(REFLECTIONS ON Nehemiah 6:15-19, Nehemiah 7:1-3 )

The wall had been rebuilt. Now everyone can breathe a sigh of relief, right? No, now it was time for them to put the wall, the gates, and the doors to use. Everyone now needed to be even more diligent in protecting themselves and the city to make sure that no unwanted visitors could enter into Jerusalem. This was the purpose of the wall wasn’t it? To keep the enemy out and the people safe.

3 I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”

Sometimes walls give us a false sense of security, like we can let down our guards, because we have walls in place. However, walls are there as a support, not to be the entire defense system. Walls are inanimate objects, but we need to continue to make use of the walls, gates, and whatever inanimate object is in place to keep the enemy from invading our hearts.

What walls do we have in our faith that give us a false sense of security? Perhaps it is the church walls, or the walls of having a Bible in the home, a cross on the wall, or worship songs playing on our iPhone. Perhaps the wall we have built is being raised in a Christian household, being raised in the church, or the wall of being baptized into the faith.

In Proverbs 4:23, it is written,

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Yes, we have many things built up, just as the wall of Jerusalem was built up to protect the Jews. However, just as the Jews now needed to make use of the wall and protect themselves from the enemy, so do we as believers need to guard our hearts to protect ourselves from the world.

Guard your heart is what the Proverbs tell us, and guard your heart is what we are reminded to do today. May our faith never lead us to a false sense of security, as if we can let our guard down, because it is then when the enemy will attack us in full force.

Guard your heart so that your faith is safe and secure. When the enemy is kept back, then we can keep on living in faith, growing in faith, and being challenged in faith. If we are too comfortable, too relaxed, that is when the door to our heart will be left wide open and before we know it, all we have will be snatched away from us.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Nehemiah 6
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Nehemiah 7