It was once said: “The kingdom of joy is protected from all evil by a red door.” (Source unknown) Psalm 121:7-8 reminds us: The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”
In many cultures and traditions throughout the world, red-painted doors have often symbolized protection and safety. Although the shade and depth of its color can vary according to the source, blood is always deemed to be red. Exodus 12:1-14 reminds us: The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste.
It is the Lord's Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.”
The color red has many definitions, but usually resembles a warning or notification to stop. It demands an immediate attention to its viewer to conform and heed. If driving a vehicle on the public highway, a red traffic signal light should always be obeyed, otherwise there is a strong possibility of an accident with another vehicle traveling in an opposing direction.
In the United Kingdom, circular traffic signs surrounded by red borders are a statutory restriction or prohibition. Triangular shaped signs indicate warnings. Whatever the design, they are ultimately intended for the purpose of public protection or safety. They are a guidance given to warn of impending danger. However, in Western cultures it can additionally portray the symbol of love and passion.
Red could represent both the sin of mankind and God’s judgment together with the need for sacrifice and redemption. Sin may cause regret and the necessity for repentance to seek God’s forgiveness. Isaiah 1:15-18 reminds us: When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
Monica Johnson, a female American writer once remarked: “Regret is not a proactive feeling. It is situated in disappointment, sorrow, even remorse. It merely wishes things were different without an act to cause a difference. However, repentance is different. Repentance is an admission of, hatred of, and turning away from sin before God.”
Closed red doors may be considered to defend against evil and retain the goodness within, but they need to be opened from time to time to allow for fresh air and new thought. Closed doors can prevent the revelations and guidance provided by God from entering our lives. Opening the door for God is a metaphorical phrase that allows for spiritual growth and divine intervention.
Revelation 10:1-5 states: “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven.”
Opening the door allows for the knowledge and love of God to enter or create personal discernment. Without discernment, we may lack the ability to judge well. The knowledge of God is portrayed and disclosed in the many pages of the Bible. The Bible provides the truth of life and a guidance on the correct way to live. It is a revelation of godly facts that give us hope and a determination to succeed for the future. Matthew 16:17 reminds us: And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”
Revelation often requires inner strength and fortitude to portray. It can open the hearts of the sinful and welcome the healing process of forgiveness. It may include an admittance and confession to God or another for wrongful past deeds. It can include a disclosure of a previously unknown fact or facts which could have gone undetected, or it may include an unveiling of past or perhaps a prophecy of future events to come. Revelation 1:1-7 reminds us: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place.
He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so.”
Amen.
