Victorious Life

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Note: A couple of notes before I begin this week’s lesson. First of all, I would like to make you all aware of new sections in our Blog; we now have a Prayer Request Page, a Praise Report Page and a Resources Page. Please go to the prayer request page and pray for the people there. I believe we serve a God who answers prayer. If you have any special requests please feel free to list them also. If you have a praise report, we would love to hear it. And of course please check out the resources page. I have books there that have been a blessing to me. Next, I want to thank all of you that have added a comment, it blesses me and encourages me to continue doing this. My sincerest desire is to be a blessing to you. Blessings to you all in Jesus mighty name!

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Nehemiah 3:14 [TNIV]
The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Rekab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place.

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah tell us about the post Babylonian exile period in Israel’s history. Ezra returned to Jerusalem with a vision to rebuild God’s temple and restore Israel’s worship of the one true God. Nehemiah returned with a vision to rebuild the city walls and restore governmental order to the post exilic nation of Israel.

Nehemiah chapter 3 gives us a very specific list of people and the portion of the wall they were assigned to repair. Some families repaired portions of the wall from one specific place to another and some were assigned to repair a specific gate. We read about the following gates in Nehemiah chapter 3: the Sheep Gate, the Fish Gate, the Old Gate, the Valley Gate, the Fountain Gate, the Water Gate, the Horse Gate, the East Gate, the Miphkad (Inspection or Recruiting) Gate and the ever unpopular Dung Gate.

Think about it, Jerusalem did not have our modern sewer or septic tank systems. What did a whole city do with their waste? They chose one gate, one place outside the city as the repository for their waste. The Jewish Virtual Library (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org) says that the Dung Gate was found “in the south wall, this gate is closest in proximity to the Temple Mount. Since the 2nd century, refuse has been hauled out of the city through this gate, hence the name.”

And so, it falls to Malkijah, son of Rekab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem to repair the Dung Gate. Boy, he must have been excited when he found out! Here he is, a ruler no less, having to work right next to the city refuse pile! I suspect Malkijah could have had reason to be offended. But in all of chapter 3 we only read of one group that did not do the work wholeheartedly, it was the nobles of the Tekoites. We read in verse 5 that “their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work of their Lord.” Since these “nobles” are singled out this way, we can infer that everybody else, including Malkijah did put their shoulders to the work of their Lord. This means that Malkijah did this work with enthusiasm, he did it with his whole heart and he did it as unto the Lord. By the way, do you know what his name meant? It meant “king of Jah” or “king appointed by Jah.”

As I read this story, my mind began to ponder about the state of the church in America today. I single us out because we have often created “superstar ministers” out of God’s servants. We often glamorize the ministry and there are those that would never stoop to do certain menial tasks. Even in our local churches most people have received prophetic “words” that they are destined for world-wide ministries. It all creates an atmosphere where people seem reluctant to serve if they are not in the spotlight. Everybody wants to preach, teach or sing. Not too many people volunteer to teach the children, even fewer volunteer to clean the church, especially the bathrooms (our modern version of the Dung Gate).

Now, if you ever find yourself assigned to work at the Dung Gate (whatever your Dung Gate is to you), here are some Biblical principles to remember:

1. God will give you the grace to work on whichever Gate He assigns you. The Apostle Paul said that we are like a body, each member with its own specific function. You can transplant ears and put them where eyes belong but, they will never be able to see. If you transplant a nose and put it where an ear belongs, it will never be able to hear. I believe many Christians are so frustrated because they have put themselves in the wrong place and therefore, do not have the grace to be there or the ability to do what is required there.

2. If you have received a promise of promotion from the Lord, don’t try to make it happen by your choices or actions. When it comes to God’s promises for our lives all we can ever do is delay them by sticking our hands in and trying to “help God.” Many Christians have wreaked havoc in their lives by attempting to create the fulfillment of a promise. They have quit jobs prematurely, discarded ministries they were meant to fulfill and even ended up in great financial problems by trying to create the fulfillment of a promise of God by their own efforts. When David was anointed by Samuel to be the king of Israel, he just went back to tending his father’s sheep. Most of us would have probably gone straight to the Crown and Royal Robe Department at the Bethlehem J.C. Penney to get fitted for our new outfit. David allowed the Lord to fulfill His promise in His own time and in the manner He chose.

3. God has a funny way of knowing when we are ready for promotion. Do you remember back to your school days? Did you ever see a teacher ask a question then ignore all of the excited ones with their hands up saying, “Oh, Oh, Mr. Kotter! (an inside joke for those who remember the TV show)”? But seriously, when the Lord is looking to promote someone, He doesn’t look for the one that is discontented and yelling, “Pick me! I’m so sick of what I’m doing, it’s not funny.” No, He looks for the one that is doing what He assigned, doing it faithfully, doing it with excellence, doing it with joy and ready to do it for the rest of their lives if that is what the Lord asks of them. Think about the way He found people in the Bible: He found David tending sheep, He found Gideon threshing wheat, He found Elisha plowing, He found Peter and Andrew fishing, He found James and John mending nets, He even found Saul of Tarsus being a great Pharisee! Look at Matthew 25:23 in the Amplified version, “His master said to him, Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the blessedness) which your master enjoys.”

4. Never, ever trade and eternal reward for a temporary earthly reward. It is so easy to get caught up in the rewards of this life that we forget we are truly and actually bound for eternity! Because we tend to forget, it is easy to trade an eternal reward for a measly, temporary earthly reward. When that happens, we can easily be drawn to selfish ambition. Remember the Pharisees of Jesus’ time. He told them that when they prayed, fasted and gave, they did it to be seen of men (a temporary earthly reward). So Jesus said in Matthew 6:1 that “If you do [these things to be seen by men,] you will have no reward in from your Father in heaven.” Of the Pharisees he said in Matthew 6:2, “Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” What a sad, sad exchange. Remember I told you the meaning of Malkijah’s name? King appointed by Jah! Well, Malkijah was never a king on this earth and this speaks to me of the fact that his name reflected his eternal reward because of his faithfulness to built the Poop Gate.

So let me ask you, what has the Lord assigned you to do? (Remember, He may have done it directly or through a pastor or church leader). Is it a little bit like having to work on the Poop Gate? Can you determine in your heart that you will do it as unto the Lord? That you will do it faithfully, joyfully and you will do it the rest of your life if the Lord so chooses? If you answered yes to these questions you could be in for a promotion here on earth. On the other hand, your reward may be an eternal one! Either way–“A faithful man [or woman] will abound with blessings” – Proverbs 28:20

Filed under: Faithfulness