Dedicate the walls

(Neh 12:27) And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to keep the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, [with] cymbals, psalteries, and with harps.

In the Song of Solomon, there's a great warning which goes

(Song 2:15) Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines [have] tender grapes.

When the walls of our garden are down, we tend to have the little foxes come and spoil the fruit (these refer to the subtle sins, the sins which are easy to justify, etc). The little foxes need to be driven out before we can bear sweet fruit for the lord. We need strong spiritual walls that protect us from the attacks of the evil one.

The entire book of Nehemiah is about rebuilding the broken walls of Jerusalem. We are the temple of the living God. (1 Cor 6:19) The holy city of God. The garden of our lord. We are supposed to maintain our walls with care, lest the cares of the world and the snares of the evil one find its way into our heart. The walls have such a spiritual significance in the life of a believer.

Indeed, we (even the believers) find ourselves in a state where our walls are broken. This is the state that the Israelites found themselves in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah. But praise God for a generation of people who get up to repair the broken walls, who are not satisfied with the walk of mixing with evil. Nehemiah had such a burden, and through the book, he takes us on a journey of spiritual restoration. The book tells us a story of a project - an impossible project by human standards. We also see the opposition that he faced when he embarked on such a project. But when God has a person who is determined to do His will, no opposition can stand strong against the power of God manifest in a believer. He built the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days flat.

The first verse is a joyful moment on the dedication of the rebuilt wall. The moment of savouring the sweet success of being restored into the lord's calling and presence.

Are your spiritual walls burnt down by the evil fires of this world ? Does the world enter you freely due to the broken walls ? Do you often enter the world due to the broken walls ? Do you still want a restoration to your spiritual life and your spiritual walls to be built up ?

Read the book of Nehemiah to experience this restoration. It's hard work. But it's worth it.

Praise the lord Jesus Christ