That the Almighty is not only providing believers with abilities and areas of personal empowerment, but also wanting us to grow and develop them for the good of others, as in Monday’s post, reminded me of the symbolism of an open door. That’s the symbolic designation for the current Hebrew Year 5774 and so it would be good to refresh our minds about that and revisit its importance.

Hence, Tuesday’s post linked into an informative article on this year’s significance, as outlined in last September’s post, The door into the ‘New Season’ is open.  It is a time of new beginnings, and especially a good time to dispose of personal baggage and free us up to recognise and take new opportunities. This is signified by digit 4 being the Hebrew letter ‘dalet’, as shown here >

[NB: each character in the Hebrew alphabet represents a letter, symbol and number; and which is not to be confused with numerological interpretation of words and text.]

I noted that a visiting preacher said we need to know God more and grow lots more in areas He’s preparing for us. All we have in life cannot be compared with what we have in Jesus Christ. People have issues with Christians because we’re not living the right way, as Jesus wants us to.  A mature tree produces the fruit of a Christ-like character and Jesus has the power to transform us into Him!

So, let’s take another look at how this symbolism of the open door may be activated…

The Unique Doorway

Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture”. (John 10:9 NKJV)

Melissa Flores considers this means that Jesus is our ‘dalet’ – “the One who leads us into greener pastures. Too many of us follow our favourite ministers or voices hoping to find our destiny. Until you hone in on the voice of the Shepherd, the door of destiny will elude you. He alone can confirm. He alone can commission. He alone can grant entry into the next assignment or pasture of your life. Sell all of the stock you have placed in man’s ability to identify and promote you, and invest it where it belongs”. (Emphases mine)

Her explanation connects into what Bob Mazeroski brought from the Lord about His provision of mantles, does it not?

Also, one of the definitions Jesus gave of His identity was, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6 NIV). That is, we can regard Jesus as being ‘The Doorway’ into the throne room of God.

A Deep Insight From Hebrew

This year I’m dipping into an easy-to-read primer on Hebrew by Steve Maltz, God’s Signature, and any reference by me simply cannot do it justice. Steve’s explanations of the language’s essential contribution to the creation and meaning of scripture are just like being with a tour guide who drops gems of insights as we meander around famous sights. Starting from the premise that the Bible is God’s word to us, Steve promises to answer questions of who wrote it, how manuscript evidence can be traced, how errors are detected and who decided what material to put in the Bible, but first explains the important difference between the Hebrew and Greek mindsets.

That difference may arise from the origins of the Hebrew language lying in pictographic symbols of the Proto-Canaanite alphabet, of which each symbol conveyed a defined visual meaning. Out of this developed the Phoenician-Old Hebrew form of geometrical shapes for those symbols and then eventually came the Biblical Hebrew letters.

To illustrate this concept Steve shows those alphabets’ characters for ‘shepherd’. Next he asks, why did God use Hebrew? In answer he shows those stages for the Hebrew for “word”, davar, which is comprised of three consonants only – dvr – as shown below. Note the inclusion and use of dalet:

Interesting? Surely an understatement!

The symbolical characters give such an obvious yet revelatory insight when we recall the Gospel according to John opens by describing Jesus as “The Word of God”, then tells of His coming into the world and the unique privilege He brought to those who would receive Him – the right to become children of God (verse 12).

Therefore, Jesus is the pathway, or entrance, into God’s mind, exactly as He states in John 14:6 above.

Of particular interest for our purposes is Steve’s examination of dalet itself:

The author goes on to state the root verb as dlh, or dala, meaning that which hangs down, or the idea of letting down or drawing up, as with a bucket in a well. Thus, for this comes the word for bucket, dly or daliy.  It seems so mundane but the beauty of Hebrew is it can have a spiritual application, for which Steve quotes Psalm 30:1 and Proverbs 20:5 use of dalah, viz:

I will exalt you, O LORD, for you lifted me out of the depths.

The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.

Also, Psalm 141:3 has a vivid way of using dalet to describe a mouth as “door of my lips” – Set a guard over my mouth O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.

And in Jeremiah 36:23, dalet is used for ‘columns’ in “four columns of the scroll”. In other words, as columns hang off a central spine or side of a manuscript, Steve points out that “the word dalet has been used for the simple reason we have something (the “columns”) hanging”.

Hence, the clear sense that there is a doorway of opportunity for us to go through this year. Have you sensed, or even seen it?

It’s time for serious disciples of the Lord, to approach the threshold and enter and break through into what He has for us.

Advice with cautionary note

Let’s reconsider some special points Jesus gave His disciples as ‘one who teaches with authority’, unlike religious leaders, from his extensive instruction known as ‘The Sermon on the Mount’ (Matthew chapters 5 to 7):

“Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened…

…seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteous and all these things shall be added to you…

“I did not come to destroy (what’s written in the Law or the Prophets) but to fulfill…For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven…

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad the way that leads to destruction…Not everyone who says to me “Lord, Lord” shall enter the Kingdom, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven…

“Therefore, whoever hears and does these sayings of Mine is like a wise man who built his house on the rock: and when the rains, floods and winds came upon it, it did not fall, for it was founded upon the rock…”

“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (John 14:23 NKJV emphases added)

 Amen

Now read the next post to learn how the italicised closing thoughts, added after drafting the whole piece, were concurrently confirmed by a prophetic team. Or was it vice versa with the Lord impressing upon me what He gave them??  Click to continue >>

[Image of Door Open in Sky courtesy of Nattavut, FreeDigitalPhotos.net Images from God’s Signature courtesy Terra Nova Publications International Ltd. Steve’s book is available from his website sppublishing.com as well as from Amazon. Be blessed]