Beyond the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each in front of his own house. After them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs in front of his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shechaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, made repairs. Nehemiah 3:27–28
While still in Babylon, Nehemiah heard reports of the pitiful condition of Jerusalem, but he probably still wasn’t prepared for what he found when he arrived there in person. The Jews were surrounded by enemies on every side, and yet they (and the temple) lay exposed and vulnerable. Rebuilding the city wall was a daunting task fraught with lots of problems. The project might invite trouble from their neighbors (which it did). Once they started building, there could be no stopping or going back: they would have to finish and finish quickly. It was going to take more than a few paid workers to build a wall this long (about 1½ miles); everyone would have to pitch in, including priests, gatekeepers, goldsmiths, and merchants (vv 28–32). Notice where each man began building: “in front of his own house.” Let’s bring this to the modern day. We need to get busy building walls to protect our homes from the dangers all around that threaten to destroy them. We can do this by following Nehemiah’s example.
Each of us needs to start building “in front of his own house.” Although the “preacher of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:5) was not able to save anyone else, at least Noah delivered his own family (Heb. 11:7). Joshua the great leader saw this as his ultimate goal (Jsh. 24:15). Do you not think that David would have happily traded his throne in exchange for his ruined family? We have nothing more valuable than our homes. They are worth protecting. And even if we can’t build that wall everywhere, we can at least build it around our own homes.
Houses require a lot of maintenance. They are in constant need of repair, cleaning, painting, and updating. There are always windows to wash, lawns to cut, filters to replace, floors to sweep, and pests to exterminate. If you stay in a house long enough, you will replace the roof, the heat pump, windows, doors, fixtures, plumbing, and wiring. Our families also require maintenance. Husbands and wives need to make efforts to improve their relationships (1 Pet. 3:6–7). Parents need to take seriously the charge to bring up their children in God’s discipline and instruction (Eph. 6:4). It was painful for Nehemiah to hear the bad report from Judah and to survey its ruins, but it had to be done. It might be painful for us to take an honest look at problems in our homes, but we can never fix them until we do.
Is your home protected? We go to great lengths to protect our families from physical harm. We may get our children immunized against diseases (even though it isn’t fun to do) and install security systems and child safety features. What are we doing to protect our families from dangers lurking on television and the internet, at school and work, or in other places where Satan lies in wait? If he cannot destroy us from without, he will renew his efforts from within. Selfishness, pride, and rebellion lead to the ruin of many homes. We must not be ignorant of these tactics (2 Cor. 2:11) and be prepared to counter them.
Is your home secure? Does it need some work? Maybe it’s time to assess the damage and start building.