Nehemiah 3:13
- The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate.
This gate led to the valley of Hinnom, which in the Old Testament was known for child sacrifice and in the New Testament as the city rubbish tip with ever burning fires.
The Greek name for this valley is the valley of Gehenna, a word also used for hell, with similar descriptions of hell and this place.
Psalms 23:4
- Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Joshua 7:24
- And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
Are any of these things that we can face alone? Not at all, we need God’s hand upon us in both situations.
The builders give us the answer as to how this gate, these trials should be handled in our lives.
The main workers were the inhabitants of Zanoah. This is from the Hebrew word for rejected or broken. The lesson of valley experiences is either one of rejection or of brokenness. Which it is depends on our reaction to the valley experience.
What is the difference between despair and brokenness? The difference is humility before God. Despair sees the mess and gives up. Brokenness sees the same mess and realises we cannot do the work on our own, but with God, all things are possible.
John 3:30
- He must increase, but I must decrease.
Descending into the valley comes with a realisation of how unworthy and incapable we are.
Thankfully there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it is not an oncoming train. God calls us to humility, and submission one to another with the promise that he will exalt you in due time.
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