Why were the walls and gates of Jerusalem so important?
Here's the answer:
The walls and gates of Jerusalem were important because they kept the people safe.
There were many walls and gates built in Jerusalem. Many parts of the present-day wall in Jerusalem have remnants of the wall that would have been up during the time of Abraham. If you were to travel to Jerusalem, you could see part of the ancient wall. It is about two and a half miles long. That is a pretty long wall! The height of the wall is 40 feet and 8 feet thick. The wall also has eight gates and thirty watchtowers. The gates are important because they made it possible for people to enter, but they could also close to provide safety.
One of the instances of the wall being destroyed was when Judah’s king, Amaziah, went against Israel’s king, Jehoash, to have a battle (2 Kings 14). This resulted in part of the wall being destroyed. Many years later when Hezekiah became king, he ordered for the wall to be rebuilt when the Assyrians were coming against them (2 Chronicles 32:5). God protected Judah and Jerusalem by sending a destroying angel on the Assyrian army (2 Kings 19:35).
Shortly after, the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, came in with his army and destroyed the wall (2 Kings 25). Nehemiah made it his goal to rebuild the wall and he did it with the help of others (Nehemiah 2).
At the time of Jesus’ life, Herod was building a wall, though Herod never saw the completion of it. Parts of these walls were destroyed when Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Emperor Diocletian ordered the walk to be rebuilt around the year 300. The walls and gates were so important because they kept the people safe.
Bible Truth
"The king said to me, 'What do you want?' I prayed to the God of heaven. Then I answered the king, 'Are you pleased with me, King Artaxerxes? If it pleases you, send me to Judah. Let me go to the city of Jerusalem. That’s where my people are buried. I want to rebuild it'" (Nehemiah 2:4-5).
"Joiada and Meshullam repaired the Jeshanah Gate. Joiada was the son of Paseah. Meshullam was the son of Besodeiah. Joiada and Meshullam laid the beams of the gate. They put in place its doors with their metal bolts and bars" (Nehemiah 3:6).
"The officials of Judah heard what had happened. So they went up from the royal palace to the Lord’s house. There they took their places at the entrance of the New Gate" (Jeremiah 26:10).
