Walls can't keep influences out, just like it can't hold influences within. But walls will limit the enemies access point and reduce their ability to attack from anywhere they choose. Notice how in Nehemiah only the enemy disapproved of a wall... friends and those who are concerned with their wellbeing have no issues with entering through their gates or whatever way they ask them to enter their way of life.
Don't miss this... what we find in Jerusalem, in Nehemiah's day, is very similar in a physical sense to what is found in a spiritual sense with so many of our hearts today. We are taught to "guard our hearts, for out of the heart flows all the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). We too frequently forget that we filter everything through our hearts like Jerusalem was to filter its visitors through their gates. Standards and customs have a welcomed place in any vibrant, productive and growing organization or society. Strip that away and what do you have? A small group of people capitalizing off of the chaos and those trodden with despair and defeat. This element, no different than Nehemiah's enemies, feeds the chaos and hurting with the lies they want them to believe to keep them under their heavy hand that they may suppress any grass roots revival.
And, as with Judah's gates, like so many hearts today, they were wide open to every kind of lie and falsehood. There were no walls of protection to guard them physically from the oppression of a real enemy, that had exalted imaginary spiritual walls of vain imaginations of defenselessness and unworthiness.
Nehemiah's heart was stirred and moved to pray, ask and act on the news that his people were in gr
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