The Fountain Gate seems to have led to the spring En Rogel near the SE corner of Jerusalem, and the Water Gate of 3:26 possibly gave access to the other main spring, the Gohon. In the Scriptures, several words are used and translated as wells, springs and fountains. English usage is therefore neither conclusive, nor exclusive. In Nehemiah the word could, but would not necessarily, mean fountain as we use it; in my reading, I have not succeeded in finding a full comment on this. The Fountain Gate’s association with a spring probably means that the name came from water bubbling up from the ground or down from a rock – our connotation of a ‘spring,’ rather than a fountain. In any case, the important point is that it indicates water which is not still and stagnant, but ‘live’ – moving and bub­bling. Jesus spoke of ‘living water’ when He talked to the Samaritan woman at the well. This verse (John 4:14) is difficult to translate. The Authorised Version reads ‘a well of water springing up,’ the NIV ‘a spring of water welling up,’ while the Zondervan In­terlinear has ‘a fountain of water springing.’ The fountain is the source, or springhead, of the water.

Wall without Workers?⤒🔗

While discussing the previous gate, I drew attention to the lack of a list of workers from the Dung Gate to the Fountain Gate. The wall is not even mentioned. Even if there was only a short distance from one to the other there must have been a section of wall, and the work was carried out by somebody. So, as these Scriptures were under the inspira­tion of God, there must surely have been a reason for this omission.

I suggest that the Fountain Gate marks a position of change. Up to now, we could say that the spiritual emphasis of the Gate has been both on God in the gates, and on mankind’s response to Him. From here on, the focus is entirely on the Lord God. The Fountain is a place of cleansing. Only God can accomplish this. Only He can cleanse our souls, and this is the focus of our attention. The section from the Dung Gate to the Fountain Gate is the work of God Himself, accomplished by Christ, and effective through the Holy Spirit. In our lives, confession and cleansing of sins are linked together. And so, symbolically, there is no wall between the two. In this cleansing, no created workers have a hand.

The Builders of the Fountain Gate and the Wall beyond←⤒🔗

The eastern side of the City was a place of special significance. The Fountain Gate was repaired by Shallun, son of Col-Hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah. It is the only gate mentioned as being roofed over. The same man repaired the wall of the Pool of Siloam by the King’s Garden to the steps from the City of David. Nehemiah son of Ezbuk, ruler of half Beth Tun district, took up the work beyond Shallun, to the point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool and House of Heroes. (It is doubtful if the sites of these can now be established.) Then the Levites built a portion of the wall under Rehum. The continuing sections ran alongside the palaces of royalty and the residences of priests and the Temple serv­ants. Mention of the House of David (his descendants), the artificial pool, the House of Heroes, the armory, angles in the wall, the High Priest’s home, the tower of the Upper Palace, the Guard’s Court, temple servants on the hill of Ophel, Levites, district repairs by rulers and countrymen; all these indicate that this side of the city held people, buildings and features of great importance. There were a wide variety of builders. Many were leaders, but there were also ordinary people working by their own homes. There was a special mention of Baruch (v. 20), who showed particular zeal. A multitude of names, for the multitude of cleansed people God uses for His work.

A Trinity Gate←⤒🔗

The ‘Fountain cleansing’ is solely the work of God. This is expressed beautifully in Isaiah 1:18, which exhorts us to reason together with the Lord. ‘Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’ Familiarity with this concept may cause us Christians to lose sight of the enormity of it. No longer scarlet! White as the snow! Can we believe it? Do we wonder at it?

Cleansing concerns our redemption. This involves Father, Son and Holy Spirit. For the Father sent His only Son, that whoever be­lieves in Him should not perish, but should have everlasting life. We think about the an­guish of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. ‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?’ But do we think and meditate on the anguish of the Father? It must have broken His heart to turn His loving back on His be­loved Son, who was ‘bearing our sins in His body on the tree.’ (1 Peter 2:24) The Fountain Gate is one of anguish. The Fountain Gate is effective in us, through the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The commentary of Harry Ironside portrays this gate as a type or symbol of the Holy Spirit. This makes sense to me. He is the One Who reproves of sin, the One of righteousness and judge­ment (John 16:8). How meaningful, then, is the sprinkling of the Christian with water at baptism! Old Testament baptisms, too, were by pouring or sprinkling: a ‘shadow’ (Heb. 10:1, Col. 2:17) of things to come. (See Heb.9:10 – washings = baptisms in Greek). John the Baptist declared, ‘I baptise you with water, but He (Jesus) will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’ (Matt. 3:11).

The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to purify, refresh and empower. The Holy Spirit is poured upon us for cleansing, as our mode of baptism so biblically and beautifully demonstrates. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not a so-called second blessing, as some say. The Spirit enters our lives, cleanses us, takes possession of our hearts. His power and strength are available to us from the moment we receive Jesus as Saviour.

In Joel 3:18 is written: ‘In that day ... A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house ... (v. 21) ... I will pardon.’

What day is Joel referring to? Trace it back through his book to 2:27, 28: ‘You will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other ... And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.’ Where is the link with the New Testament? In Acts 2:17 Peter quotes Joel on the Day of Pentecost, ‘In the last days I will pour out My Spirit on all people ... on My servants, both men and women ... and they will prophesy...’

V. 37, 38: ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ ‘Repent and be baptised so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’

Yes, the work of the Holy Spirit is included at the Fountain Gate. The Fountain Gate is  one of activity.

A Cleansing Gate←⤒🔗

The Fountain Gate is one of greatest sacrifice and greatest blessing. The sprinkling foun­tain points to the One who was pierced for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. The unfortunate division of Isaiah 52 and 53 separates us from the full text concerning the Suffering Servant. For chapter 52:10 ‘He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted...’ leads on to 52:15, taking us straight to the fountain, ‘so will he sprinkle many nations.’ This links in chapter 53 with the vivid portrait of the One who died at Calvary.

In this, we have no part whatsoever. We may come to the point of confession of sin in general at the Valley Gate, the point of bringing specific sins to the Dung Gate, but the cleansing is solely the act of God, accomplished by the death of the third Per­son of the Trinity, the incarnate Lord Jesus; no ordinary man can do this for us. So the verses from Zechariah 12 & 13, quoted at the beginning, take us to the Lord: ‘They will look on me whom they have pierced...On that day a fountain will be opened to the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.’

Let us look at another beautiful passage of the Bible. We must be careful not to take verses willy-nilly out of historical context. Yet we can see these promises are for us, and not just for the nation of Israel.

Ezekiel 36:25: ‘I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.’

1 John 1:9 ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’

Oh, the wonder of the Fountain Gate! Does not our heart ‘warm within us’ as we see Him there, as in all the Scriptures?

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to thy cross I cling.
Naked, come to Thee for dress,
Help­less, look to Thee for grace;
Foul I to the Fountain fly –
Wash me, Saviour, or I die!