Closed Doors – Open Windows

You have probably heard the saying that when God closes a door, He opens a window. As I am reading through the prophets in the Old Testament, I am reminded how true that was for Israel as a nation and for certain individuals especially. From the book of Judges through the return of the exiles from Babylon, the door of God’s blessing was repeatedly slammed shut, but before long a window opened.

This was true for Abraham. He waited twenty-five years for the promised son. That’s a long time to stare at a closed door. Then Isaac miraculously appeared. Before the boy even reached manhood, God asked Abraham to sacrifice him. I hear a door slam. Of course, God opened the window by stopping Abraham from following through, proving the depth of His chosen one’s faith.

Joseph literally heard a door close: a prison door. He had walked through an open door into Potifor’s household, but the jealous wife closed that door sending him to prison. Then the window opened when the jailer promoted him to head warden. The arrival of two of Pharoah’s servants seemed like a window opening, but it took two years for it to finally open letting Joseph out of prison. The entire course of Joseph’s life became the open window for the closed door his family experienced in the famine in their land. Open close; open close.

Moses went through a number of door/window cycles. Being rescued by Pharoah’s daughter seemed like an open door for him to somehow help his people, the enslaved Israelites. He kinda closed that door himself with his emotional overreaction resulting in murder and flight to the desert. The window cracked open at the burning bush when Yahweh gave him a mission (impossible?) Through nine plagues the door of escape for the Israelites opened and closed. Finally, they made it out into the desert only to find the door closed at the Red Sea. God really opened a window of opportunity there, freeing them and destroying Pharoah’s army.

I have often thought of my years as a truck driver as similar to Moses’ time in the desert. My chosen career in Christian education ended in burnout, a door apparently closed. What I thought would be a short sabbatical to rest and recoup became a twelve year experience. During that time virtually alone in the truck, God led me through a great deal of soul searching and learning; I finished my time in the “desert” a different man. I believe I was given an open window to my writing ministry. Maybe you have had a similar experience.

Here is a question that has bothered me for some time. What do we make of the promises of the prophets to errant Israel that God would have a king in David’s line and Levitical priests ministering forever if they would repent and worship Him alone? Most troubling is the Lord’s statement that if He could break His covenant with the sun to shine by day, then He could break His covenant with Israel. There has not been a king of any family on a throne in Israel since 70 AD, yet the sun still shines. Is the door open or closed?

God made a similar promise to Abraham that He would make of him a great nation, and that his seed would bring blessing to all the earth. We know that Abraham’s descendants, the nation of Israel, failed in this regard. Instead of spreading the good news of God’s love and grace, they became insular and proud of their special relationship with the maker of heaven and earth. There is no biblical record of any Jews setting out to share their faith with other nations. Instead, they considered it sinful to have anything to do with the gentiles. The story of Jonah is a good example of how the Jews felt about other nations.

Paul does clear this one up for us in what might be called a trick of the language. He says that the promise to Abraham was to Seed, not seeds. Jesus was the Seed who brought the blessing to all the earth. Some might say that a trivial thing like a word being plural or singular is meaningless. Not to Paul. He believed, as do I, that God inspired the exact words He wanted His Word to contain.

God closed the door on temple worship and the Levitical priesthood when the curtain separating the holy place was torn. That happened when the Messiah gave His life on the cross. Something else happened during the crucifixion: the sun failed to shine for three hours. There is no astronomical explanation for that. Those who try to say it was an eclipse are grasping at straws; an eclipse lasts only a few moments, not three hours. I believe what happened is that God broke His covenant with the sun. That gave Him license to break His covenant with errant Israel.

However, the window that God opened after the Cross let in the light of eternity: salvation through the blood of the Lamb. There is no need for a Levitical priesthood since Jesus is our high priest through the special line of Melchizedek. There is no need for an earthly temple because the final sacrifice has been made, and we have access to the heavenly temple where God dwells and Jesus intervenes on our behalf. I have argued repeatedly that some things in the Bible cannot be taken literally. In this case, I like to think that God literally broke His covenant with the sun so He could establish His new covenant through Christ.

If this all seems arcane or meaningless to you, allow me to explain. As with so many Scriptures, like Paul’s Seed reference, little things matter. This is a call to read the Bible deeply, thoroughly, and with the help of the Holy Spirit to guide. I can’t count the number of times a careful, prayerful reading of God’s Word has brought me insight into who He is and what He wants of me. Don’t neglect your Bible; read it expectantly. You may find the opening of a closed door or at least an open window. That is God’s promise, not mine.

Related posts: Take the Bible Literally?; Understanding the Bible as Literature; Why Did God Do That?