Nehemiah -- Part 14 -- Inspection Gate
Miphkad Gate also called the Inspection Gate, the Muster
(gathering) Gate and the Judgment Gate
The wall between the Miphkad Gate and the Sheep Gate was repaired by Malkijah, the goldsmith and other goldsmiths and merchants. Miphkad means “commandment or mandate” and “appointed place.” At the Miphkad Gate there is higher wisdom and revelation knowledge. The Miphkad Gate is the gate of inspection, numbering and gathering at God's appointed place. This will happen in the future at the bema seat of Christ.
Jesus was inspected and found without flaw.
We who believe in Him are to judge (inspect ) ourselves and see our true
condition. (see 1 Cor. 11:31)
At the Miphkad Gate, we are refined by fire
removing any dross, and gathered together as one temple of God to accomplish
God's purpose. The temple servants (Nethinims) gathered at this Gate to
be given assignments. The Nethinims were assigned to the Levites and priests for
service in the sanctuary of God. Those who have allowed Christ’s refining will
also serve the leaders of the House of God.
The Miphkad Gate is the highest gate and is
located next to the Sheep Gate. The rebuilding of the wall around the city of
Jerusalem began and ended with the Sheep Gate. All begins and ends with the
love, forgiveness and grace of Jesus, the Shepherd of the sheep, through His
sacrificial blood. Each succeeding gate brings us higher and closer to the
Lord. God is maturing us spiritually through the spiritual message of these
gates.
The Miphkad Gate is a high calling. It will
come at a cost! As Jesus became a Living Sacrifice for us, we must become a
living sacrifice for Him. At the Miphkad Gate, we hear God's commandments and
do them because we love Him and want to bring Him glory and honor through our
actions, words and deeds. We offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God as
refined gold. Christ inspects us and commissions us to do a particular work for
Him. We are trained and ready!
King David would leave his palace and stand
at this Gate looking down at his army who were putting on their armor to
prepare for battle. The king’s soldiers gathered together as one mighty army.
These soldiers would be inspected at the Miphkad Gate by the King to see if
they were prepared for battle at any moment. Believers are well aware that they
must be prepared and ready for spiritual warfare at all times. We must put on
our full spiritual armor. (see Eph. 6:11-17)
Spiritually, this gate represents the bema
seat of Christ that all believers will come before where our work will be
tested to see what sort it is.....enduring substances of gold, silver and
precious jewels or wood, hay and stubble that will be burnt up and of no
eternal value in God's kingdom. “For we must all appear before the judgment
seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done
while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Cor. 5:10 Our sin will not be judged because we are
saved by the blood of Jesus and the penalty paid, but our works will be
inspected and judged. To inspect means to come up to a standard. Only the
righteous works we did for God's kingdom will be of eternal value. All the rest
will be burnt as wood, hay and stubble. This is why Jesus told us to store up
treasures in heaven. Only the righteous
acts we did for His Kingdom will be eternal.
As Moses said in Exodus 17:15, “The Lord
is our banner.” God wants us to come up higher and raise the standard of
our flesh and its ways by reflecting His holy, high standard. As Nehemiah had
to inspect the true condition of the wall and its gates, we must also see our
true condition and allow Jesus to raise us up to a higher standard. We are His
dwelling place. We must desire His rebuilding of our hearts and lives for the
glory of God, just as the rebuilding of the temple, wall and city of Jerusalem
were rebuilt for the glory of God.
The names of the leaders and laborers in
Nehemiah were preserved in the Book of Life – the Word of God – as an example
for future generations. Those who love and follow Jesus will also be written in
the Book of Life. Jesus will come with His reward in His hand for the high,
holy work we did for His Kingdom. As Jesus didn't reach and fulfill His purpose
right away, believers will also have to be prepared for God's high calling.
The rebuilding of Ezra and Nehemiah was a
labor of love so God's people could live, worship and serve God in safety and
peace. This work also brought honor and glory to God. Followers of the Lord of
glory must labor for the same.
The wall around Jerusalem has gone full
circle, just as the Word of God goes full circle. The end is in the beginning.
The Anointed circle of the Word is our wall of protection to keep us in the
ways of God that defeats the enemy of our souls. The Word also reveals the true
character of the Godhead. In the midst of their enemies, God protected and
supported His laborers and the work at the time of Nehemiah. He does the same
for those who love His Son Jesus and are working to establish His Kingdom on
earth as it is in heaven.
Understanding the spiritual messages of the
gates around the city of Jerusalem helps us understand the meaning of Psalm
87:2 – The Lord loves all the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of
Jacob. Jacob was his earthly/fleshly name and reflected his fleshly
behavior –deceiver. God loves all the gates of Zion because they represent the
maturation of a believer in the True God and the way into His Holy City. God
wants us to be a mature Bride prepared and ready for the coming of our
Bridegroom Jesus. Ezekiel saw a vision of the “coming of the glory of the
Lord” through the East Gate. (Ezekiel 43:1-5) In the future, we will
see the coming of the Lord of glory—Jesus.
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