Nehemiah 3:14 - Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. (ESV)
When I started writing today, I began by thinking about the internal dialogue Malchijah must have had with himself when he received Nehemiah’s instructions.
Nehemiah had gone back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city that had been damaged by war and neglect. One of the ways he likely assigned workers to portions of the wall was simply to tell them that they would be responsible to fix the section closest to where they lived. I imagined Malchijah’s frustration that he was assigned the dung gate.
The dung gate was the garbage dump of the city. It was the place where all of the items that no one wanted were taken outside and piled up. The name implies more than just garbage; it was probably the place where all of the animal refuse was taken. It was dirty and gross, and even more so after the rubbish had been sitting around.
We don’t actually know what Malchijah thought about the task. Maybe he didn’t protest at all but saw the wisdom of Nehemiah’s strategy. Someone had to rebuild that portion of the wall, so why shouldn’t it be the person who lived closest? Disgusting as it may have been, it was an important point of entry and exit, and if it wasn’t secured, the entire wall would have been worthless. Maybe Malchijah even volunteered for the task. All we know is that Malchijah was already in a position of leadership in and around the city, overseeing one of the districts, and Nehemiah notes that he restored the integrity of the gate.
Nehemiah’s rationale was simple. If the people of Jerusalem wanted to know how they could help the city and participate in the rebuilding of the wall, they didn’t need to look any further than what was right in front of them. If everyone took responsibility for their section, the wall would be completed. This meant that some people would restore the places of honor, and other people would have to take on the less desirable tasks. Malchijah played his part.
The same principle applies in the kingdom of God. It doesn’t do much good for us to worry about what others are doing or whether or not our assignment is as prestigious as others. Our job is to look at what’s right in front of us and give it our best effort. We all have different measures of time, talent, and treasure. It is essential for us to give what we can if we desire to see the kingdom of God advance. Sometimes, that means taking on the jobs that feel sort of crappy.
It’s likely that this is why Malchijah was in a position of leadership in the first place. If we desire God to use us, it begins with being willing to do the things that are right in front of us. When we all have that sort of desire, it’s amazing the things that can be accomplished in a short amount of time. Nehemiah built a wall.
What will you build?