Nehemiah 3:6
6 Moreover Jehoiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Old Gate; they laid its beams and hung its doors, with its bolts and bars.
The sequence in which the gates of Jerusalem were rebuilt by Nehemiah tells a story, a story of our journey of faith. The sheep gate speaks to us of the cross of Calvary and the sacrifice that had to be made for our sins. The fish gate reminds us of evangelism and the fact that we have called to be fishers of men.
Now we get to the old gate and it is believed that this gate was named this way because it was the main gate into the city of Jerusalem from the north side.
Jeremiah 6:16 NKJV
16 Thus says the LORD: “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
The old gate speaks to us of the old ways of truth. God’s word and standards are eternal and they are the truth. As we say our God is the same yesterday today and forever. One of the dangers in a believers life is the hunger and quest to run after new revelations that promise this and that but eventually they lead back to bondage.
It is also a reminder that since now we have been made new in Christ Jesus we should as well put off the old sinful nature and its ways and desires.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Sin had become such a nature in us that we lost track of the old ways of God that had been established since the foundations of the world. Through Christ Jesus we are made new and restored going back to Gods original design. As Jeremiah says, the old paths that is where the good way is and we should walk in it.
Reflective Thoughts
What are some the old ways of truth that some believers consider to be old fashioned today?
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Are there some eternal truths from the old paths that you have abandoned in the search of a new revelation? How can you make your way back?
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