Bolt Up the Dung!

Our Pastor is currently doing a series on Nehemiah. We have been looking at the various gates that are in need of repair and it’s been quite interesting.

For example the “Sheep Gate” represents our salvation. The “Fish Gate” is making disciples. The “Old Gate” represents the Ancient path’s of wisdom – the Word of God. The “Valley Gate” is the gate of pressure or the gate of trials.

Then we come to the Dung Gate. The Hebrew word for Dung is ashpoth which means ash heap, refuse heap, dung-hill. Basically it’s the gate used to take out trash in the city.

We read about the Dung Gate in Neh 3:14 where it says “The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Recab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt it and put its doors and bolts and bars in place.” (NIV)

This is so fascinating! Don’t you just love to be in the Word of God? You may be thinking “why is she getting so excited about TRASH for goodness sake” but please allow me to share my overwhelming excitement!

You see when our walls are in pieces and our life crumbles around us then we must allow God to rebuild the wall. The rebuilding process begins with going back to the cross (Sheep Gate). Go back and kneel before the cross and remember the perfect Lamb of God that was sacrificed for your sins. Remember your salvation. You were redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

Then go and share your salvation with others. (Fish Gate). Be in the Word of God. Hunger and thirst after the Word of God. (Old Gate)

Once you allow the word to speak to your heart, God will begin to squeeze you. Trials will come in order to reveal to you those places in your heart that need to be rid of. (Valley Gate)

When God, through trials, sorrow and pain, squeezes out the TRASH of our hearts we MUST then get rid of it. We can not just allow it to stay in our hearts to rot and begin to smell of death and decay.

It must be taken out through the Dung Gate. It must be thrown out of our hearts and our life. Then…

Oh this is so exciting! I just LOVED this picture God has given us in His word!!

Once we throw out the dung we must bolt the door shut. Nehemiah says that Malkijah rebuilt the gate and “put its doors and bolts and bars in place.” 

The gate had bolts and bars on it! But why? So that when God has squeezed the YUCK out of our hearts and the Dung has been thrown out we can lock the gate behind us.

It is finished. Forgiveness has been sought. Grace applied. We no longer need to feel the weight of the sin and shame.

But so often we do. Why? Could it be that as we allow God to squeeze the trash out of our hearts we leave the gate open to the Dung Gate. We leave it open for the stench and the filth to follow us.

It’s so important to shut the gate and bolt it closed. The Dung of our hearts is taken care of and the guilt and shame no longer needs to follow you.

Isn’t that cool? Once we have confessed our sin, asked for God’s forgiveness we can shut the door and bolt it locked and FOREVER be done with it.

Today I am joining….