verse was not what he had lost physically but how they affected his relationship with his Heavenly Father.

In Psalms 98:1, David is praying and knows the Lord is his rock; then he is declaring that his job, his relationships, his health are not the rocks he depends on in his life and he can live without them.

He is saying that he cannot bear to  lose his relationship with his heavenly Father. He is begging the Lord not to leave him because he would not be able to handle that, it would send him into a dark pit and he would die.

Messiah said we would have trials troubles and tribulation in this life and they are for the continuing working out of our salvation in the process to spiritual maturity. Phil.2:12

These mould us and shape us into the people our Heavenly Father wants us to be by sifting and refining us and the process purifies our hearts. At anytime we feel He is far away …He is not, He is simply allowing the testing of our faith and trust in Him, desiring us to seek Him more whatever our circumstances look like. We are to occupy til He comes again

and spiritually don’t give up an inch of ground already won; and encourage ourselves and others with Nehemiah, that our joy, and in turn our strength is in, and comes from, only Him. So

don’t give up

because we are assured in

Joshua 1:5 & Hebrews 13:5

that He will NEVER leave us nor FORSAKE us…

EVER!

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם‎,

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim and mishpachah!

Peace to friends and family.

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.

Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

Not sure ..you can be…

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,

SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.

Entering and Leaving Sha’ar Yerushalayim Part 6

The Final 2 Gates in Nehemiah’s list are the

 EAST GATE

and

MIPHKHAD GATE

The East Gate

is also known as the

Golden Gate

and is probably one of the more easily recognized gates

as well as the most photographed!

Next to them, Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. Next to him, Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, the guard at the East Gate, made repairs. Neh 3:29

This gate is also known by other names:

Sha’ar Harachamim

שער הרחמים

Golden Gate

Gate of Mercy,

the Gate of Eternal Life. 

East Gate or

Temple Gate:

Just north of the Horse Gate, it led to the temple.

 

Around 600 BC, Ezekiel prophesied that a

gate facing east would be sealed Ezekiel 44:1–3,

but this is not the same East Gate mentioned by Nehemiah.
Recall the walls of Nehemiah are inside the existing walls of Jerusalem today.

The Eastern Gate was where freewill offerings were given by the king, to be distributed to the people by the keeper of the gate.

The people entered the Temple through this gate, on their way to worship the Lord and present their offerings and sacrifices to Him.

2 Chronicles 35:7-8 And Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king’s substance. And his princes gave willingly unto the people, to the priests, and to the Levites: Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for the passover offerings two thousand and six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen.
2 Chronicles 31:14 And Kore the son of Imnah the Levite, the porter toward the east, was over the freewill offerings of God, to distribute the oblations of the LORD, and the most holy things.

The spiritual meaning of the East Gate is that, once we become established in God, we are to share our blessings with others.

The East Gate suggests the return of Yeshua HaMashiach/Jesus Christ, which will take place in two stages.

He will return first for His own Jn. 14:1–3

and second with His own 1 Th. 3:13.

He will appear as the bright and morning star

to the church Rev. 22:16

and as the Sun of righteousness to Israel. Mal. 4:2.

The East Gate

is most likely the Gate that Yahshua/Yeshua/Jesus

came through on what we call Palm Sunday.

Above, old photos of the Golden Gate from both sides.

Archeologist Dr. Jim Fleming is one of the people who discovered the Herodian stones under the present East Gate. What that means is we can be quite certain that the present East Gate is where the East Gate that Jesus came through was located. But it also is opposite a certain point on the Mount of Olives, where the High Priest had to stand with the red heifer on Yom Kippur and look through the East Gate into the Holy of Holies across the Kidron Valley.

That would tend to verify the theory of Dr. Asher Kaufman of the Department of Antiquities of Hebrew University that would put the location of the original temple not on the exact site of the Mosque of Omar – the Dome of the Rock which we’ve seen pictures of – but about seventy meters north of it. In other words, in order to rebuild the temple, you would not have to tear down the mosque.

In 1969 a young archaeology student named James Fleming was exploring the walls and gates of ancient Jerusalem after a heavy rain the night before when, suddenly, outside of the Golden Gate on the eastern wall of the Old City, the ground fell out from under him. “I felt I was part of a rock slide,” Fleming wrote. “Down I went into a hole 8 feet deep.”

When he picked himself up and realized he was uninjured, he regained his composure and looked around. He was standing in the midst of a mass grave. Then he began to examine the adjacent wall— the wall beneath the Golden Gate.

The Golden Gate is surely one of the most beautiful of Jerusalem’s eight gates. It was blocked up hundreds of years ago, probably for security reasons, but perhaps for religious reasons as well, for the Golden Gate is associated with messianic expectations and the final judgment of humanity. According to the prophet Zechariah, “On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives which lies before Jerusalem on the east … Then the Lord your God will come, and all the holy ones with him” (Zechariah 14:4–5). The prophet Joel tells of an awful and awesome “Day of the Lord,” when the sun will become dark, and the moon will turn to blood, and the Lord will judge the nations in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 2–3), traditionally associated with the valley before the Golden Gate.

 

 Sha’ar HaRachamim 

Gate of Mercy/Golden Gate

 שער הרחמים

The Biblical account of this gate is not precise. All we really know from the above passage is that there WAS an East Gate, and that it had a guard, known as Shemaiah, son of Shecaniah.  Shemaiah may have been regarded as a descendant of the Shemaiah of 1 Chron. 26:6, whose duty was to guard the temple. If this is the case, then the East Gate is undoubtedly the East Gate of the Temple. Others however, identify it with the Water Gate, towards the east.

Called Gate of Mercy because of the Jewish belief and tradition that this is the gate where the Messiah will enter at the end of days. It is therefore a place that one would go to pray and ask for mercy.
The gate is actually made up of two doorways/portals that lead straight to the Temple Mount.

Here are some pictures below, of the Golden Gate seen from the inside on the Temple Mount.

Looking at the 2 doorways, the southern opening,

the one on the right side as one faces East is the

Sha’ar HaRachamim

or Gate of Mercy

and the northern portal is called 

Sha’ar Hatshuva

or Gate of Repentance.

The Eastern Gate of Jerusalem

is also called/reffered to as

the Beautiful Gate 

or the Gate Beautiful 

referred to in Acts 3:2.

And a certain man who had been lame from his mother’s womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful…and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms…

Some scholars argue that Jerome may have mistranslated the Greek text as he wrote the Latin Vulgate. It was from the Latin Vulgate that the King James Bible, the first English version, was translated. The Latin Vulgate read “Golden Gate”, whereas the Greek New Testament read “Beautiful Gate”

“In the earliest Greek New Testament,

the word for ‘beautiful’ is oraia.

When Jerome translated the New Testament into Latin in the 4th Century he changed the Greek oraia into the similar sounding Latin aurea, rather than to the Latin word for ‘beautiful.’ So the Latin Vulgate text read ‘Golden Gate’ instead of ‘Beautiful Gate.'” (BAR, Jan/Feb 1983, p.27)

 It now seems clear that the

Beautiful Gate

was not the

Golden Gate

in the Eastern Wall,

but rather the outermost entrance to the temple itself.

Above: View of what is directly behind the Gate. 

The Eastern Gate was sealed shut in AD 1540–41 by order of Suleiman the Magnificent, a sultan of the Ottoman Empire, this is the only gate that was not rebuilt by him.

The Golden Gate or Sha’ar HaRachamim

is the oldest and most important and by far the most impressive gate to the old city of Jerusalem/Yerushalayim.

In the picture below is the location of

The Shushan Gate – Shaar Šušān

שושןהבירה

שער שושן

also called

Susa Gate,

was an

Eastern gate

of the Temple.

It was named after the ancient Persian city of Susa. According to Jewish tradition, the gate had been called the Shushan Gate, because Nehemiah was at the Persian summer palace in Shushan when he heard about the situation at Jerusalem/Yerushalayim, after which he repaired and rebuilt the walls and gates.

Strong’s Hebrew: 7800. שׁוּשָׁן (Shushan)

Based on archeological excavations, the Golden Gate is believed to have been built during the Byzantine era. Constructed on top of ruins of an older gate built in the time of the 2nd temple. Monolithic stones found at base of the current gate were identified as dating to the time of the prophet Nechemia/Nehemiah.

It is interesting that the reason Suleiman sealed the gate was the concern, that there was and is truth to to the Jewish traditional belief that the Messiah will enter Jerusalem through

Sha’ar Harachamim.

Suleiman the Magnificent was determined to put a stop to the Jewish tradition and he sealed the gate shut. Moslem tradition places the resurrection in the end days occurring in front of the Eastern gate. Because of this, a Muslim cemetery was also built in front of the Golden Gate, which exists very prominently today. this was the cemetery which General Allenby refused to pass through, entering Jerusalem/Yerushalayim via the Jaffa Gate instead. This cemetery, coupled with the gate being sealed shut, were Islamic attempts to dissuade the Messiah or the Prophet Elijah who was to come first, from entering the city, as they were both Kohanim.

According to Jewish law a Kohen (high priest) can not enter a cemetery; but as Jewish biblical tradition states that the Messiah will be from the family of King David, whose is descendant from the tribe of Judah, not Levi, and therefore not a Kohen; this is not an exact truth.

Even though we cannot be certain of the exact location of this gate from the Nehemiah account, we do know its purpose: 

The man brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, the one facing east, and it was shut. “The Lord said to me, ‘This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the Lord God of Israel has entered by it.” Eze. 44:1-3

It would seem that this East Gate was set aside specifically by our Heavenly Father/Yehoveh for one particular event:

The Return of His Messiah!

In Ezekiel 46:12 we read that there is one person, a “prince” who may enter via the eastern gate: 

Ezekiel 46:12: “When the prince provides a freewill offering to the LORD . . . the gate facing east is to be opened for him. . . . Then he shall go out, and after he has gone out, the gate will be shut.” 

Many scholars believe Yeshua/Jesus entered the East Gate on Palm Sunday.

palm sunday: אחספה ינפלש ‘א םו

Shabbat HaGadol – Great Sabbath

was not a Levitical feast day by itself,

but part of the Passover/Pesach preparations.

It was prophetic in that He was fulfilling

several Old Testament prophecies.

Zechariah 9:9-10, Psalm 118:25-26.

As we can see, this gate, right now is sealed. Done after the Messiah went through this gate. It also states that Yehoveh/God would enter through it. Yahshua/Yeshua/Jesus was Yahoveh/God; He entered through the gate and this prophecy of Ezekiel 44:1-2 has been literally fulfilled.

To the Jew, the Golden Gate was to be the sight of the Messiah’s return to establish His kingdom on earth; and free the Jewish people from the nations of the world. The Golden Gate was to be the entry point for the Jewish Messiah into Jerusalem.

By entering the Eastern Gate there is little doubt that Yeshua/Jesus knew what He was doing. As stated in Ezekiel, and believed by Jews of Yeshua/Jesus’ time and today, the Messiah would return to rule Jerusalem through the East Gate. It was however not exactly the rule and reign they were anticipating!

His Triumphal Entry was Him proclaiming Himself as Messiah and bringing the Kingdom of the heavens for those who would receive Him and by doing so; He fulfilled the passage in Ezekiel about the Prince returning and entering by the Eastern Gate.

This event set the stage for the confrontation with the scribes and Pharisees, which led to His arrest and ultimately to His crucifixion.

 It is an amazing thought to ponder on that previously mentioned archeologist, Dr. Jim Fleming’s buried gate, may also be the gate through which Yeshua/Jesus passed the week before His death and resurrection.

The Glory/Shekinah of the Lord coming into the temple,

Ezek. 44:1-2, is seen as the triumphal entry.

Ezekiel 43:2; Matthew 21:1–11. 

And, finally, the “prince” to whom the gate will be opened 

Ezekiel 46:12

is seen as Christ Himself at the second coming

the Prince of Peace will return to the Mount of Olives

Zechariah 14:4

and enter Jerusalem/Yerushalayim

by way of the re-opened Eastern Gate.

For the Believer in Messiah, the East Gate continually speaks of the His return. It’s a daily reminder for us of our need to live with this hope clearly fixed in our hearts and minds and to long for His return and the setting up His Kingdom, it’s a sign that our Heavenly Father is faithful concerning His promises.

Peter summed up the vital importance of the East Gate:

 “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of god and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.” 2 Peter 3:11-15.

The previous gate, the Horse Gate, as well as reminding us that we are in a constant state of spiritual warfare; also reminds us of the second coming of Messiah. Why do 2 gates next to each other have the same message? Could it be that when our Heavenly Father says something twice we should know He is very serious? He is trying to help us understand that the focus of our lives must be the Truth that He WILL return, and very soon!

The Horse Gate and the East Gate both teach us to live our lives with eternity as our primary focus and not the things of this world. We are sojourners who are simply passing through; this is not our home and explains why so many of us feel like we do not belong and do not, and have never fitted in, even though we have tried to.

One spiritual meaning of the East Gate is that this is the gate that leads into the Temple courtyard, and is a representation of our entrance into Heaven’s Glory at the end of our physical, earthly life.

As we imagine approaching the Eastern Gate, passing through the Kidron Valley with all of its sorrows, now lies behind us. Facing the Golden/East Gate, the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane, with its’ cemeteries are also behind us.

We see the double gate and unlike the other gates, this gate welcomes us into the presence of our Heavenly Father.

It has been said that the double entrance stands for

justice and mercy.

Justice for those who refused the message of the Gospel

and mercy for those who accepted it.

 

The East Gate was the first gate to be opened each morning

and the question would be asked,

O watchman, what of the night?

It must have brought great comfort to the people when the watchman on the wall may have said,

The dawn is coming.

I see light on the horizon and the sun will soon be up.

The declaration that the city was safe after a long night of watching, waiting, and wondering if in the darkness there was danger from an enemy; and to hear the watchman say that the night was almost over, and that light has broken through the darkness of the night must have brought shalom to all who heard him.

      The swinging open of the East Gate was the start of a new day timed to the sun coming up over the horizon.

In the reference to East Gate our hearts are reassured that one of these days the Lord Jesus/Yeshua HaMashiach, Who is the bright and morning star, will appear to take those who are His own out of this night of sin.

As we have noted earlier in the post, that Israel believes their long awaited Messiah will enter through this gate when He comes. Judaism does not yet understand, that their Messiah has already done that, when He rode a donkey from the Mount of Olives to that gate!

Rev. 22:20

He which testifieth these things saith,

Surely I come quickly. Amen.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

 


The last Gate in Neh.3:31 is the

Inspection or Prison Gate.

Inspection Gate: Miphqad
Phonetic Spelling: mif-kawd’
Definition: appointed place

מִפְקָד שַׁ֤עַר

Sha’ar Miph-kad  Hammiph-kad

Also called

Muster Gate 

and the

Gate of Revenge

as well as

The Benjamin Gate

and the

Gate of Gathering.

Research shows various maps for the locations of the gates and their multiple names; please take all information as approximations. Readers are encouraged to check for themselves from the pictures and maps given in the text as starting points for further study.

Why the discrepancies? This is because the location of walls and gates of Biblical Jerusalem are often in doubt due to lack of strong archeological and historical evidence.

The map shows the city according to the theory which includes the southwest ridge in the city of both Solomon and Nehemiah. Some scholars challenge this and limit the western expansion to the area enclosed by the black dotted line that starts at the

Ephraim Gate

middle left of diagram below.

The eastern wall is extended out from Nehmiahs wall so approximate position is shown on the photos.

Neh 3: 31  After him repaired Malchiah the goldsmith’s son unto the place of the Nethinims, and of the merchants, over against the gate Miphkad, and to the going up of the corner.

Muster Gate/Inspection Gate/Benjamin Gate:

is reported to be between the East Gate

and the northeast corner of the wall.

Possibly the same as the

Benjamin Gate

Jeremiah 20:2 

where Jeremiah was imprisoned in stocks.

This gate in Hebrew also means:

the Gate of Judgment.

When Messiah returns, there will be a judgment.

There are two judgment seats:

one for the saved and one for the unsaved.

The thronos and the bema;

the unsaved will appear before the thronos, and

the saved before the bema seat according to scripture.

The Muster or Inspection Gate

Sha’ar Miph-kad  Hammiph-kad

in verse 31

was located in the northernmost section of the wall.

The word for

Inspection 

is found in only 3 other passages:

2 Samuel 24:9 & 1 Chronicles 21:5,

where it means:

numbering or mustering, 

and

Ezekiel 43:21,

where it means:

the appointed place for the sin offering to be burned.

The elders sat at this gate

judging and rendering decisions

in matters brought before them.

Spiritually speaking, the Muster or Inspection Gate

can be a reminder for every believer of the time when we will stand before the bema seat; Inspection

or Judgment Seat of Messiah as scripture tells us we will:

“give an account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:10–12). Each person will be judged “according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10) and will be rewarded “according to his own labor” (1 Cor. 3:8). All our works will be tried by fire to determine their value for Christ (1 Cor. 3:13–15).

Sha’ar Miph-kad -Hammiph-kad

      The word Hammiphkad means:

review of registry.

When strangers came to Yerushalayim/Jerusalem, they had to have a type of what we call a visa, and were stopped at this gate for the purpose of registry.

The word in Hebrew has a military connection and according to tradition it was at this gate that King David would meet his troops to inspect them.

It was a gate of review, because this is the gate that the army came through. It was here that David welcomed his soldiers returning from battle. Most of them would have gladly laid down their lives for him and as they came under the arch, he was there to thank his battle-scarred men for their unselfish loyalty and courage.

As we have just noted in the scripture, that when our Heavenly Father calls those of His own out of this world, there is to be

a gate of review. 

This gate speaks to us of our Heavenly Father examining our lives as Paul writes in

1 Cor 4:4: ‘For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.’

In our halak/walk, we should be living with this in mind; that we are called to live our lives with eternity at the forefront of our thinking, caring more for the things of eternity than the temporal things that we see around us. Paul tells us that if we would only deal with our sins and judge ourselves down here, we would not have to have Him deal with them and that we should live in the light of that understanding.

The examining will be, how well did we serve Him and how much spiritual treasure did we send on ahead of us?

 

 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. in this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1Tim. 6:18-19.

for in so doing, we lay up our treasure in Heaven where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

So, that which will be in question is whether the things we have done in this life deserve Him greeting us with the words..

well done, thou good and faithful servant. Matthew 25:21.

The word Miphkad means:

numbering

as in census, and also

appointed place.

 

To the believer, the spiritual meaning of

the Gate Miphkad

comes into view from

Ezek. 43:21 Thou shalt take the bullock also of the sin offering, and he shall burn it in the appointed place miphkad of the house, without the sanctuary.

It means the place, where the presence of our Heavenly Father is and His forgiveness by the blood and the offering, the sacrifice of the perfect lamb of God, Yahshua/Yeshua/Jesus.

The Gate Miphkad is considered by some to be the gate through which we must pass when we die, as it is connected to judgment.

Psalm 39:4 LORD, make me to know my end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment.

 

“Next to him, Malkijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the room above the corner” Neh 3:31

This is the final gate!

Today, it would be the

Lion’s Gates

ha’ar ha arayot

and apparently it is

sometimes misnamed the

Sheep Gate

and it stands where the

Inspection Gate was located.

As with the East Gate, very little known about it. In fact, this particular gate isn’t mentioned anywhere else in the Bible.

Based on the description, it is thought that the Inspection Gate must have been on the in the east or northeast wall, a little to the south of the Sheep Gate.

Matt 25:31: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. all the nations will be gathered before him . . .

what is involved with this judgment, this inspection?

As a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats . . . He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Matt. 25:31-33.

The judgment will be a separation of humanity into two groups designated by Yeshua/Jesus as the sheep and the goats.

Why and what happens to these groups?

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. Matt. 25:34-35.

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ Matt. 25:41-42.

Is there a reason why He is reminding us of the final judgment?

No doubt it is because He wants to motivate us in desiring to be in the first group, the sheep…

He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9.

So as the last gate in the wall, when the repairs to the

Inspection Gate

and the section of the wall to the corner were completed,

the work had come full circle back to the

Sheep Gate in v. 32,

which, as looked at in part 1,

represents the saving work of the cross of Yeshua/Jesus.

      And between the ascent of the corner unto the sheep gate…. Nehemiah 3:32

We started there and we end there because everything in the life of a believer in Yeshua/Jesus is done in the light of His cross.

I am the Gate of the Sheep ….I am the beginning and the end.       

We begin at the Sheep Gate; we end at the Sheep Gate.

Our Heavenly Father does not want us to forget that we were once and for all time purged from our old sins and are now sinners saved by grace. 2 Pet. 1:9.

Overview: summary  

In the gates we can see they are representative of spiritual experiences in our halak/walk, along His Way/derek.

We must first enter by the..

SHEEP GATE:  Entering to the experience of Repentance, Forgiveness, Salvation/Born from Above, Atonement and coming through the Door/Dalet to know the shepherd of our souls becoming one of His flock. He is the true Sheep Gate.

FISH GATE: We are made into Fishers of men as we follow Him and are able to lead new souls to the knowledge of His grace, forgiveness salvation and adding to the ecclesia/called apart ones.

OLD GATE: Restoring back to the foundational Truths and to the initial experiences, the joy of salvation and we are taught the ancient paths of our Hebrew heritage. His ways do not change and the old paths are important for us to walk in. Also the old man has been renewed we are a new creation in Jesus/Yeshua.

THE VALLEY GATE: To be with Yeshua/Jesus outside the camp and to experience walking through the valley of the shadow of death with Him. This gate speaks of the trials that come our way and the testing of our faith which works to transform us into His image. This includes suffering and the secret of promotion. It teaches us the principle of humility and brokenness and how to be continually dying to the self life by crucifying the flesh with all its cravings and desires. These experiences usually involve the pulling up of the deep roots of our human carnal nature, exposing all the areas we need to get rid of at the next Gate!

THE DUNG GATE: The experience of cleansing, deliverance getting the clutter and uncleanness out of our lives. Separating from that which is worthless vain it is a precursor to the full circumcision of the heart.

FOUNTAIN GATE: This gate speaks of the time of cleansing and purification. It points to the Laver in Moses tabernacle Zech. 13:1 also tells us

A fountain has been opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

Depending on our Heavenly Father for everything by the power of His Spirit of Holiness a fountain that springs up giving energy to the new life in Him. Here we will experience the outpouring of His Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit.

WATER GATE: Our lives are instructed by the Word of God with the washing of the Water by His Word which continually cleanses and sanctifies us. He offers living water to those who are thirsty. As well as bringing cleansing, it will also bring direction and encouragement to our lives.

His voice is like the sound of many waters. Rev.1:15, 4:1

HORSE GATE: As we ride into battle, we must live a life of praise and worship of our Heavenly Father; this is integral to the spiritual warfare we encounter along the Way. We are over-comers, the warhorse a type of the conquering saints.

EAST GATE: From life to life, of newness of life, or glory to glory and is an image of the soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach. It depicts us entering into His eternal presence.

MIPHKHAD GATE: means assignment, appointment. The principle of judgment in the gate. The place of self judgment and the appointed place where we will be inspected at the Bema seat of Messiah where there is open reward, the victors crown. The gate of review speaking of running the race, which reminds us of the coming final judgment, so that we will always remember to live our lives with Eternity in view. 

Adding in here the Ephraim and the Prison gates makes 12. 

Ephraim Gate: means doubly fruitful/productive: fruitfulness in spiritual reproduction when we partake of His divine nature and double portion which is the blessing in the birthright of the firstborn.

Prison Gate: One who has entered His rest has become a prisoner of the Lord one who is bound to Him and His purposes. Full commitment by the individual and one who has fully surrendered to Him and has been placed in His custody as a willing love slave unto not loving his life unto death.

We should live our lives in humbleness of spirit; with an integrity of heart and mind; and with a boldness for our Lord and Savior.

After the receiving the Lamb as our Savior, we began a journey that took us from the lowest part of the city overlooking the Valley of Gehenna, a place that represents the torments of hell; past the Water Gate, a place of worship; and past the Horse Gate, a place of service. On this journey, we should be mindful that we will someday enter heaven’s Eastern Gate and be inspected at the Inspection Gate.

The Gates of Jerusalem /Sha’ar Yerushalayim, have a wonderful prophetic story to tell, having been named 1,000 years before the Lamb!

 

And when He came He told us which

Gate

we must enter…

Matt. 7:13,14

for He is the Gate, the Dalet

the Door of the Sheep.

Shalom shalom

‘Mishpachah’

‘Family/Tribe’

משפחה

Mish-pa-KHa,

friends, visitors and every reader…

Thank you for taking the time to read the posts and for ‘liking’ them, you are appreciated more than you know.

Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His

and are truly born from above.

Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is

your Redeemer, Savior, Lord

and soon returning King

and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry.

I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus.  Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Entering and Leaving – Sha’ar Yerushalyim Part 2

Continuing from part one …

Recall

A GATE gives access to the City; it is a seat of power, authority and influence; 1 Chronicles 9:22-23.

We enter God’s City through these Gates;

Matthew 5:14; Hebrews 11:10; 12:22

These Gates reflect the restoration of Kingdom Principles in the lives of God’s people.

The Restoration of the 12 Gates reveals the rebuilding of an original structure: God’s Divine Order and Government;

Gen. 35:22; 1 Kings 4:7; Matt. 10:1; Rev. 12:1; 21:12-21

Last post was a look at The SHEEP Gate

The principle of conversion, repentance, atonement, new birth.

Nehemiah.3:1-2; John 3:3

Sheep enter through the DoorJesus/Yeshua and become part of God’s flock; John 10:7-16

Jesus/Yeshua seeks after sheep who wander and go astray; Isaiah 53:6.

 

The next Gate:

And the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build…. Nehemiah 3:3

Fish Gate – sha’ar dag -שַׁ֤עַר דָּג

This was one of Jerusalem’s main entrances in the days of the First Temple, according to 2 Chr. 33:14. This gate led out to the main road north from Jerusalem/Yesushalyim, the road descended to the coastal plain through Beth-Horon. The majority of researchers agree that it is located close to the site where the Damascus Gate is today.

This gate was called the Fish Gate because merchants brought fish from Tyre or the Sea of Galilee through it to the fish market 13:16.

Fish Gate – sha’ar dag -שַׁ֤עַר דָּג

reminds us of Jesus/Yeshua’s words concerning soul winning.

We are to become fishers of men Mt. 4:19 in response to Yeshua/Jesus’ call to His disciples.

 It seems that the Fish Gate was next in line to the Sheep Gate. Recall that the first thing Yeshua/Jesus was to send them out immediately after being saved, to witness for Him. The woman at the well and the possessed man among the tombs were examples of this recorded in John 4:5-38 and Mark 5:1-20.

At the time of Nehemiah, the Fish Gate was in disrepair. That is like so many believers who, for long periods of time, make no attempt to witness or win anyone to Messiah. There are many Believers who are fishing; sometimes they do not catch anything, but we’ll never catch a fish until we try! He is still calling us to be fishers of men because all around us today there are hungry hearts. 

      Yeshua/Jesus said to His disciples,Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” He is giving us the same message as we stand before the Fish Gate.

Nehemiah 3:3-5; Matthew 13:47-49; Mark 16:15; Luke 5:6-9

The abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee Is 60:5 

The FISH Gate -shows us the principle of evangelism, outreach, soul-winning.

 An interesting note:

      And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord. (Nehemiah 3:5)

Think what it would mean to be recorded in God’s book that, when the opportunity presented itself to put ourselves to the work of the Lord, we did not do it and missed the opportunity!

They were right next to the Fish Gate. Scripture says,

He that withholdeth grain, the people shall curse him… Proverbs 11:26.

Today some are withholding grain/the Word of God, from those that are hungry.

 

Prov. 11:30

tells us that

he that winneth souls is wise

and He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves [souls] with him Ps. 126:6.

Every believer should heed Mt. 28:19–20 and share the message of salvation, so that souls will be saved and we will shine as the stars forever and ever Dan. 12:3. and of course we are to make disciples of those that choose to follow Messiah.

As previously, mentioned, the majority of researchers agree that the Fish Gate was located close to the site where the Damascus Gate is today.

Damascus Gate שער שכם‎, Sha’ar Sh’khem

meaning

Shechem Gate, or Nablus Gate.

Sha’ar Shchem שער שכם

also known as

Nablus Gate

was built in 1542 by Suleiman the Magnificent and faces north. In Hebrew, the gate is named after the important northern city in Israel in ancient times, Shechem. The triple gate has one large center gate originally intended for important people, and two smaller side entrances for commoners.

It was also called Neapolis Gate around 325-638 AD

The original gate is believed to have been built during the period of the Second Jewish Temple or בית מקדש , that was destroyed by the Romans. In the second century AD during the reign of Hadrian, the Romans built a new gate.

A Roman victory column was erected in front of the gate,

giving the gate its Arabic name

Bab el-Amud,

meaning the

Gate of the Column/Pillar or Column Gate.

The Romans would place milestones along the roads and highways that they built throughout their empire in order to measure distance.  Point zero in the land of Israel was a great pillar just inside Damascus Gate and the name preserves its memory.  The pillar, for which the gate was named, has been seen in ancient art works. During the British mandate excavation unearthed the gate, however the column was never found.

The Damascus Gate is the largest and most magnificent and was probably the gate used as the main entrance to the city in ancient times and two towers stand on each side of the gate prepared for battle.

The Gates led to the main roads leading from the city. In this case the road leads to Shechem – Nablus and then on to Damascus…The road along which Saul met Yeshua/Jesus.

These are photos of the modern day Damascus Gate note the thickness of the walls bottom right photo!

Currently it opens to the beginning of the Arab bazaar and marketplace and to the Moslem Quarter and is the busiest of all the Old City gates. The location of this gate today marks the position of a major city gate from when Herod Agrippa expanded the city walls in 41 AD.


In the northwest corner is

The Old Gate

11

Moreover, the old gate repaired Joiada, the son of Paseah…. (Nehemiah 3:6)

this gate is identified with the

Corner Gate of

2 Kings 14:13 and Jeremiah 31:38.

Scholars differ in their Opinions concerning the use of the term Old Gate, but some believe this gate was so named, because it was the main entrance into the old city of Salem /Jerusalem on the north side.

Maps differ in their opinions of the position of the Old Gate as shown on the diagram.

The Old Gate is one of the many gates of the wall of Jerusalem, located on the northern side. It was repaired by the Jebusites during the wall rebuilding in the Book of Nehemiah.

In some versions the gate is called

the Jeshanah Gate, which translates to the old gate.

Despite the destructive fire of the city, evidently it left some remnant of the walls and gates that could be put to use so repairs to the third gate are recorded as the beams being laid, the doors set in place, and bolts and bars attached. This is similar to the repairs of many of the other gates.

Young’s Literal Translation uses the word strengthened rather than repaired, because the Hebrew word gives the idea of making strong and firm.

There are no references to the old gate having a specific use, as the Sheep and Fish Gates did however, it was in a convenient place for everyone as an entrance and exit from the city.

The Old Gate brings to mind the old man being renewed spiritually by our Heavenly Fathers spirit of Holiness. We could look at this in a significant way, that as The Old Gate is made new, repaired, strength­ened in order to fulfill the purpose of the Fish Gate, and this is only made because of the Sheep Gate.

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self which is being corrupted by its deceit­ful desires, to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4: 22:

Everything is connected! We know that it is impossible to serve God until we are made new in Messiah. Becoming fishers of men depends on us being renewed, strengthened and made firm in our faith and walk and only through the Lord Jesus/Yeshua Messiah.

The Old Gate serves to remind us that in us all some of the old still remains.

But just as The old gate, though dam­aged and broken, was not thrown away when Nehemiah and his men came to rebuild; the gate was repaired, strengthened and put to good use/re-purposed! And renamed the New Gate.

The prophetic type in the Old Gate seems to be that men are plagued with a sin nature which is inherited from Adam. The unregenerate man is known in Paul’s writings as the old man:
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” Romans 6:6.
 Ephesians 4:22 and Colossians 3:9

There is an ongoing struggle for each of us, because we are not suddenly transformed the moment we become born again from above. Because we are left in our bodies of death; and there will always be this tension between the old and the new while we are still on the earth. Paul said “What a wretched man I am. “Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We are made new spiritually, but our physical bodies are still part of the old creation.

Because the Old Gate reminds us of the old man/nature of believers in Yeshua/Jesus. It contrasts God’s ways and with our old lifestyle before we began to walk with Him Jer. 6:16. In Jeremiah 6:16 we find this statement:

      Thus saith the LORD, Stand in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk in it, and ye shall find rest for your souls.

We are living in a day when we are interested in the new thing; the newest model of car, style of clothes, and gadgets for the house, etc. Things may change around us, but the human heart remains the same and the constant search for something new, is the thing that is leading us to frustration.

We need to ask for the old paths. Jeremiah said that when we do we will find rest for our souls.

We need to restore the old virtues for the pattern of living today. Although the human heart is the same as it has always been, its needs are greater because of the technological life in which it is surrounded.

We are to put off the opinions of the old nature and walk in the newness of Jesus/Yeshua’s life as Col. 3:5–17 tells us to, so that sin has no dominion over our everyday living. Rom. 6:6–14.

The Old Gate sets forth the concept that sinful man needs to hear the Gospel of the Lamb. Those who tell the story are called fishers of men and enter in through the New Gate of Jesus/Yeshua.


HaSha’ar HeChadash –

The New Gate  השער החדש

or HaSha’ar HeHadash

השער החדש

Gate of Hammid

The New Gate

is known in Hebrew as HaSha’ar Hechadash,

Heb. השער החדש

and in Arabic as Bab el-Jadid, the Gate of Hammid. 

This gate was constructed in 1889 by permission of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.

Called HaSha’ar HeChadash, the New Gate because it is the newest gate added to the old city of Jerusalem. Unlike all the other gates that were part of the original design of the wall constructed by Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century, this gate was breached in 1889. Though it was opened by the permission of the Ottoman ruler, it was done in the waning years of that empire. The New Gate was breached to afford the Christian pilgrims, and some note, specifically to provide the German Emperor William II easier access to the Christian Quarter.

This gate is also called Gate of Hammid in honor of the Sultan Abdul Hamid who gave permission to build it.

After the New Gate was captured by Jordan in 1948 it was closed off. It was reopened in 1967 after the Six Day war when Israel regained control of the Old City and the New Gate.

At the end of the Six Day War, Israeli soldiers file past a burnt vehicle as they enter the Lions’ Gate (or St Stephen’s Gate), Old City of Jerusalem, Israel, June 11, 1967. Israeli forces defeated the Jordan, which had held the Old City of Jerusalem since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

In The OLD Gate we can see the principle of the restoration of foundational truths. Nehemiah 3:6-12; Ecclesiastes 1:9

This is the uncovering of scriptural truth and a return to the apostles teaching and practices;

Isaiah 28:10; Hebrews 6:1-2

Remove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers have set.

Prov. 22:28

Ask for the ancient paths!

The New Gate was not part of the original 1535 design of Suleiman the Magnificent.

Even though the New Gate is located just up the hill from the Damascus Gate in the north wall, there’s no comparison. 

The New Gate was placed into the wall by the Ottomans in 1887 so that people could easily access the homes being built outside the city wall to the north of the city. The sultan Abdul Hamid also wanted to assist the Christian pilgrims from Russia, (they stayed at the Russian Compound just outside these walls), within easy access to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. 

The New Gate is located near the northwestern corner of the city and leads into the Christian quarter.

New Gate  Sha’ar Chadash 

was not a part of the original plan of the city walls. It was opened in 1887 by the Turkish sultan Abed el Hamid in order to give Christian pilgrims who had settled in this area outside of the Old City walls direct access to the sites holy to them in the Christian Quarter. Since it is the most recent of all gates to be built it is called the New gate and it faces Northwest.

From looking at the gates we become aware that next to the Old Gate there was another gate called the Gate of Ephraim. Ephraim means fruitfulness or doubly fruitful and it was at the beginning of a long valley, or depression in the landscape called the

valley of the cheese makers

or the Tyropoean Valley.

Today this valley runs through the center of the old city parts of the excavated wall run parallel to it.

As we make progress in our walk, there will be a choice either

the old gate or the gate of Ephraim?

We may have been called like the one lost sheep or we may have been caught like a fish.

When first we are born again from above the scales fall off our eyes like Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus and we see truth for the first time. After a few days we begin to wonder if it is real and do we want to make that lifetime commitment. We have come through the sheep gate and through the fish gate now there is a choice which one will we choose….

the old gate back to the old life and friends

or

the gate that leads to fruitfulness?

It is tied directly to Matthew 13:20,21 and Mark 4

the sower and the seed.

The Old Gate lies at the threshold of a valley a long deep valley

The Tyropean Valley.

Here the believer will have trials which valleys represent. However we are to go through the valley as in the shepherds Psalm 23 and He is with us all the Way.

More Gates coming in the next post…

Shalom shalom

‘Mishpachah’

‘Family/Tribe’

משפחה

Mish-pa-KHa,

friends, visitors and every reader…

Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His

and are truly born from above.

Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is

your Redeemer, Savior, Lord

and soon returning King

and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry.

I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus.  Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.