I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart
I will enter His courts with praise
I will say this is the day that the Lord has made
I will rejoice for He has made me glad.
This is an old chorus based on the Psalm 100:4
It’s a very familiar verse to everyone who is part of an assembly of believers in Jesus Christ/Yeshua haMashiach.
Most of us will identify the action of entering His gates, with going through the doors of the building where the meetings are held; and His courts with praise’ as moving into the sanctuary of the building. That’s what most of us have been taught for years and we would probably not think it meant anything else.
At the time this verse was written, there was only the Temple in Jerusalem/Yerushalayim. It was not considered the ‘church building’ of its day, although many people do think of it in that way. The Temple was the very dwelling place of our Heavenly Father however, as we know, He no longer dwells in a building. According to 1Cor. 6:19, The Temple containing the Holy Spirit of the Living God is now our bodies. The inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies was where Gods presence dwelt and the sanctuary/holy of holies was inside the whole structure called the Temple. The innermost part of us, is the sanctuary for His Holy Spirit. He is residing in our born again from above spirit. Wherever a true believer is, that’s where the sanctuary of God’s presence is also.
We also have to remember that the church or ecclesia is not a building. Ecclesia, the called apart, or called out ones, are the people. They the individuals that make up the body of Messiah in the earth. We are the living stones that make up His habitation on earth.
1Peter 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
So if these gates are not the physical ‘church building’ or ‘gates to the temple’ what are they?
Gates, as entrances and exits, have long captured our imagination. Many traditions are rich with gates and ours is no exception. Among others are:
Gates of Salvation,
Gates of Repentance,
Gates of Prayer,
Gates of Righteousness,
Gates of introspection and reflection,
Gates of Hell,
Gates of Glory,
Heavens gates.
In Hebrew the word gate is sha’ar.
שַׁ֫עַר
This word has many different meanings.
As well as gate, sha’ar can mean,
hair, a storm or tempest, a decision, to calculate,
a determination, a remnant or something horrible.
The Hebrew word for gate, sha’ar and its variations, appears more than 350 times in scripture. In Hebrew culture the imagery of gates covers both historical and spiritual meanings, being symbolic on many levels.
Most commentators on scripture believe that the first time a word is mentioned in the Torah is significant and tells of its deepest meaning.
For example:
The first mention of sha’ar
is immediately after the binding of Isaac.
This is when Abraham is blessed and God promises him that “your descendants will inherit the gate of their enemies” Genesis 22:17.
The next mention of sha’ar is in Genesis 24:60 when Rebecca leaves her family to marry Isaac, she receives a similar blessing: “May your offspring take possession of the gate of those who hate them”.
Gates, then, are points of protection and power. To possess the gate of our enemies is to control the forces that want to harm us. In ancient Israel, gates were the stronghold protecting daily life within the safety of city walls and gates; and so much of that life took place at the gates of the city, where the elders would gather and prophets would speak.
An interesting point is that the word sha’ar comes from the same Hebrew root as shiur (measure). In one interpretation of the verse “Her husband is known in the gates” The Hebrew sages teach that the husband is a metaphor for God, whose understanding is only known in measures. Our Heavenly Father makes Himself known to each individual according to the measure of the understanding of his or her heart.
It seems very strange that one word can mean so many different things and yet at the same time, be related?
If we look at the word in the context of a doorway, especially a doorway to our Heavenly Father, these words are all related.
For a long time, Gates have been a symbol of a point of communication between worlds and realms. In Genesis 28:17 following Jacobs dream of the ladder, he says, “This is no other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven”.
The spiritual significance of gates became increasingly more emphasized after the gates of Jerusalem were broken down and the Holy Temple was destroyed, Hebrew sages teach that the gate of heaven is the place to which prayers ascend.
As we often do with Hebrew words lets break down to the individual letters which we know from previous studies that they all have their own meanings and are pictures telling a story in themselves. The word sha’ar is made up of the letters sh = shin a = ayin and r = resh.
שַׁ֫עַר
For example in the first letter of the word for gate and that is a
שַׁ֫
Shin by which we get the idea of a storm or tempest which is expressed as or represents the passionate love of Heavenly Father for His children. It is telling us that when we go through this gate we enter the stormy passionate love of God.
עַ
Ayin is the next letter which represents deep spiritual insight. It gives us a picture that when we pass through this gate/sha’ar into the presence of God you are immersed into deep spiritual insight and understanding where we discover something horrible!
What could it be that is horrible? That is our sinful nature and the darkness hidden in the deep recesses of our hearts, remnants of the old man, the carnal nature.
In studying the Hebrew scriptures and beginning to appreciate the Israelite culture and way of life, we see how they lived and what their customs were.
In those days before there were wooden doors in a home, hair from animals was woven together to make a kind of doorway covering the entrance.
This door was to keep the wind from blowing dust etc. into the house it was not meant to keep out strangers.
Many times it was the wool from a lamb which was used to make this doorway.
We should not think this so strange because we know of course that it is the Lamb of God who cleanses us from our sin. He provides the doorway/gate to relationship with our Heavenly Father and He is able to protect us from spiritual contamination from the outside world, yet gives us a WAY to reach others and invite them into ‘His home.’
Furthermore we must make a decision as to whether or not to accept this gift of the sacrifice of the Lamb of God and to enter in through that provision.
ר
Resh is the final letter for the word door or gate/sha’ar and that is the letter r or Resh which represents repentance/teshuvah.
This could inspire a picture showing us that when we come together with other believers in Messiah, whether it is in a building we call a church or in a home; then together we find out the precious jewels to be unearthed in God’s Word. We will enter His gates where we will find deep insight into our sinful natures, leading us to repent of our sins and through the shed blood of the Lamb of God be cleansed so you can enter into the fiery, passionate and stormy love of God.
It would automatically follow that having been cleansed of our sin and having had the privilege of experiencing the
שַׁ֫ shin/ stormy passionate love of God, our heart will be filled with thankfulness towards Him.
In Hebrew thankfulness is the word todah, and its spelled
T for Taw D for Daleth and H for Hei/Hay.
todah: thanksgiving:8426
Original Word: תּוֹדָה Part of Speech: Noun Feminine Transliteration: todah Phonetic Spelling: (to-daw’) Definition: thanksgiving
תּ Taw gives the picture of expressing praise and thanksgiving,
דָ Daleth which is a door or portal to the last letter,
the ה Hei which speaks of the presence of God.
We learn that the behavior and lifestyle of the people in the assembly of Laodicea mentioned in Revelation 3:14-22 was not acceptable to the Lord. This made them neither hot nor cold in their relationship towards Him and this caused Him to say that He was ready to spew them out of His mouth.
What were they doing that made our Heavenly Father say that?
In verse 20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock.”
Here is an answer, in order to fully comprehend what it means, we must take a look at the Hebraic use of language in that day. This expression is one that a Jewish person of that time would quickly understand. To them it was an indication that Messiah was seeking to make His presence known, so He was knocking at the todah /praise and thanksgiving which is the doorway to His presence.
If an individual opens that dalet/doorway, that gate, with praise and thanksgiving Messiah will enter and His presence will fill the sanctuary, which as we have seen in scripture is our bodies, and He will not only dine with us, He will abide with us.
Another interesting point that we miss in our western culture is that in Middle Eastern, Oriental or Semitic culture of that day, and incidentally it still is today, when someone wants to reconcile with an enemy they will have dinner together and discuss their differences. This explains why inPsalms 23:5David writes that God prepares a table before him in the presence of his enemies. With an emphasis on cultural etiquette David is saying is that God lays the foundation or prepares the ground work for reconciliation with his enemies. When we read Revelation 3:20 we know that the Blood of the Lamb cleanses us from our sin, however it is our thanksgiving and praise that ultimately brings reconciliation us to the loving, stormy filled passion and the presence of our heavenly Father.
It is also of interest to note that all we have to do is open the dalet/door and Messiah Yeshua passes through, it is not us that passes through. This is the big change in the order of things, the protocol of how to approach a Holy God has changed from the directions given to Moses. Whereas it used to be that the people passed through the gates of the temple to enter the place of God’s presence, and then only the priests could enter the holy place; and only the High Priest could go into the holy of holies once a year on Yom Kippur. All the rest of the people had to stay in the outer court. Today it is up to us to ask and invite Messiah into the sanctuary, our bodies, to bring His presence into us. In praise and thanksgiving, we are inviting Messiah to enter our sanctuary and let it become His holy of holies.
“Open for me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter and thank God. This is the gateway to the Lord; the righteous shall enter it” Psalm 118:19.
All are thresholds of revelation where His divine presence reaches into our human realm.
In Hebrew the Jewish synagogue service tells us that:
Every morning God is said to open the gates of the east and break open the windows of the heavens, bestowing light to the world and its inhabitants (Shabbat morning prayer).
Sunrise over Jerusalem from the Mt of Olives
As the first light breaks through the darkness, it calls to us to wake up to the reality of His steadfast love and endless grace and mercy.
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22/3
Every day is a new beginning.
Ezekiel contains several references to a gate that faces east. In Ezekiel 10:18–19, the prophet sees the glory of the Lord leave the temple through
the entrance of the east gate of the Lord’s house”;
the glory then moves east of the city to the Mount of Olives
Ezekiel 11:23
Later, Ezekiel sees the glory of the Lord return to the temple via
“the gate facing east” Ezekiel 43:1–5.
Gates open and gates close, but, we are told, there is one gate that is never closed. In Matthew 7:13-14 In this context Matthew is discussing the narrow gate leading to salvation, eternal life & the broad gate which leads to destruction. Yeshua/Jesus made it clear, the path to eternal life is open to everyone who asks. However, the gate to heaven is “narrow” in the sense of having a particular requirement for entrance—faith faith in Jesus Christ/Yeshua haMashiach. Salvation is found only in the Person of Jesus Christ/ Yeshua haMashiach. The Bible tells us that He is the only Way John 14:6. The “wide” gate is non-exclusive; it allows for human effort and all other of the world’s religions.
God offers salvation to everyone who accepts it John 1:12; 3:16-18; Romans 10:9; 1 John 2:2.But it is on His terms. We must come the way He has provided. We cannot create our own paths or come to a holy God based on our own efforts. They choose temporary, earthly pleasure over the self-sacrifice required in following Jesus/Yeshua.Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; Matthew 10:37.The narrow gate is ignored. Most people would rather create their own religions and design their own gods. So it was with sorrow, not as a discrimination, that Messiah declared that the road to eternal life is
“narrow, and only a few find it.“
When faced with the choice between a narrow, bumpy road and a wide, paved highway, most of us choose the easier road. Human nature gravitates toward comfort and pleasure. When faced with the reality of denying themselves to follow Jesus/Yeshua, most people turn away. John 6:66. Messiah never sugar-coated the truth, and the truth is that not many people are willing to pay the price to follow Him.
We are to choose which gates we will enter into, let’s make sure the sha’ar we choose are the ones that take us into the passionate love of our Heavenly Fathers presence.
Shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
It’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART 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. Amen.
The prophet Ezekiel says that a day will come when there will be 12 gates in the city walls, one for each of Israel’s tribes. (Ezekiel 48:31-34).
There can be some confusion as to which gate is called what because, over the generations they have been given different names depending on who was in control of the city.
A GATE
שַׁ֫עַר shaar
gives access to the City; it is a seat of power, authority and influence; 1 Chronicles 9:22-23
Cities were walled with gates to protect those inside, it was a security defense; they were very thick.See pictures below.
The walls around the Old City of Jerusalem were built in the early 16th century by Turkish Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent.
There are many stories connected to
Sha’ar Yerushalyim
the walls of Jerusalem.
Via the gates people entered and left the city, by them, Jerusalem was conquered numerous times, and here trading has taken place for thousands of years. Although the gates of Jerusalem were in a slightly different place in Biblical times, the city gates were a place to learn Torah and to teach the laws in scripture. Today, officially there are 8 gates in the walls of the Old City, although there are a few extra “unofficial” gates. 7 of the official gates are still in use, while one has been blocked off for hundreds of years.
If we count 12 the list would be:
The Valley Gate (2:13; 3:13). Also 2Chronicles 26:9.
The Gate of the Fountain (2:14; 3:15; 12:37), on Ophel at the Gihon spring that is mentioned in 2Kings 25:4. Jeremiah 39:4.
The Sheep Gate (3:1; 12:39). North of the Temple.
The Fish Gate (3:3; 12:39). Also 2Chronicles 33:14. Zephaniah 1:10.
The Old Gate (3:6; 12:39). Also 2Chronicles 33:14, and 2Kings 22:14,college. Also called the First Gate.Zechariah 14:10.
The Dung Gate (2:14; 3:14; 12:31). Probably same as Harsith Gate (Jeremiah 19:2); sometimes rendered the Gate of Potsherds/Pottery Gate. Leading to Hinnom. .
The Water Gate (3:25, 26).
The Horse Gate (3:28). Also 2Kings 11:16. 2Chronicles 23:15. Jeremiah 31:40. South-east of the Temple, and close to the city and house of David.
The East Gate (3:29). East of the Temple, and connected with it.
The Gate of Miphkad (3:31). Probably north-east of Temple. Also called The Registry Gate.
The Gate of Ephraim (8:16; 12:39). Also 2Chronicles 25:23.
The Prison Gate(12:39), or Gate of the Guard2Kings 11:6, 19
In Nehemiah 3, the first sixteen verses refer to Jerusalem, and the latter sixteen verses to Zion (or the city of David), south of Moriah. Those who wish to study these, and a comparison with chapter 12, will find it explains most of the difficulties connected with the layout of the city.
Four of the gates of Jerusalem face the cardinal directions; the Damascus Gate to the north, the Golden Gate to the east, the Zion Gate to the south, and the Jaffa Gate to the west.
The remaining gates are:
the Flower, or Herods Gate,
the Lion Gate,
the Dung Gate,
and the New Gate.
The Old City of Jerusalem had eight gates in its walls.
Suleiman’s original walls had six gates:
Damascus Gate,
Herod’s Gate,
Stephen’s Gate,
Dung Gate,
Zion Gate and
Jappa Gate.
The gates were all designed and built to have an L-shaped entry instead of a straight line of entry. Taking this sharp ninety degree turn would have slowed down an invading army in the final moments of a siege. The “L” turns have been removed from Stephen’s Gate and the Dung Gate to better facilitate modern traffic but can still be seen in the other four gates.
The Gates Of Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s Day.
Nehemiah chapter 3 describes the building of the walls and gates of the city, giving the names of the individuals and families who performed the work and the portion of the wall or gates on which they were employed.
After the Babylonian Captivity, when the Jewish people returned to their homeland, Jerusalem lay in ruins. The Temple, the city walls, and the gates had been destroyed as a result of the three invasions of Nebuchadnezzar and his forces in 606 BC, 597 BC, and 586 BC.
Much work needed to be done, and Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah each led groups of the returned remnant in the task of rebuilding the city of Jerusalem.
Restoring the gates was a necessary element in rebuilding the walls and securing the city. The dictionary defines a gate as a movable structure controlling entrance or exit through an opening in a fence or wall or any means of entrance.
Under the adverse conditions which he encountered, Nehemiah’s task was enormous.
The job required a team effort, as described in chapter 3. To accomplish the task, Nehemiah assigned specific work places to individuals and families, who were assigned to work on sections of the wall or gates near their homes. This provided the motivation needed to complete the work and it also avoided wasting time that would have been needed to travel to other parts of the city. It assured the workers that they would be near their homes to protect their families in the event of an attack. Each family was to use all of its available talent, thus making it a household project v. 21, 23–24, 26, 28–30. In addition to local residents, many people who lived outside of Jerusalem were assigned to work on sections of the wall where homes were sparse v. 2, 5, 7, 27.
Some of the work assignments were given according to their roles in life .e.g. v. 1 the High Priest and other priests were assigned to rebuild the
Sheep Gate which was important to the priests
because animals were brought through that gate to the Temple for sacrificial offerings.
Beginning from the north wall of the Temple, and going forward counterclockwise 10 gates are mentioned inchapter 3.
The circumference of the walls was approximately 2 1/2 miles, or 4 km. and covering approximately 220 acres/890308 sq.metres.
There are spiritual applications for our lives today
reflected in the
10 gates names
and what they were connected to.
The Sheep Gate, Fish Gate, and Old Gate
were located in the northern section of the wall.
The Sheep Gate
is the first gate mentioned in Nehemiah.
The building of the wall and gates
begins from the Sheep Gate
in Nehemiah 3,
because
everything begins from the offering of
the Lamb
Yeshua HaMashiach/Jesus Christ.
The first gate is the Sheep Gate
and, next to it,
the Tower of Hananel, which means God’s mercy
or something to do with the mercy of God;
and the Tower of the Me’ah, which is the Hebrew word for one hundred.
As just mentioned, that is the gate to which they brought the sheep into Jerusalem to be sacrificed in the temple.
Recall, when Yeshua/Jesus said
if a shepherd loses a sheep,
he’ll leave the 99 and go after the 1?
(Luke 15:3-7)
If 1 sheep is missing,
it is not counted as a legitimate flock.
A flock had to be 100!
Sometimes, some of us go astray, maybe some fall away and young believers sometimes backslide. In times of stress and crisis, it can sometimes seem that the Lord has abandoned us, and so we wander off. This is not true and the Good Shepherd comes after us because He doesn’t want to lose any that the Father has given to Him. The Sheep Gate is representative of Messiahs statement in
John 10:27
The spiritual meaning of the Sheep Gate is that the High Priest built it, and that through that gate,lambs and sheep were brought to the temple for sacrifice.
Note that the sheep gate had no locks or bars,
for
the door of salvation
is open to everyone.
This was the only gate that was sanctified,
setting it apart as a special gate!
IN v. 1, 32 on the northeast corner of the wall. was the location of The Sheep Gate named because sheep were led through it to the Temple. It was near the market where sheep were sold and close to the Sheep Pool where the Temple sacrifices were washed. The Sheep Gate was also near another well known place, the Pool of Bethesda (Jn. 5:2).
The Tower of Hammeah (hundred) and the Tower of Hananel (12:39). Were Between the Sheep Gate and the Fish Gate.
The Tower of Hananel is also mentioned in Jeremiah 31:38 and Zechariah 14:10 as the northernmost part of the city.
The Sheep Gate is a reminder to us of calvarys’ cross. Yeshua/Jesus was “the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world” Jn. 1:29 Humanity is described as wayward sheep (Isa. 53:6) who need a shepherd to lead them into God’s eternal heavenly sheepfold. Yeshua/Jesus is the door through which sinners can enter the sheepfold and be redeemed (Jn. 10:1–9).Believers are bought with a price according to 1 Cor. 6:20, the blood of God’s Lamb, Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach
Then Eliashib, the high priest, rose up with his brethren, the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it. (Nehemiah 3:1)
The Sheep Gate in Jerusalem was near the temple; it was where the sacrificial animals were brought in to be offered on the altar. It is in keeping that the priests should build this particular gate, for it speaks of Christ and His work upon the cross for us. That is exactly what the prophet had said:
He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. (Isaiah 53:7)
When John the Baptist marked Christ out for His ministry he said,
“Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
It makes one wonder if the Yeshua/Jesus came in at the Sheep Gate every time He entered the city except on the day of the Triumphal Entry?
We do know for sure that He came in through the Sheep Gate to the Pool of Bethesda, where He healed the blind man. That act was symbolic of the fact that He came as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world, the poor man who was healed is a picture of every sinner who, will find deliverance from sin if they are willing to come to the cross of Messiah.
Yeshua/Jesus not only came in through that gate, but they took Him out through that gate when He was arrested and also when He was led out to be crucified. The Sheep Gate was the place of judgment, telling us that He bore the judgment of our sin. This is the gate where we must begin with God, because He is not prepared to meet us anywhere else but at the cross.
It is interesting to note that,
next unto him the men of Jericho built. Nehemiah 3:2. Jericho was the city of the curse, and the men of Jericho were building right next to the Sheep Gate.
Surely, that’s not by chance!
Messiah bore the curse of sin on the cross for us.
in Galatians, Paul wrote saying:
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. Galatians 3:13.
The old Sheep gate
שער כבשים
sha`ar ha-tso’-n or sha’ar ke-ves
is also known as
St Stephens gate
and
Lions gate
שערהאריות Sha’ar ha-Arayot,
to the north of the Haram es-Sherif, or temple area from which the path leads down into the valley of the Kedron.
The first gate has implications in being called sheep (sacrifical lamb) and lion (of Judah/tribes) and Stephen seeing heaven opened, (martyr). This is where we too must begin our journey into His Kingdom/City…
At the foot of the cross where
freedom from the curse of sin awaits us.
Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach is the High Priest of the ReNewEd Covenant, He is the Lamb, who offered His life as the price of our sins.
As our spiritual High Priest, Yeshua/Jesus set up doors of the Sheep Gate, which means that
He is the Door of the sheep.
To receive salvation and, therefore enter God’s kingdom, a man must enter through the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ/Yeshua haMashiach.
John 10:7 Then said Jesus to them again, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
It is very significant that
Eliashib in Hebrew means:
God restores.
Again it’s not by chance but our Heavenly Fathers’ design that, as High Priest, he was the one who rebuilt the Sheep Gate and the walls surrounding it.
The Gates continue in Part 2!
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.
I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart 
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