Neh 3:31 | KingComments | STEP | Malchijah Just a little bit more and the tour around the wall is complete. We stop for a moment at Malchijah, a goldsmith. Malchijah means ‘Yahweh is King’. He knows the value of precious metals. To protect the material and the profession, he helps to build the wall. Furthermore, his work is connected to “the house of the temple servants and of the merchants”. He has an eye for the work that the “temple servants” do. However humble it may be, it is important that this work must be done. By building the wall he makes sure that the enemy cannot enter the city through their house. A temple servant can underestimate his work so much, that he tries to get some prestige through other channels. But if the temple servant is connected to ‘Malchijah’ and lives by the meaning of that name and does his work, the enemy will not succeed in getting into the city of God through him. The wall is well built there. Also “merchants” can only trade well if they do so in accordance with the rules that apply in the city. It is difficult, but not impossible, to do business honestly. The enemy has made special provision for businessmen to influence the life in the city of God, but he will not get a grip on the businessman associated with ‘Malchijah’, who lives and acts according to the meaning of that name. The wall there is well built. The Inspection Gate The Inspection Gate is the tenth gate mentioned in this chapter. The work is almost done. It is not unusual at the end of a work, at the end of a year, at the end of a life to look back at that work, that year, that life. From a spiritual point of view it is important to look back regularly. We often see better later how we have worked than at the time of that work itself. At the end of his life Paul draws up the balance sheet. When the time of his departure has come, he can say: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” ( ). At the same time, he knows that the final ‘inspection’ will be done by the Lord ( ), when we will all be revealed “before the judgment seat of Christ” ( ). That ‘inspection’ before the judgment seat takes place in “the upper room”, in heaven. But also on earth we already find an ‘upper room’, a place of fellowship with the Lord Jesus. There the Lord Jesus is with His disciples to celebrate the Passover with them ( ). On that occasion He instituted Supper, which we are still allowed to celebrate every Sunday. Then we think of Him and His work of redemption on the cross. We proclaim His death. But we cannot do this without judging ourselves, investigating, ‘inspecting’ ( ). If we discover that there is something of sin in our lives, we must first condemn it. We have to confess it to God, and if people are involved we have to confess it to them as well. After the ascension of the Lord Jesus, the disciples are back in the upper room ( ). There they wait for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. ‘Inspection’ of the Word makes it clear that the event with Judas is foretold in Scripture ( ). Scripture also tells the ‘examiners’ that someone else must take the place of Judas ( ). Examination of the Word shows what must happen until the promise is fulfilled. More than ever we can apply this to the promise of the coming of the Lord Jesus.

‏ Nehemiah 3:31

Malchijah – the Inspection Gate

Malchijah

Just a little bit more and the tour around the wall is complete. We stop for a moment at Malchijah, a goldsmith. Malchijah means ‘Yahweh is King’. He knows the value of precious metals. To protect the material and the profession, he helps to build the wall.

Furthermore, his work is connected to “the house of the temple servants and of the merchants”. He has an eye for the work that the “temple servants” do. However humble it may be, it is important that this work must be done. By building the wall he makes sure that the enemy cannot enter the city through their house. A temple servant can underestimate his work so much, that he tries to get some prestige through other channels. But if the temple servant is connected to ‘Malchijah’ and lives by the meaning of that name and does his work, the enemy will not succeed in getting into the city of God through him. The wall is well built there.

Also “merchants” can only trade well if they do so in accordance with the rules that apply in the city. It is difficult, but not impossible, to do business honestly. The enemy has made special provision for businessmen to influence the life in the city of God, but he will not get a grip on the businessman associated with ‘Malchijah’, who lives and acts according to the meaning of that name. The wall there is well built.

The Inspection Gate

The Inspection Gate is the tenth gate mentioned in this chapter. The work is almost done. It is not unusual at the end of a work, at the end of a year, at the end of a life to look back at that work, that year, that life. From a spiritual point of view it is important to look back regularly. We often see better later how we have worked than at the time of that work itself.

At the end of his life Paul draws up the balance sheet. When the time of his departure has come, he can say: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2Tim 4:6-7). At the same time, he knows that the final ‘inspection’ will be done by the Lord (1Cor 4:1-5), when we will all be revealed “before the judgment seat of Christ” (2Cor 5:10).

That ‘inspection’ before the judgment seat takes place in “the upper room”, in heaven. But also on earth we already find an ‘upper room’, a place of fellowship with the Lord Jesus. There the Lord Jesus is with His disciples to celebrate the Passover with them (Lk 22:12). On that occasion He instituted Supper, which we are still allowed to celebrate every Sunday. Then we think of Him and His work of redemption on the cross. We proclaim His death. But we cannot do this without judging ourselves, investigating, ‘inspecting’ (1Cor 11:28). If we discover that there is something of sin in our lives, we must first condemn it. We have to confess it to God, and if people are involved we have to confess it to them as well.

After the ascension of the Lord Jesus, the disciples are back in the upper room (Acts 1:13). There they wait for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. ‘Inspection’ of the Word makes it clear that the event with Judas is foretold in Scripture (Acts 1:16). Scripture also tells the ‘examiners’ that someone else must take the place of Judas (Acts 1:20). Examination of the Word shows what must happen until the promise is fulfilled. More than ever we can apply this to the promise of the coming of the Lord Jesus.