Valleys Raised Up

October 2015 — Grace & Truth Magazine


Valleys Raised Up

“Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.” —Psalm 100:3-5 KJV

“The valley gate repaired Hanun, and the inhabitants of Zanoah; they built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof, and a thousand cubits on the wall unto the dung gate.” —Nehemiah 3:13

When looking at “His gates” in Nehemiah 3 and the repairs that were taking place, the first one listed is the sheep gate (v.1), showing to us the goodness of the L ORD as the Shepherd. Then we are led to the fish gate (v.3) to see further truth concerning the L ORD – viewing Him as the Blesser. At the third gate, the old gate (v.6), what was brought to mind during a study with other believers was “Jesus Christ, the Same, yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). What a wonderful joy to see Jesus at the old gate as one thinks of what is needed for restoration.

We come next to the valley gate (v.13) and there are various thoughts of what we see of Christ in it. But one thing in particular is Him as the Restorer. He “restoreth my soul” (Ps. 23:3) and He is the “repairer of the breach and the restorer of paths to dwell in” (Isa. 58:12). Looking back, we see how deeply the Lord Jesus humbled Himself, leading His own in this path that was pictured by the valley gate and giving a reminder of how He endured the cross for them.

His good hand led Nehemiah out of the valley gate to view the broken condition of things, but He also led Nehemiah back through the valley gate with the result that the walls and the gate were rebuilt (Neh. 2:13-15). In addition, the grace of the LORD is shown in Nehemiah 11:35, where it is recorded that some of the children of Benjamin dwelt in the “valley of craftsmen.” As some local believers gathered together to study 2 Corinthians 1 some time ago, several thoughts were brought to mind, including:

• How gracious the Lord is;
• He leads His own through valleys to give Him His rightful place in our homes and ways; and
• Through trials the Lord can develop those that will be craftsmen for Himself.

Such craftsmen are able to minister to the needs of others since they have walked the valley with the Lord Jesus.

In looking at illustrations of the wall where the valley gate was located, I was struck that turning the opposite direction one looks to the valley of Hinnom. This is where idolatry prevailed to the extent that children were offered to idols. In a letter written to the family of believers, the children of God, the Spirit says, “Little children keep yourselves from idols” (1 Jn. 5:21). May we dwell in the valley of craftsman in these trying days.

There will be no valleys in glory, but even here when the Lord Jesus reigns the valleys will be raised up (Isa. 40:4). The Lord is able to set much joy before us while we await His return – waiting to be with Him where He is, seeing Him as He is and beholding His glory (Jn. 14:3; 1 Jn. 3:2; Jn. 17:24)!

By Philip Pilon