The antagonists talked down to the workers. The workers talked up to God—then kept on working.
What are the entryways into God’s blessing? 1. Salvation at the Sheep Gate. 2. Testimony at the Fish Gate. 3. Obedience at the Old Gate. 4. Humility at the Valley Gate. 5. Confession at the Refuse Gate. 6. Filling at the Fountain Gate. 7. Cleansing at the Water Gate. 8. Protection at the Horse Gate. 9. Hope at the East Gate. 10. Assessment at the Miphkad Gate. Although we’ve visited all ten gates, the divine Author brings us past one last section before we have completed the circuit. It is the section “between the upper room at the corner, as far as the Sheep Gate” (Neh 3:32). Where does the Christian life start? Seeing the Lamb die for me. And where does it conclude? “Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’” (Rev 5:11-12). We’ll never get far from the Cross. But back to our story. As all of these stalwart laborers manoeuvred these large blocks of stone back into place, some people grew increasingly unhappy. In fact, “Sanballat…was furious” (Neh 4:1). He blasted away in indignation at them, along with his cronies from Samaria. His sidekick, Tobiah the Ammonite, ridiculed them: “If even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall” (Neh 4:3). But he would soon discover that a fox such as he would not be able to break it! How did Nehemiah respond? He completely ignored them and went straight to God, as if to say, “Lord, please look after this for us.” So the enemies talked, and the Jews “built the wall” (v 6).