Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate, they sanctified it and set up the doors of it even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel. Nehemiah 3:1
So the big project is officially launched. Just like every big project, the start is the most important. This was a big project, a task that would involve repairing the walls all around the city of Jerusalem, along with all of the gates that were in the walls. The most appropriate place to begin was at the sheep gate, the gate that was the closest to the temple, the most important building in the city. And who would be the most appropriate to do this particular section of the wall? Why, the high priest, of course, and all of the other priests. But high priests don’t get their hands dirty with wall building, do they? They are the important folks, above the need to do manual labour, aren’t they? Not in this case. Eliashib and the priests set a good example by not only getting into the hard work but also being the very first ones to break ground and start work. They were a good example for the other folks who lived in Jerusalem at that time. And they are a good example for us today.
Eliashib was a grandson of Joshua, the high priest at the time the temple was rebuilt by Zerubbabel. So he would have understood the value of having the walls built, and also understand the value of the sheep gate where animals were brought into the city to be prepared for the temple sacrifices. This was important to Eliashib. And so he builded, he and the other priests. The same principle applies to the Lord’s people today, as we face those things that need to be done. First, we need to understand the importance of the work. If it is work associated with God’s Assembly, we need to understand its importance and appreciate how valuable it is to God. If it is work associated with the outreach of the Gospel, we need to understand the importance of reaching lost souls. And once we understand the importance of the work, we need to have a passion for completing the work as our service for the Lord.
Eliashib was not perfect; he made some very large blunders, as are outlined in the rest of the book of Nehemiah. He was just like us, because we all make big mistakes in our lives, and occasionally get our priorities wrong. But Eliashib must be given credit for not being lazy and for not allowing his high office to interfere with his desire to get the walls built. For this task, he had his priorities straight. God always has room in his program for diligent people. And many times he seems to call the folks who are the busiest, the most important, the most responsible, because these are the ones who know how to get things done and who are willing to do it themselves before they ask anyone else to get involved.
You and I do not hold high offices in God’s program. But even if we did, we ought to be willing to jump forward whenever the hard work needs to be done. -Jim MacIntosh