The Dung Gate
The Dung Gate was located at the southwest corner of the wall, and used for the disposal of garbage and dung. It led out to the Valley of Hinnom where all refuse was burnt.
"The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Recab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt it and put its doors and bolts and bars in place"
Nehemiah 3:14.
There is quite a distance to this gate from the Valley Gate indicating that, unfortunately, the valley experience can carry on for some time. But the result of that experience is clearly seen in this gate - the dung gate. This is the gate that they would take all the refuse and rubbish out of Jerusalem, down to the valley of Hinnom to be burned. This is what happens in our own life. Valley experiences are used by the Lord to clear away the rubbish so that true faith, refined by the fire, can come forth and produce fruit. Clearing away the rubbish in our lives is never easy but the benefits of this experience can be seen in the next gate. You will notice also (From the map) that at this point of your Christian life there is a dramatic 'turning of the corner' that takes place. Up until this point we have been moving downward and the experiences have been hard, but having come to this point there is a sharp turn in the road and we begin to move upward again.
"The sanitary disposal of waste materials is essential to the health of a city. This gate did not have a beautiful name, but it did perform an important service! It reminds us that, like the city, each of us individually must get rid of whatever defiles us, or it may destroy us." (Warren Wiersby)
Spiritual "dung" represents two things:
1. The shame of the old life (Romans 7:24; 6:1-4,6; Revelation 21:27; 22:14-15) - this talks about what we normally count as sin such as lust, anger and
so forth.
2. The glory of the old life (Philippians 3:7-10) - this talks about the pride of
the old life and accomlishments such as qualifications, family background
and so forth.
As God's new creation, we count both the shame and the glory of the old life as "dung" compared to knowing and experiencing the glory of Christ. We dump all this refuse out the Dung Gate.
This is where we decide to get holy, set apart for His use .. no longer guided by every human whim, but guided by the Word and the Love of our Father God (2 Cor 6:14-18)
If you look in Nehemiah chapter four we see "The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall." (Neh. 4:10). Rubbish and accumulated debris needed to be carried out and burned so that the work could be completed. I wonder if Nehemiah said something like this. "Well, what are you going to do about it. Get rid of the garbage and energy will increase."
The Lord's people have always had to contend with rubbish. There is trash in the church. There is refuse in our personal lives. In this sense every one of us have an appointment at the Dung Gate.
Just when we begin to suffer hardship or some kind of permissive suffering in our lives we begin to take notice of our weaknesses and sin in our own lives. Just because we suffer at the valley gate doesn't mean that we have arrived spiritually.
This gate is the port for cleansing from defilement. Here are some references for the kind of garbage that we need to deal with at the dung agate (Eph, 4:29,30; James 3:1-12; 1 Cor. 10:1-13). Garbage in our lives will drain the strength and power of the whole body of believers. Get rid of it and God will bring victory
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." (James 4:7-11)
The key to this gate is repentance (1 John 1:9). If the valley experiences we go through do not lead us into repentance then they are wasted on us and we are not cleansed. During valley experiences, ask the Lord to reveal things we need to repent of and seriously come before the Lord to be cleansed and prepared for God's power as revealed in the next gates.
THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT THE DUNG GATE
"Ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem."
The rulers did the work. This was undignifying work for rulers. It was humbling, unexciting, uninviting. It was the kind of work one wouldn't wish on his enemy, let alone friend. However the leaders of Jerusalem must lead the way. They must build the dung gate. If you look up the meaning of Beth Hakkerem you will see that it means 'House of the Vineyard', that is 'The Church'. Also it was a place where flares were sent up to warn people of danger! The leaders of the Church must send out warning flares of God's merciful word, warning people of the dangers of sin and the need for repentance.
Peter tells us that Judgment must begin with the family of God. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good (1 Peter 4:17-19) - This passage holds the leaders responsible for building this gate.
Our Lord established a chain of command in all his creation. God held Adam responsible for Eve eating the forbidden fruit. God spoke to Adam in the garden. He did the same in the family when he made the man the head off the family. He did the same in Government.
Conclusion:
The Dung Gate speaks of God's cleansing after a valley experience, where you are emptied of 'self' and 'sin' through repentance. After you have laid down your selfish ambitions and picked up the call of God, you will turn a corner, upwards to the high, holy and heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. You will be ready to receive His power from on high at the next gate - The Fountain Gate.