Nehemiah 7:3
And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.
Nehemiah's order belongs to the moment after the walls of Jerusalem had been rebuilt and the gates set up, when danger from still-active enemies continued. The gates were not to be opened until the sun was hot and the day was well advanced, and while the guards stood by they were to shut the doors and bar them. Watches were to be appointed from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, including proper officers, with everyone in his watch and everyone at his assigned post over against his own house, and with watchmen placed all around upon the wall. This was a prudent arrangement because the city was large and great with few people inside, partly in ruins with houses not yet built or unfinished, and people protect their own homes and interests with special care.
The wall had been finished in fifty-two days, in B.C. 444, the number of the Jews was again given, and even the enemies perceived that the work of the wall was wrought of God. The guarding of the finished wall fulfilled what Daniel had foretold nearly a hundred years before, that the walls would be built even in troublous times. The verse stands in the section of Nehemiah 7 to 9 whose lesson is reading God's law attentively, within Nehemiah's work of rebuilding the city wall, establishing the government, and carrying out needed reforms, especially in honoring the Sabbath. With the wall finished, Nehemiah next turned to reformation of the lives and worship of the people before further building. The verse belongs to the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, whose historical setting is provided by the surrounding Babylonian life.
Those who remain at home must watch over and protect the ground entrusted to them, beginning with their own household and caring for the people around them. For Christians who remain at home, the arrangement applies to guarding the spiritual ground already gained and watching over their own souls and their fellow believers, rather than supposing that staying home leaves them without work.