Refuge in Darkness

Nehemiah 7

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Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed, 2 That I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem: for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many. 3 And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house. 4 Now the city was large and great: but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded.

Nehemiah 7:1-4

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In chapter 6, Nehemiah refused to go outside of the refuge of God's protection (the walls). Now, in our physical lives, some have to go outside the city. There has to be farmers who tend to crops and animals. While they may reside in town, they have to venture out where there is room for these activities. After all this corona virus stuff, I am shocked at how many people do not actually understand that.

In chapter 7, the gates of the city are built. The perimeter of the city is complete and secure. In some ways, the people's guard can be let down a little. They can relax a little and begin going about other tasks beyond building the walls. However, Nehemiah puts some strong guidelines in place.

Nehemiah said, "Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the the sun be how; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them, and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house. (v. 3). In plain English, the gates were not opened until the sun was bright, and they were closed before it got dark. The gates were locked and secured. Also, even though the perimeter was secure, they set watchers all around the walls and the watchmen were on shifts. Security was a big concern with the enemy angry and lurking outside.

There are times in our lives when the spiritual battle is more intense than others. When things are a little more peaceful, be sure the enemy is lurking outside, waiting on an opportunity to attack. There are reasons enemies like to attack at night. The darkness conceals their movement and people tend to sleep at night. In other words, their guard is down. Just as before, there is a great lesson for us here as well.

When it seems as though we are getting a respite from our struggle, we should be sure to keep our guard up. I do not mean that we are on high alert, losing sleep, and working around the clock. However, we also do not leave our spiritual gates open and our walls unguarded. This is exactly what Satan is looking for.

We should think of the city gates as our senses. Our eyes, ears, noses, and mouths are all ways that things enter our bodies. The things we watch, hear, and consume can all be good or evil. We need to guard what we allow through our gates, especially when we think that danger has passed on. It is during these times, when our guard is down that the enemy will try to sneak in. We need to make sure we lock our gates at night, and do not open them back up until the light is bright.

Prayer, reading God's word, and Christian fellowship are all like the watchers on the walls. They help safeguard us when we are at rest. We must make sure they are in place! If not, Satan will scale the walls of our life and cause havoc. We all need rest, but we should never let our guard down and not have watchers in our lives.

I cannot help but think of Babylon in the Book of Daniel. While everyone was partying, the Medo-Persian army, visibly camped outside, entered the city and captured it. Why, because no one was really paying attention. They thought they were safe. The gates were locked, and the walls were high, but no one was watching. They let their guard down.

As Christians, we cannot afford to let our spiritual guard down. We must keep a watch on the walls. We must lock our gates to keep the enemy out. We are not blind, but we do not give the enemy a free pass into our lives. If we do, then just like Babylon, we will fall.

Father, help me to keep my gates locked at night and my watch up. Help me to pray and study your world so that I do not fall prey to the enemy. We know he is lurking around outside when he is not actively attacking us. Help me to be always on guard.