Guarding
Your Gates
By
Clarence H. Wagner, Jr.
I'll
never forget my first impression of Jerusalem,
when I first came here in 1977. Although I had
never been to Israel before, I had accepted a
job as the Administrator for the Spafford Children's
Center, which is located high up on the Old City
walls of Jerusalem, near Damascus Gate.
First
Impressions
It
was a cool, clear January afternoon when I arrived.
By the time we traveled from the airport to the
Damascus Gate, the sun was beginning to set.
Never
having seen the Old City of Jerusalem before,
I was immediately drawn in by the majesty and
beauty of the city-her ancient walls illuminated
by the setting sun, and the domed roofs becoming
3-D because of the long shadows. Street vendors
were trying to make their last sales, calling
out to the crowds of people who buzzed like a
swarm of bees, in and out of the Damascus Gate.
I could hear the call to prayer from the minaret
of a nearby mosque, while church bells added to
the din of activity.
What
an exciting place. And, this was to be my new
home!
I
knew the location of the Spafford Center, and
could see it jutting out above and within the
old walls to my left. The taxi had left me, as
vehicles cannot travel on the narrow, stepped
alleyways of the Old City.
There
I was, standing in awe of the sight before me.
Just then, a donkey driver approached me for hire.
Strapping my heavy suitcases onto this beast of
burden, we proceeded through the Damascus Gate.
In the midst of the twentieth century, I felt
I had gone back in time, back to Bible times.
Damascus
Gate is the northernmost gate of the eight gates
of the Old City. Like many gates, it was named
for the destination of the road that began at
this gate-Damascus. It is a beautiful gate with
high, iron-clad doors that were once closed each
night to keep marauders out of the city.
As
we entered the huge gateway, I noticed we had
to zigzag to get into the Old City. It wasn't
just a straight shot. You first took a sharp left,
then after about 30 feet, you took a sharp right,
exiting the gateway inside the walls of the Old
City.
As
I proceeded up a stone path to my new home, I
wondered about this gate into the city of Jerusalem,
David's city, the City of God.
Original
Functions of the City Gate
In
ancient times, the city gate was the busiest place
in the city. Near or just inside the gates, there
were courtyards or a broadening of the street
where much of the city's social, business and
legal interaction took place. There is where we
find the reading of the Law and proclamations
taking place (Joshua 20:4; II Chronicles 32:6;
Nehemiah 8:1, 3); where justice was administered
as the elders judged legal cases and business
transactions (Deuteronomy 16:18; II Samuel 15:2;
Amos 5:10-15); where news was exchanged and discussed
(Genesis 19:1), and local gossip was spread (Psalm
69:12). It was a place where markets flourished,
e.g. the Fish Gate (Nehemiah 3:3) or the Sheep
Gate (Nehemiah 3:1) in Jerusalem, and where trading
centers for imported items (Isaiah 3:18-24) were
established.
Prophets
and priests delivered admonitions and pronouncements
at the gates (Isaiah 29:21; Amos 5:10: Jeremiah
17:19, etc.). Criminals were punished just outside
the gates (I Kings 21:10, Acts 7:58). The city
gate was even the place where one could attract
the attention of the sovereign or dignitary (II
Samuel 19:8; I Kings 22:10; Esther 2:19, 21; 3:2).
It was where strangers who were visiting the city
passed the night, if they had no place to stay.
To
be chosen as an elder to sit at the gate of the
city was an honorable position (Proverbs 31:23;
Daniel 2:49), although it became a curse for Lot
who chose to be an elder at the gate of Sodom
where he compromised his stand for the Lord (Genesis
19:1).
Defending
the City Often Began at the Gates
Since
the gates of a city were the only way in or out
of the city, the large doors of the gateway, which
were made of metal and wood (Psalm 107:16; Isaiah
45:2), were secured at night with iron or wooden
cross bars (I Kings 4:13; Nehemiah 3:13) for the
protection of the inhabitants.
The
main gate of each city was large enough for the
entry of chariots and carts. It was carefully
designed and built to deter the entrance of enemy
soldiers, as this was the most vulnerable place
in the walls of a city. The gates were often flanked
by towers (II Samuel 18:24, 33) on which watchmen
stood, day and night.
Some
gates were built in a zigzag design, like the
Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. This caused a man
on horseback to slow down and open the defensive
stance of his body as he maneuvered his horse
through the passage, making it easier for defenders
to kill him.
Other
gates allowed straight passage into the city,
like those of Solomon's great walled cities. They
had multiple chambers in the passageway from which
soldiers could attack intruders as a first line
of defense, e.g. David awaited Absalom's army
in one of these chambers (I Samuel 18:24). Most
gates had vertical and horizontal openings, above
and around the doors, through which to throw boiling
liquids, spears, rocks, arrows and other sharp
objects upon enemy soldiers. The Lord promised
strength to those who turn back the battle at
the gate (Isaiah 28:6).
The
Gate Signified Authority
In
the Bible, the gate was more than the entrance
and exit to a city. Figuratively, it represented
the place of authority and the glory of the city
(Isaiah 3:26; Jeremiah 14:2). Like "fringes
of the garment," which represented the authority
of a man, so too, the gate represented the place
of authority of a city, where the elders sat.
Scripture even refers to supernatural authority
as the "gates of heaven" (Genesis 28:17)
and the "gates of hell" (Matthew 16:18).
The biblical term, "to be within the gates,"
referred to being under the authority of the elders
of the city who presided in the gates (Deuteronomy
15:7; 31:13).
In
battle, to "possess the gates" is a
biblical term meaning to possess the city (Genesis
22:17; 24:60). In the story of Samson, he took
this quite literally. In his day, Israel was under
the control of the Philistines, a cruel and hateful
people. Samson went down to the Philistine city
of Gaza, where they had laid a trap for him and
waited in the city gate to kill him. At midnight
Samson tore their city gates, doorposts and cross
bars from the walls of the city (the symbol of
their authority), and carried them off to Hebron,
an Israelite city. This was a symbolic act of
triumph for Israel and of humiliation for the
Philistines (Judges 16:2-3).
The
Israelites were instructed to establish this authority
with judges at the city gates (Deuteronomy 16:18),
as a place of judgment to insure justice and obedience
to God's laws by the people.
Another
function of the elders at the gate was to protect
the city and their people from the outside world.
The gate was the most vulnerable point in these
ancient, walled cities, and it was necessary to
place judges there to interview those entering
the city to be sure their presence was welcomed.
Evildoers who might cheat, steal or break the
laws of the city were not allowed to enter or
stay in the city (Deuteronomy 17:2-5).
At
Tel Dan, far to the north of the Hulah Valley
in the tribal area of Dan, the main city gate
was uncovered, and there, archaeologists found
the seat of the chief elder who sat on a throne-like
platform with other elders to evaluate and interview
those coming into the city and also hear and judge
over the grievances of those within the city.
Honoring
the Gates of Our Homes and Our Lives
You
might ask, "How does this apply to me?"
Today, we live in open, unwalled cities. We have
courts of law, and mayors and city councils who
are seated at city hall, not at the city gate.
Nevertheless, God's prescription to the Israelites
and followers of the Bible to establish justice
is the basis of the legal systems in our Western
societies today.
While
we may not have any control over who enters our
cities today, we personally do have that authority
in our own homes, which God places under our authority.
You see, the door of the home is also a gateway.
In Hebrew, a gateway or doorway is the same word,
sha'ar, and the Bible has much to say about
our responsibility to keep the focus of our homes
on the Lord.
Deuteronomy
11:18a-20a, says: "Therefore you shall
lay up these words of mine in your heart and in
your soul . . . you shall
teach them to your children, speaking of them
when you sit in your house, when you walk by the
way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
And you shall write them on the doorposts of your
house and on your gates, that your days and the
days of your children may be multiplied . . ."
Ever
since Moses spoke these words, the Jewish people
have literally placed God's Word on the gates
of their cities and on the doorframes of their
homes-on the doorframes of the entrances to the
house and on the doors to each room in the house
used for living purposes. The scriptures from
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21 are rolled up and
placed inside a mezuzah, which is a small metal,
stone, wooden or ceramic box nailed on the right
doorframe. Throughout the ages, faithful Jews
have touched the mezuzah upon entering and exiting
buildings, homes and individual rooms, which has
the effect of keeping them focused on the Lord,
whom they serve. Believe me, paying that kind
of attention to the Lord, if done sincerely, would
cause you to consider deeply the kinds of activities
and thoughts you would engage in.
We
have a place of responsibility before God and
to our families to uphold the precepts of God
and "guard the gates" of our homes-guarding
against negative outside influences that would
detract from a God-centered environment (Deuteronomy
17:2-5; 21:18-19). God will honor this commitment
to him.
A
striking example of this is found in the story
of Passover. Moses told the people to slay a lamb
and place the blood on the doorpost and lintel
of their home. Then the angel of death would pass
over the door and not allow the destroyer to come
into their houses to strike any who were in the
home, Israelite or not (Exodus 12:22-23). Those
who obeyed were spared.
Being
responsible over the "door" of our home
also includes those who come into our home and
how they behave. Deuteronomy 31:12-13 says, "Gather
the people together, men and women and little
ones, and the stranger who is within your gates,
that they may hear and that they may learn to
fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all
the words of this law, and that their children,
who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear
the Lord your God as long as you live in the land
which you cross the Jordan to possess."
Some
may think my wife, Pat, and I are old-fashioned,
but when our daughters, Ashley and Allison, bring
their friends into our home, their words and deeds
are expected to be honoring to the Lord, even
if they are not Bible-believers. God's values
are honored in our home, and Ashley and Allison's
friends can see and hear this when visiting.
My
observation, even in Jerusalem, is that often
Bible-believing children and teen-agers are easily
swayed to speak and act like non-believers in
the world, not the other way around. Sometimes
it takes the loving encouragement of a parent
to guide the situation into a pattern that honors
the Lord.
Not
only does "guarding the gate" involve
who and what comes into the front or back door,
but through other vulnerable access points, or
gateways, into our home. This would include television,
radio and even reading material. Just as the ancient
elders of the cities of Israel were to keep unsavory
things from entering the city to protect their
people, we have that charge over our place of
authority. The prophet Isaiah spoke sharply to
Israel about the sinful practices that went on
in their homes (Isaiah 57:8).
What
are we watching on television, or listening to
on the radio? What magazines and books enter our
home? In a world that has moved far from the values
of the Bible, it is easy to find the influences
of the world creeping in upon us and chipping
away at our biblical values, right in our own
homes. A chip here and a chip there, and before
you know it, we are guilty of the same sin as
Israel who flirted with the things of the world
in opposition to the biblical precepts of God.
That
spelled disaster for ancient Israel, and it will
spell disaster for us, as well. None of us is
immune, and we find we have to be a true "watchman
at the gate"" of our home, daily. Old-fashioned
or not, I find it exciting to take a stand and
glorify the Lord in our home, bringing up our
children in the "nurture and admonition of
the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4), and then watching
how the Lord blesses this effort. For those of
us who are parents, it is our responsibility to
"train up a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not depart from it"
(Proverbs 22:6). This all begins in our homes.
Finally,
out of our mouths come forth what is in our hearts.
Your words will reveal your heart which speaks
evil, or righteousness that leads to salvation
(Matthew 15:18; Luke 6:45; Romans 10:10). Our
mouth is the "gateway" that proclaims
what is really going on in our lives. So the Psalmist
cries out to the Lord, "Set a guard, O Lord,
over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my
lips" (Psalm 141:3). The Lord expects us,
with His help, to guard every aspect of our lives
under our authority.
Setting
Up the Defenses
Just
as the ancient walled cities defended their inhabitants
against the "enemy" who would seek to
destroy them, we need to stand guard in our home
and guard our lips for the Lord. Just as the gate
was configured in a way to deter outside attack,
so we need to be prepared, through prayer and
action to protect those "within our gates,"
our families and those who visit us. We need to
set a standard and stick with it so that we can
defend our families from ungodly, un-biblical
influences.
Matthew
uses the image of the gate to express how we need
to conduct our lives: "Enter by the narrow
gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way
that leads to destruction, and there are many
who go in by it" (Matthew 7:13). How do we
do this? I am not suggesting we turn our homes
into a legalistic, dogmatic, protective fortress
enforced by the "laying down of the law"
by an authoritarian figurehead. I am speaking
of establishing a biblical home environment that
imparts the love, joy and wisdom of the Lord through
following biblical values. Then, when compared
with the standard of the world, a home set apart
for the Lord will prove itself to be the "higher
ground" that will be sought after by your
family and friends. And it will produce the fruit
of righteousness for the Lord.
My
wife, Pat, as a teen-age baby sitter, worked in
a Christian home where the love of the Lord was
expressed on a daily basis and that contact eventually
brought her to the Lord. At this point in our
family life, our children are young, and we are
appreciating this time when we can gently build
godly values into their hearts. We know times
of testing will come later, so we appreciate prayers
for our family.
Let's
encourage each other in creative ways to protect
the gates of our homes and hearts. We can impart
the Lord within our gates, rather than simply
letting the world take over via TV, video, radio
and magazines, and by the people who visit there.
Let's be pro-active like the elders at the gate.
Check out who and what comes into your home and
make it a little corner of the Kingdom of God
that attracts others because of the joy, life
and light of God that is expressed there. In a
world that is searching for meaning purpose and
inner fulfillment, they may find it in our homes.
After all, God created us and then gave us His
word as a guide for our lives so as to live it
more abundantly. If we do so and prove that it
works, then God will be glorified in our lives,
as He should be.
We
who dwell in the Kingdom of God need to live righteously
and thankfully before the Lord. To be found in
His presence, "within His gate," we
will have joy and gladness. "This is the
gate of the Lord, Through which the righteous
shall enter" (Psalm 118:20). "Enter
into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His
courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless
His name" (Psalm100:4).
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