“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful to Him, and bless His Name.” – Psalm 100:4

I’ve entered the gates of State House a number of times.

One thing that strikes you the moment you reach that gate is that you’re entering a completely different environment.

Ancient Jerusalem and the temple had a number of gates.

The gates symbolized access to the spiritual realm; they were both a physical and spiritual threshold, representing the transition from the outer, secular areas of life to the inner, sacred areas where God’s presence dwelt.

But ‘gates’ in biblical Israel weren’t just a doorway into the city and the temple; they were also spaces where the prophets wept and kings and elders made judicial decisions, and where people met for community meetings.

Today, there are critical lessons to learn about the spiritual significance of ‘gates.’

Indeed, our Lord Jesus Himself taught about the significance of gates: “Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it but small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).

There are about seven gates that are mentioned in the rebuilding of Jerusalem by Nehemiah.

The first was the ‘Sheep Gate.’ This was the ‘small gate’ by which animals for offerings and sacrifices were brought into the temple.

This gate speaks of offering our lives as a ‘living sacrifice.’                             

The second gate was the ‘Fish Gate’ – where fishermen from Lake Galilee and the Jordan River brought their fish to the market areas in the city.  

The ‘Fish Gate’ speaks to us of evangelism!

We have all been called to be “fishers of men” and to bring them in!

Like David, may we always enter into His ‘gates’ with thanksgiving!

The third gate is the ‘Old Gate’ – which speaks to us of the “days of old” and the “ancient paths.”

In times of despondency and hopelessness, we walk through this gate with thanksgiving, reminding ourselves of God’s faithfulness during “the days of old” and being encouraged that He would do it again.

The fourth gate was the ‘Valley Gate.’

The word ‘valley’ is used symbolically in the Bible to represent the place of trials and humbling experiences.

Real spiritual growth happens during ‘valley experiences’!

Walk through this gate with thanksgiving, knowing that all things work together for the good of those who love God.  

The fifth gate was called the ‘Dung Gate.’

It was through this gate that garbage and rubbish were taken out of the city.

We must all walk through this gate daily to get rid of the ‘waste’ – the fleshly desires that corrupt the soul.

The next gate was the ‘Fountain Gate,’ which was symbolic of divine instruction (the Word of God) and the fear of the Lord (godliness).

The next gate was the ‘Water Gate,’ which is symbolic of spiritual cleansing (sanctification).

The next gate is the ‘Horse Gate,’ where horses and chariots were brought in and taken out of the city.

In the Bible, horses are generally symbolic of war.  

This gate speaks to us of spiritual warfare – the “good fight of faith.”

The Christian life is perpetually a ‘war zone’!

Finally, we have the ‘East Gate.’

This gate, also called the ‘Beautiful Gate,’ was where Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

The ‘East Gate’ was set aside specifically by God for the coming of the Messiah.

It is a constant reminder of the 2^nd Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and reminding us never to sacrifice eternal things at the altar of temporal and fleeting pleasures.

Like David, may we always enter into His ‘gates’ with thanksgiving! Amen!

[Today’s photograph shows the present-day ‘Dung Gate’ at the back of the Jerusalem]