With consideration given to the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall as recorded in Nehemiah 3, this article focuses on the significance of the dung gate.

Source: Faith in Focus, 2006. 3 pages.

The Gates of Jerusalem: The Dung Gate (Refuse Gate)

What comes out of a man makes him unclean. For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside, and make a man unclean.

Mark 7: 20-23

A Gate of Shame🔗

What a horrible name for a gate – yet how essential it was to the city of Jerusalem. This was the gate through which was carried out the filth of the city. God’s city must be unde­filed. He required the Jews to be fastidious about cleanliness. During their sojourn in the wilderness, He gave the Israelites, in the laws of Leviticus, precise details for the prac­tice of cleanliness – disease preventative regulations, remarkably modern in outlook and practice. Some of the principles behind these laws are looked upon by the medical profession today as knowledge that results from modern discovery and research – an­other confirmation of the inspiration of the Scriptures!

The Dung Gate may have been the Pot­sherd Gate of Jer. 19:2. This makes sense, for what use to a city are broken pieces of ceramic material, molded from clay and fired into cups, plates and other useful objects? Broken, their usefulness is lost. It was near this gate that the Lord commanded Jeremiah to stand while he denounced the city, fore­telling the disaster to befall those who had defiled it, by forsaking Him for foreign gods - Baal with filthy worship; and worse, following the practice of Molech-worshippers by sac­rificing their children to Baal in fire. Broken pieces, useless to God and man.

Two Closely Tied Gates🔗

There is a close connection between the Valley and the Dung Gates. Nehemiah 3:14 notes that the latter was joined to the Valley Gate by only five hundred yards (about 450 metres) of wall. Both gates in ancient Jeru­salem led to the Valley of Hinnon, which in Jeremiah’s time was associated with the wor­ship of Molech. The child sacrifice mentioned above involved a brass idol of the god, arms outstretched to receive the babies placed literally into its fire-heated brazen hands. Later, because of the desecration of Molech, the valley was used as the place of refuse, and for burning the corpses of criminals and animals. Like the Valley Gate, the Dung Gate receives only one verse in the sacred record. The men who laboured on the Valley Gate were the same ones who extended their work along the wall to the Dung Gate.

No record is made in the Bible of the workers along the wall on the other side of the Dung Gate, which linked with the Fountain Gate. Why? This will be considered when we arrive at the Fountain Gate. Again we read of the worker who rebuilt; setting doors, bars and bolts in place. Who was responsible for the Dung Gate? Malchiah son of Rechab, ruler of part of Beth-Haccerem. (NIV: Melkijah son of Recab ruler of the district of Beth-Hac­cerem). Humble work, undertaken willingly by a prominent man of authority.

A Cleansing Gate🔗

Symbolically, too, the Dung Gate is near the Valley Gate, which in our picture is the place of humility and confession of sin; for are not these two tied up together – sin in general and actual sins committed? The Dung Gate was a very practical gate, with a specific purpose – that of cleansing. From the Dung Gate we may learn that the general acknowledgement and confession of sin, which we pictured in the lowly humility of the Valley Gate, must lead on to holiness of life. The Christian is expected, by the grace of God, to cleanse himself as saint and servant; sweeping out what is unclean and useless. Jesus Himself spelt these things out in the verse quoted at the beginning of this article. ‘Evil thoughts’ is put first by the Lord, for from these spring the actions and attitudes that follow. Evil actions are more objectionable in the eyes of men; for they can be seen, reported in the news (sometimes sensationally or even, I suspect, gloatingly), and they may become the subject of gossip. God sees differently. He sees the heart. Sins of the spirit, sins of attitude, may be less obvious, but are more subtle; for they are easier to hide from the eyes of others. Jesus emphasised this when he spoke of murder and adultery ‘in the heart.’ Paul sets out specific sins of both kinds in Romans 1­-3, and 2 Corinthians 1-3, and Colossians 3. Do not harbour envy, arrogance, malice, deceit. These must be taken out of the gate as much as the physical sins. Who but God can truly read the heart of a man?

These lists in the Scripture make sorry reading. The culture of Rome during the early days of Christianity became more and more decadent, especially with Emperor worship and the foul behaviour of evil emperors like Caligula. The culture of Asia Minor, too, was evil, based on matriarchal goddess worship. This is obviously the background to the epistles to the churches of this area, including the letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation, and the letters to Timothy and Titus. Cultic worship at the Temple of Diana (Greek Artemis), a most influential centre, encouraged the use of temple prostitutes.

Don’t we see the same downward steps in our own society, with the gradual wearing away of moral values? Scenes depicted on TV that would have been unthinkable twenty or even ten years ago? A reminder came on TV a few days ago: the advertisement of a programme highlighting the seductiveness of ancient Rome. May we watch such pro­grammes? As Christians we are told to think on the lovely things of God, things of good repute. Blatant sexual scenes, adultery, homosexuality (portrayed as funny), violence and lust, only cause us to think evil thoughts. Turn the set off quickly when you sense what is coming, or when you are informed that this programme contains violence or worse, and language that may offend ‘some peo­ple.’ Such things are a danger to us, God’s people. Our gate today reminds us that such things must be kept ‘outside the city.’

We are repulsed at the thought of babies being placed in the burning hands of Molech. Imagine the outcry if there were such a statue and such a practice in the middle of your town square! Today’s Molech is Selfishness. Where is the outcry about the Molech abortion clinic in the street next to the square?

In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul lists some of these sins and says to the Corinthians, “and such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justi­fied in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Thank God this gate is not the last one!

A Practical Gate🔗

So the Dung Gate, unpleasant though it is, remains a necessity in the life of the Christian. We must all use it, bringing greed, lewdness (doubtful jokes included), slander, folly, out through the gate to the valley of smouldering fire. The Gate may also, by the change it brings in a new Christian, be a means of witness.

Henk discovered this. Henk was a new Christian – joyful, excited. The morning after his experience of the saving grace of the Lord Jesus, and rejoicing in his new-found Saviour, he was driving to work and thinking how wonderful it would be to share his experi­ence with his colleagues. But how to do this in a natural way, without “pushing piety?” As he drove along praying about it (but not forgetting to watch the traffic), the thought popped into his mind: “Stop smoking.”

He didn’t expect this. He knew that smoking was folly. He’d read enough about its being bad for his health and knew that it was addictive, but he shrugged off such an idea. Surely it was not too bad! What would that have to do with speaking for the Lord? However, the thought would not go – stop smoking, stop smoking. So when he arrived at work, he did it. Just like that! Not saying a word about his experience, he got on with his work without his ‘fags,’ and waited.

About a week later, in the hearing of others, one of his work-mates said to him, “Henk, what has happened to you?” “What do you mean?” asked Henk.

“Well, you’re different. You’re changed. You’ve stopped smoking, and you don’t swear any more.”

And so Henk, without pushing piety, was quietly able to tell his colleagues, who listened respectfully to his words, of how the Lord had come into his life, and was changing him.

Our Shame🔗

We all have our areas of difficulty. We all have our arrogance, our pride, our evil thoughts. None of us finds it easy to acknowledge before the Lord our guilt, and especially to use the word ‘filth’ with respect to our own folly. Yet Isaiah does not tell us that all our sins are like filthy rags. No, he tells us that all our righteousness is. This shows us that everything we touch is tainted. How awe-ful, then are the words in Isaiah, “The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (I write that word deliberately, as awe-ful in the old sense: ‘full of awe’ [reverential fear and wonder.]) He who knew no sin was made sin for us. Incomprehensible. Unfathomable. Peter puts it before us, “He committed no sin, and no deceit was in his mouth... He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.” He, Jesus, became for us the Dung Gate.

Our Cleansing🔗

No, I do not like that last sentence any more than you do. But only through this Holy Gate can we be cleansed. Like the scapegoat, He carried away our iniquity into the wilderness, “where,” to use Pilgrim’s words again, “I saw it no more.”

How Blessed the Gates God Planned for the City of Jerusalem🔗

Each one in position. Each one ready for us to pass through. Each one showing the Lord Jesus in His humility and in His glory. And there are still more to come! Hallelujah!

That He should leave His throne on high,
And come for sinful man to die:
You count it strange? So once did I –
Before I knew my Saviour.

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