Today I am starting a four-part series on the 12 gates of Jerusalem, the spiritual significance of each one, and how we can apply it to our lives. Gates are for coming and going, and they speak of access. Nehemiah 3 will be the main text that we use for our study. Today we will focus on the Sheep Gate, the Fish Gate, and the Old Gate.

Sheep Gate

Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it. Nehemiah 3:1 (KJV)

The Sheep Gate is where the people brought sheep through to take them to the temple for sacrifice. The Bible equates us to sheep (Psalm 23) and John 10 tells us that Jesus is the door, or gate, to the sheepfold. John 1:29 says that Jesus is the Lamb of God. Jesus is the gate that we must enter through to be saved, to come into God’s presence, and to fellowship with and worship God. Therefore, the Sheep Gate represents Jesus as the way of salvation. As we come through the Sheep Gate, we become the sheep of Christ, and we know and hear His voice.

Fish Gate

But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof. Nehemiah 3:3 (KJV)

The Fish Gate was where the local fishermen entered the city to sell their fish. The fish market was near this gate. We are to be fishers of men (Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17). This tells us that, like fishermen catch fish, we are to throw out the net to bring people to Jesus. A witness for Christ is something that every Christian is expected to be. It is also noteworthy that an early symbol in the church was the sign of a fish. As the sheep of Jesus, we listen to His voice, which tells us to go through the Fish Gate into all the world, preach the Gospel to everyone, and make disciples of those who receive Jesus.

Old Gate

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. Nehemiah 3:6 (KJV)

The details about the Old Gate are somewhat sketchy. It may refer to the first gate built in the wall of Jerusalem, or it may have been the main gate into the city. regardless, we can take away a significant application for our lives from this. We must keep God first place in our lives. God must be the main thing, with everything else taking a backseat to Him. When God is the primary focus, all other things will align properly for us.

This also speaks of remembering the old things, what God has done for us in the past. As we keep the former acts of God in our hearts, they empower us to build now to secure a better future.