The horse gate

Following on the heels of the Fountain Gate and the Water Gate we get a sudden jolt of reality, the Horse Gate. It is very easy to fall into the trap of super-spirituality. That is, people full of the Holy Spirit, reading the Word of God, the first to share what God has revealed to them and so on, but strangely absent when the chairs need stacking, or the washing up needs doing. Here at the horse gate the priests got practical.

Nehemiah 3:28

28. From above the horse gate repaired the priests, every one over against his house.

Let us take first the builders working on this section of the wall, around the Horse Gate. It was the priests, and it was all of them doing a bit by their own house.

Peter 2:9-10

9. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

So when it comes to us, none are excluded from the work of the priests. Not only must we all do the work of the priest, but the priest’s work is to get practical. Note that they built the bit by their houses. Spiritually, our first responsibility is to our families. If we cannot lead them in following the Lord, then how can we lead anyone else to him? Practically we are shown the principal of keeping our eyes open and doing whatever needs doing. They fixed the part next to their houses as coming out of the front door they saw it needed fixing.

What of the gates themselves? What was their purpose? It was these gates that led to, or from the palace. It was this road that Athaliah tried to use to escape when Joash became king of Israel in 2 Kings 11:13-16
There are only two kinds of people who would use this gate, soldiers and messengers. This gives us two specific tasks that we are all called to do, as priests of God.

Paul famously called us soldiers in Ephesians 6, and in order for the soldiers to know the commands of the King, the messengers get running. This is the New Testament evangelist; the front line runner taking the gospel to the nations. Again, this is not the work of a few, but the work of us all. As Paul told Timothy:

2 Timothy 4:5

5. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

The Horse Gate represents that place in our lives where we must take up the banner and fight. All of us are called to the task, and that task begins with the practical, and ends with the spiritual. Be on guard then go out with the sword of the Spirit, which is the gospel and fight.