Nehemiah 3:13

Nehemiah 3:13 says, The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate.  This was another person who was not an inhabitant of Jerusalem but was involved in rebuilding the wall.  None of us are born into the family of God but are reborn into His family if we are a part of it and we should be willing to do God’s work wherever we are needed.

Verse fourteen adds, But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Bethhaccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.  The section Malchiah rebuilt and the door he set was not a glorious section, but the door by which garbage was removed.  We should never feel that we are too good to do even the most lowly of jobs in the church if God calls us to do them.  This may not have been a glorious job, but it was a necessary one. 

Verse fifteen continues, But the gate of the fountain repaired Shallun the son of Colhozeh, the ruler of part of Mizpah; he built it, and covered it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and the wall of the pool of Siloah by the king's garden, and unto the stairs that go down from the city of David.  Shallun was a ruler, but he didn’t believe himself to be above doing the manual labor necessary to help rebuild the walls and gates.  He put in the doors to the gate of the fountain and also rebuilt the wall of the pool of Siloah.  He made sure the wall could be secured and that there was a secure access to into the city as well.  We need to secure the church from those who would destroy it, but we also need to ensure that people have access to the church through faith Jesus Christ, the only way which is available to enter into God’s kingdom. 

Verse sixteen concludes, After him repaired Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of the half part of Bethzur, unto the place over against the sepulchres of David, and to the pool that was made, and unto the house of the mighty.  Nehemiah was another ruler who was at work.  He rebuilt the wall next to the burial place of David and the other kings who had died and to the pool that was before it.  We don’t need to worry about the tombs of those Christians who have gone before us, even if they were powerful leaders of Christianity, since as with Jesus Christ, they are not a person’s final resting place.  I am not saying that we shouldn't keep cemeteries up, but simply that one day they will be empty and of no importance in the Kingdom of God.  Of course, for any of this to apply to a person, he or she must first accept Jesus Christ as his or her personal Savior and Lord.