Repairing the Dung Gate
“But the dung gate repaired Malchiah the son of Rechab, the ruler of part of Beth-haccerem; he built it, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.”
Nehemiah 3:14
This may seem like an odd portion of Scripture to hold as FMC’s monthly verse. I mean who cares what happened to a dung gate over 2500 years ago? It may not seem so, at our first reading, but this verse communicates one of the sweetest truths found in Scripture. I am speaking of the gift of Divine Humility. I encourage you to go and read the entire third chapter of Nehemiah. Much of it may seem boring and a tad-bit repetitive. However, if you pay close attention, you may just be surprised by the sweetness that it contains. Here is one example. Malchiah is a ruler – we see that in the verse provided. However, he is also a goldsmith and is found working and helping repair another section of the wall that didn’t pertain to him. Yet, he was willing to work. His station as a ruler and his occupation dealing with precious metals didn’t deter him from engaging in what we might easily deduce as the “crap job” (pun intended). He had clearly recognized the all-too-easily forgotten distinction between Primary Purpose and Secondary Calling. You probably won’t recognize these categories because this particular moniker originates with me. However, you may be familiar with the principle that they represent.
Primary Purpose deals with the universal reason for our existence. Every single person shares this purpose. Things like socio-economic status, gender, race/ethnicity, intelligence, etc., do not detract from this purpose. Every individual was created for the Glory of God. This is the Primary Purpose for your existence. You were made for His glory (and so was everyone else). However, the ways in which we are designed to do this may deviate, one from another. This is where our Secondary Calling factors in. This category is a reference to the particular role in which you are meant to play in contributing to the Glory of God. Some will do this by engaging in Pulpit Ministry, others by filling various offices in the church, and still others by engaging in what may seem to be non-religious occupations (there’s no such thing). In whatever you do, do it to the Glory of God. For the Glory!
Unfortunately, we often get so caught up in our own Secondary Calling, that we forget about our Primary Purpose. The thing that sets Malchiah apart, is that he was willing to set everything aside in order to accomplish the overall purpose of building the wall. He was willing to play any part. Not just his own “calling”. When you contrast this with the behavior of the Tekoite nobles who, “… put not their necks to the work of their Lord.”, we are left with a startling challenge. Namely, who do we more closely resemble? Are we, like Malchiah, so engaged in the Primary Purpose that our callings are kept in theoir proper place – as secondary? Or are we more like the Tekoite Nobles, so caught up in our own Secondary Calling that we force our purpose into the background?