The Fountain Gate

As the first of the east facing gates the Fountain Gate displays a key turning point in our lives, and in any rebuilding work. This was where Nehemiah got stuck on his expedition to check the damage to the walls. Before the trials of the dung gate and the valley gate are faced we cannot go beyond this point.

Nehemiah 2:14

14. Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.

Coming down the west side there was a focus on dealing with the problems in our lives, now with our faces towards the house of God the gates have more of a focus on what God is doing. This mirrors how our lives are either in a downward spiral focused on our own problems, or in an upward flight looking to Christ, the author and finisher of our faith.

Philippians 3:13-14

13. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The king’s pool mentioned in Nehemiah is also known as the pool of Siloam where Jesus healed a blind man.

John 9:6-7

6. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
7. And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

The pool of Siloam is of great significance to our lives. It is fed by the fountain of the fountain gate, and is where God would have us wash. How many times do we have spiritual mud in our eyes? How many times do we have need of washing that away in or to see the amazing things God has done for us?

Moving on to the fountain itself we see that this fountain also is representative of the Holy Spirit. Jesus used this analogy himself:

John 7:37-39

37. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

For us today we don’t have to wait for the Spirit to be sent to us. He will be sent the moment we come to salvation. We have no need therefore to be refilled, or anointed anew by the Holy Spirit as he is already in us and will never leave us. However if we grieve the Spirit, which we do by sinning then we block his ability to control our lives.

Ephesians 5:18-19

18. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19. Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

The Fountain Gate of Jerusalem was sourced by water flowing in to the city via the Water Gate, which we shall come to next. If the water stopped flowing from the Water Gate then the Fountain Gate would also dry up. For us also, if we stop going to the source of the water of life, that is Jesus, the Word of God, then that fountain of living water in us will dry up. It will still be there, but we will have turned off the tap! This is truly quenching the spirit.

Galatians 5:16

16. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

This should be our prayer for ourselves, and each other. Come to the Fountain Gate and leave the tap running.