Nehemiah 3:6

Nehemiah 3:6 says, Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.  Two people were said to have rebuilt the old gate.  We as Christians may often need to work together, so that we can accomplish what needs to be done for God and not for praise for ourselves.  Still, some people seem to want all the credit for themselves and are not willing to work if someone else is going to share the credit or receive equal praise. 

Verse seven adds, And next unto them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah, unto the throne of the governor on this side the river.  The next section also had two men named as the rebuilders, so there was more than one section that needed more than one person to do the work, just as there are many things that we as followers of Christ need more than one person to working to accomplish.  Our main call is to share the gospel, and we all need to be at work doing this, not so we can be praised, but so that people may be saved, and God may be glorified.  

Verse eight continues, Next unto him repaired Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, of the goldsmiths. Next unto him also repaired Hananiah the son of one of the apothecaries, and they fortified Jerusalem unto the broad wall.  This verse lists two people, but they were working on two different areas, and they had different abilities.  One was a goldsmith and one we would call a pharmacist.  No matter what we may do for a living, we as Christians all need to be doing the work of God in the world, and no one is better than anyone else in doing it. 

Verse nine states, And next unto them repaired Rephaiah the son of Hur, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem.  Rephaiah, who was repairing the next section, is referred to as a ruler of half of Jerusalem.  He may have been a ruler, but he didn’t view himself as too good to help in the work.  Our position in the world should never make us think we are too good to do even the hardest work to advance God’s kingdom.  Matthew Henry points out that he might have been ruler of only half of Jerusalem because the Persian government didn’t want one person to have too much power and if two were appointed, one could keep watch on the other.  We may not have the government appointing us to places of service in the church, but we may need to watch over each other to make sure that one person does not try to become too powerful, feeling that he or she is better than everyone else or that God can work only through them. 

Verse ten continues, And next unto them repaired Jedaiah the son of Harumaph, even over against his house. And next unto him repaired Hattush the son of Hashabniah.  We aren’t told of the status of these two men, but they were just as important as the rulers or the craftsmen, if they weren’t so themselves.  God needs all His people to be at work for His kingdom today, no matter what our qualifications may be.  God will equip us to do what He calls us to do. 

Verse eleven says, Malchijah the son of Harim, and Hashub the son of Pahathmoab, repaired the other piece, and the tower of the furnaces.  We have two men who again are listed as working together to repair the next section, and as already stated, we need to work together to make sure that all the work of God is done today. 

Verse twelve adds, And next unto him repaired Shallum the son of Halohesh, the ruler of the half part of Jerusalem, he and his daughters.  Now, we have the ruler of the other half part of Jerusalem and his daughters listed as rebuilding the next section of the wall.  Whether we are male or female as Christians, we are all to work together to do the work of the church today.  Of course, to do God’s work, we must first be a part of His family, and the only way to be a son or daughter of God is to put our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.