Forgetfulness and Identity (Nehemiah 3:3-8)

The Fish Gate was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah. They laid its beams and installed its doors, bolts, and bars. Next to them, Meremoth son of Uriah, the son of Hakkoz, made repairs. Next to him, Meshullam son of Berechiah, the son of Meshezabel, made repairs; and next to him, Zadok son of Baana made repairs as well. Next to him, the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles did not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.

The Jeshanah Gate was repaired by Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah. They laid its beams and installed its doors, bolts, and bars. Next to them, repairs were made by Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, and the men of Gibeon and Mizpah, who were under the authority of the governor of the region west of the Euphrates. Next to them, Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs. And next to him, Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs. They fortified Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.

Commentary

Our memory sucks. If your childhood was filled with trauma and disorder, it leads us to questioning,"why do we even exists.?" "What is the point of it all if our ancestors were bad and filled with brokenness?" But that's a lie. Everything your ancestors did wasn't bad. And we are all corrupted by the first sin. But we all have moments of selflessness. That moment can shape a generation. We just have share those memories.  

One most overlooked features of the Bible by the western world is the genealogy (or references to "son of"). These list tell you about the cross culture expectations, hatred between ethnic groups, and where you are from. For those children who read Nehemiah, they would've seen their father, grandfather mentioned doing something good. For all we know in other parts of their life they cheated, abused, or lied. But this one book, could have re-framed the story of their families to them. This book shows them that the family issues they have now are not the sum total of their families existence. It's a state they can change.  

Do you know the good your family has done? Are you writing down stories? Who is in your family's community? 

My grandfather was apparently hunted by the KKK. The school he was the band director at contacted the family saying they were dedicating a building to him. All my information is second and third hand and naturally before coming to the internet I clarified nothing with my aunts but there was an entire ceremony for a man I never got to meet.  

Essentially, he was beating white schools in competitions and they didn't like it. He passed away the Christmas before I was born. He wasn't Christian, and he had many issues. But he has impacted generations of band geeks and transformed how they viewed themselves in a world that didn't want them around. It was a post Jim Crow Mississippi. (That's a post-1965 world, the same year my mother was born. ) You don't change perceptions, habits, and assumptions overnight.  

When I was writing out this section, God keep asking me, "What does this mean about who you are...his granddaughter? What does this mean about the gift that you have? " We don't really talk about the past in my family. It's a mix of shame and just not really caring to ask, but this is important. So, I didn't know. Then God said to me, "... maybe I too can help dismantle the beliefs people have about themselves and what is possible for them." 

And so, I hope that as you read through this section of Nehemiah that you are not tempted to rush by it. But to really think. What have I left for my children and their children? Not money. Spiritual gifts , stories of transformation, of participation, of community. That is a far richer gift that shapes how they will see themselves for generations.  

Daily Practice: Take time today. this week record or write done a story for your children. But is in a safe location. Share if you. Tell them who they are and what they can do.

Historical Note: 

It's was surprisingly hard to find information on the gates this week. I'm sure it's some where in a really old book that hasn't been digitized yet.

The next gate restored after the Sheep's Gate is the Fish Gate. The men of Tyre congregated to sell fish and stuff on the Sabbath (2 Chron 33:14; Neh 13:16). So after worship was restored, commerce was restored. Then there's the Jeshanah Gate. I couldn't find conclusive information. Some say it was the gates where the elders met to settle disputes. If so, wisdom and legal were restored next. Other's just say it was the name of the road to a nearby city. So I'm unclear about it. Then there's the Broad Wall which was the most defensible part of the wall it was 90 acres.

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References

Jason R. Tatlock, “Jeshanah,” in The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, ed. Katharine Doob Sakenfeld (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2006–2009) 260.

New International Bible Dictionary, p 354

John D. Barry et al., eds., “Broad Wall,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

John D. Barry et al., eds., “Old Gate,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016