“Boaz went up to the gate and sat down.” Ruth 4:1

Cities don’t have walls anymore. We don’t have to pass through massive, guarded gates which are impenetrably barred at night, or in times of danger. People come and go at will, bringing with them their wares and their cares. There is no inspection, no questions asked. There may even be a big “welcome” sign.

We’d have to project ourselves back in time a millennia or more to fully grasp the importance of the gates of the city to the people in Bible times. That does not make the scriptures which mention gates irrelevant; it means we have to have comprehend their purpose then and apply it to our lives today. It also means if we fail to understand their meaning, we may inadvertently be making ourselves vulnerable—as vulnerable as a city in ancient times was if they had no walls or gates, leaving her citizens subject to attack, to their possessions being plundered, even to being forced into slavery be an evil power.

The first mention of possessing the gates of our enemies came as a promise to our father Abraham. The timing is important. As Abraham obeyed the Lord, the benefits of God’s covenant with him were progressively unlocked. First he was promised land. Then he was promised progeny. But here, after he had willingly offered his son Isaac, he is going to yarash (Heb), or occupy, seize that gates of his enemies (Gen 22:17). Abraham was being alerted that he would face conflict, and the result was he would not be ruled, rather he would exert power and influence over those who stood in his way.

So in a general sense, we see the direction God wants to take us in. He wants to bless us. He wants to multiply us. Then he wants to work through us to increase influence, to be in a position to make judgments and exercise leadership. But it is still not real clear who or what our enemies are. We don’t have Hittites or Philistines occupying the plains around us. There are no Jebusites entrenched for hundreds of years in our mountains. So what, or who are our enemies? And what are these so-called gates we are told to take possession of?

When we think of Biblical power, the image of a throne comes to mind. This was the age of kings. Their words became law. Their judgments were uncontested. They were worshiped. Taxes were levied to pay for the dreams they wanted fulfilled, and men were conscripted to fight their battles. Rivals were executed. For context, place King Ahasuerus on the throne reigning sovereign over 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. Do you see a man standing next to him? His name is Haman, and he was like the Prime Minister.

As the story of Esther unfolds, another figure comes into focus. He has no position. He wears the cloak of a commoner. He comes from a minority, and persecuted class. And yet, he has power. You see, “Mordecai sat within the king’s gate” (Es 2:19). Every day. The longer he sat there, the more he heard, and his power grew. Even the king’s eunuch came out to meet him in front of the king’s gate (v.4:6). One day, the king sent Haman out to parade him through the streets adorned in his royal robes, and sitting upon the king’s steed. In time, Mordecai would influence the laws in the land. He even became Prime Minister.

Mordecai represents those of every generation who have learned the secret of possessing the gates of their enemies. He did not aspire to usurp the throne. He knew that thrones are in palaces, insulated from people, falsely elevating its occupants, poisoning their minds to exalted opinions of themselves and their powers. He understood that gates, when occupied, were powerful too. From there, he came to know the secrets of the palace, all while feeling the pain and concerns of the people—something the king never knew. He learned that decisions were a form of power; but he discovered intercession was every bit as powerful. Kings assume that people are ruled by laws and systems; Mordecai’s brilliance lay in that he understood people are even more impacted by ideas, and culture, and faith.

This brings us back to the question: What, or who are our enemies? Consider the example of Haman. Did he kill anybody? No. It was his ideas, his twisted, envious ideas which were being unleashed in an attempt to slaughter innocent Jews. Beloved, our battle is NOT with flesh and blood. Haman was only a puppet. Satan works not just to occupy thrones. He is after our gates. When the “gates of our city” are open to every kind of filth, perversion and darkness that proceeds from pernicious, greedy, and hate-filled people, when our values, faith and traditions are maligned and undermined, we are in fact under siege. If we do not rightly discern our enemies, how are we going to disarm them?

Beloved, God is speaking to us. As sons and daughters of Abraham, we have been called to possess the gates to which the enemy has falsely laid claim. If God had wanted Abraham’s descendants to occupy thrones, He would have said so. Instead, He said take your seats at the gates of every city. Rule from the place of superior ideas, of redemptive and compassionate culture, and by the influence of faith through which even mountains are rooted up and cast into the sea. I’ve never heard of a king who could do that!