For the People Had a Mind to Work

When the subject of ‘rebuilding the wall’ comes up in scripture-related conversions, it is almost always in the context of Nehemiah. But how does that apply to us today? Who is Nehemiah is today’s culture? Who are Sanballat and Tobiah? What does the wall and gates represent to today’s Christian?

 

The Temple

1Corinthians 3:16 asks the question: Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 1Corinthians 6:19 also asks: Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is in you…and you are not your own?

So, for those of us that has accepted Jesus as our personal Savior, our body is the temple that houses the Holy Spirit.

The Wall

Romans 15:1-2 says: We that are strong should bear the infirmities of the weak. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good edification.

So, the wall is the protection we have inside a body of believers that helps us grow in Christian love.

The Gate

Psalms 118:19-20 says: Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord. This gate of the Lord, into which righteousness shall enter.

So, the gate ~our heart~ is where the Lord enters into us and takes up residence in our temple.

The Broken and Burned

Proverbs 17:22 says: A merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. Jeremiah 20:9 says:….But His word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

These are the people that are continually beaten down by the environments, circumstances, or situations in their lives.

The Nehemiahs

Nehemiah 1:4 says:….When I heard these words, I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before God of heaven.

Nehemiahs care about their fellowman, especially those that are defenseless against the onslaught of the enemy.

The Sanballats and Tobiahs

Nehemiah 4:8 says: And they conspired all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.

The world is full of these kinds of people-people that would rather hinder the work of God than have regard for the consequences of doing so.

The Workers

Nehemiah 4:6 says: So we built the wall; and all of the wall was joined together up halfway: for the people had a mind to work.

These are the people that sees the need, pursues the work of the Lord, and gets the job done regardless of the obstacles or threats that comes against them.