the priest shall go out the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.

• Leviticus 14:38

So when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps at the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why this pretense? I have been sent to you with bad news.

• 1 Kings 14:6

The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.

• 2 Kings 25:18

Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.

• Psalm 141:3

“As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’

• Ezekiel 33:30

And on the doors of the main hall were carved cherubim and palm trees like those carved on the walls, and there was a wooden overhang on the front of the portico.

• Ezekiel 41:25

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

• John 10:7-10

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

• Revelation 3:20

I was thinking about doors the other day, and I thought it might be a good topic for a quiz.  The title will be explained later.

This quiz will be about verses containing the words “door” in various forms with the Scripture above as good examples.

The questions are in biblical order and all in the Old Testament.

The Questions:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	God told Cain that if he did not do right, what would be crouching at his door, desiring Cain, wanting to rule over Cain?
2	Noah was instructed to put a door in the side of what, along with lower, middle, and upper decks?
3	The first time people threaten to break down a door, the people of Sodom are after what? Something in Lot’s home.
4	The Israelites were instructed to take hyssop, dip it in the blood, and apply it where, to prevent the destroyer from entering the house?
5	When Sisera attacked Israel, Barak refused to go in defense unless Deborah went with him, so Deborah prophesied that a woman would kill Sisera.  Who killed Sisera when Sisera took a nap in a tent, commanding the woman to stand guard in the doorway?
6	Jephthah made an oath that if God prevailed in the battle, he would sacrifice whatever came out of the house first.  “What” came out of the house?
7	Samuel opened the doors of the house of the Lord, but he was afraid to tell Eli, the priest, the vision he received from God.  What was the message in the vision?
8	Who told his servant to get this woman out of his sight and bolt the door after her?  Hint: He had raped her and once she was no longer a virgin, he wanted nothing to do with her.  Bonus: Who was the woman and who was her relations?
9	What type of wood was used to make the inner sanctuary doors and doorframes in Solomon’s Temple?  Hint: It was the same tree that produced the oil that was used for lights and anointing oil.
10	Naaman was the commander of the army of the king of Aram.  He had leprosy.  After he got nowhere with the king of the northern tribes, whose door did he come for a cure of his leprosy?

When I rented a new automobile back in my working (and roading) days, I would ask for a non-smoking car, which meant I got a brand new car since smokers love to poison cars with their cigarette smoke, claiming to be non-smokers to get a new car – allegedly.  But I really am a non-smoker and I am allergic to cigarette smoke.  I have been to rental counters, and they had nothing on the lot that did not stink of cigarette smoke.  I would be sick by the time I reached my destination and I was supposed to then be at my best for the customer.

I would get XM radio which was the only way to get 40s music on the radio at the time.  One song that I have heard sung by a variety of different singers and singing groups is “Open the Door, Richard.”  Various reasons are given while this group of people knock on the door and various punchlines at the end are given.  But Richard was supposed to be at home, and he does not answer the door.  The knock is usually provided by the drummer.

I had to read both the song and the performer on the radio display to know if I had heard it before.

But the context of “Open the Door, Richard” came from a black comedy routine.  The focused person on stage can’t find his key or he knew Richard would open the door.  But the more he knocks, making side comments about the unsafe neighborhood, police brutality, etc., the more he gets agitated.  Richard is not answering the door.  Yes, these days people would get offended instead of laughing at an exaggeration, with a bit of truth in it.  If you could not relate, you would not be laughing at the guy on stage.

When it became a song, Jack McVea and Frank Clarke wrote the lyrics.  John Mason and Don Howell wrote the music.  And it was recorded by black and white artists.  Louie Jordan and the Pied Pipers as examples.

Bible References:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	God told Cain that if he did not do right, what would be crouching at his door, desiring Cain, wanting to rule over Cain?	Genesis 4:7
2	Noah was instructed to put a door in the side of what, along with lower, middle, and upper decks?	Genesis 6:16
3	The first time people threaten to break down a door, the people of Sodom are after what? Something in Lot’s home.	Genesis 19:5-9
4	The Israelites were instructed to take hyssop, dip it in the blood, and apply it where, to prevent the destroyer from entering the house?	Exodus 12:22
5	When Sisera attacked Israel, Barak refused to go in defense unless Deborah went with him, so Deborah prophesied that a woman would kill Sisera.  Who killed Sisera when Sisera took a nap in a tent, commanding the woman to stand guard in the doorway?	Judges 4:18-21
6	Jephthah made an oath that if God prevailed in the battle, he would sacrifice whatever came out of the house first.  “What” came out of the house?	Judges 11:30-34
7	Samuel opened the doors of the house of the Lord, but he was afraid to tell Eli, the priest, the vision he received from God.  What was the message in the vision?	1 Samuel 3:11-16
8	Who told his servant to get this woman out of his sight and bolt the door after her?  Hint: He had raped her and once she was no longer a virgin, he wanted nothing to do with her.  Bonus: Who was the woman and who was her relations?	2 Samuel 13:15-18
9	What type of wood was used to make the inner sanctuary doors and doorframes in Solomon’s Temple?  Hint: It was the same tree that produced the oil that was used for lights and anointing oil.	1 Kings 6:31-33
10	Naaman was the commander of the army of the king of Aram.  He had leprosy.  After he got nowhere with the king of the northern tribes, whose door did he come for a cure of his leprosy?	2 Kings 5:9

But when the idea of a “door” popped into my head, I was thinking of my favorite Bible verse, Revelation 3:20 (above) and John 10.  But wait, John 10 does not talk about a door, but in some translations (among them the KJV and RSV) state Jesus saying, “I am the door.”

Probably, the modern translators use the word “gate” in that a fenced pen to keep the sheep safe, there is a gate, not a door.  But in the times of Jesus, and in many areas of the world today, the animals live in the house on a lower level.  Thus, a door would be accurate.  In Germany in the late 70s, when travelling the backwoods areas, the farmer would live on the second floor.  The heat given off by the livestock helped heat his home, but if he lived in the middle of the village, do not take that shortcut to your construction project early in the morning.  The farmer would heard the cattle onto the street and they meandered to the field when they were hungry enough to be motivated.  The extra 30-40 kilometers out of the way was a faster route.

But in Jesus’ time, the houses were either two or three split levels.  The livestock were at the lowest level and the mangers were holes dug into the main living area floor.  If the family was better off than the average, they would have yet another level, the same few feet higher, on the other end, called an Upper Room, reserved for guests.  The KJV translated that wrong in Luke, making it an Inn.  Sorry, no innkeeper at Christmas time.  Since all descendants of David were having to go to Bethlehem, Joseph being slowed down by a pregnant wife meant he got there after the upper room was bulging at the seams with guests.  Joseph and Mary stayed in the main living area with their hosts, but they stayed closer to the animal side, where Mary could use one of those dug out mangers in the floor to keep Jesus safe.  And if you are wondering, the Greek word used in Luke is only used one other time, for the Upper Room where the Last Supper was held, and probably the same room where the Holy Spirit came upon everyone in the room on Pentecost.

But all of that is background to my pondering at that moment.  Jesus is the door in John 10, but He knocks on the door in Revelation.  Mixing metaphors always gets tricky.  He cannot really be the door and knock on the door at the same time.  For the sheep, the door provides the access to safety.  But the door of our heart, not the blood pumping muscle but that bastion that protects our soul from intruders and the control center of our will, is where Jesus waits, patiently knocking.  He will not barge in, but if the Holy Spirit has done something to let us know that we need Him, we can, of our own free will, open the door and let Jesus in.  So, if your name is “Richard”, the song title fits.  Open the door, Richard.  Open the door and let me in.

Some people say that opening the door is a work, and therefore salvation requires “work.”  The way I see it, in my experience, was that I wanted the Joy that came with accepting Jesus, and after hundreds of times saying the salvation prayer – in my estimation over 500 times – I simply quit pushing my weight against my side of the door, a release of resistance can simply be falling to the side. Something done by relaxing the muscles instead of using them.

Instead of the salvation prayer, I said, “God, I am not saying that prayer again.  Do with me what You want, but I give up!”  And instantly, the weight was off my chest, I felt a sense of calm, and I almost heard, maybe I did hear, the angels singing.  And the next morning after I woke up, I could not put my Bible down.  I went to school and did my student thing, but after having read the Bible maybe 15 or more times from cover to cover, it started to make sense.

So, Revelation 3:20, and me falling away from the door instead of using my weight to keep Jesus out.  That’s what made sense to me.

So, if your name is Richard, can you hear Jesus knocking and calling out “Open the Door, Richard.”  And if your name is not Richard, you only have to change one word in the song.  Jesus is calling.  Open the door and let Him in.

   …

   …

   …

The Answers:

	Question	Bible References	Answers
1	God told Cain that if he did not do right, what would be crouching at his door, desiring Cain, wanting to rule over Cain?	Genesis 4:7	Sin
2	Noah was instructed to put a door in the side of what, along with lower, middle, and upper decks?	Genesis 6:16	Noah’s Ark
3	The first time people threaten to break down a door, the people of Sodom are after what? Something in Lot’s home.	Genesis 19:5-9	The two angels
4	The Israelites were instructed to take hyssop, dip it in the blood, and apply it where, to prevent the destroyer from entering the house?	Exodus 12:22	The top and sides of the doorframe.
5	When Sisera attacked Israel, Barak refused to go in defense unless Deborah went with him, so Deborah prophesied that a woman would kill Sisera.  Who killed Sisera when Sisera took a nap in a tent, commanding the woman to stand guard in the doorway?	Judges 4:18-21	Jael, Heber’s wife.  She drove a tent peg through his temple.
6	Jephthah made an oath that if God prevailed in the battle, he would sacrifice whatever came out of the house first.  “What” came out of the house?	Judges 11:30-34	His only child, a daughter
7	Samuel opened the doors of the house of the Lord, but he was afraid to tell Eli, the priest, the vision he received from God.  What was the message in the vision?	1 Samuel 3:11-16	Eli’s sons had blasphemed God and Eli had done nothing about it.  God was going to deal with their sin, and no sacrifice would change God’s judgment.
8	Who told his servant to get this woman out of his sight and bolt the door after her?  Hint: He had raped her and once she was no longer a virgin, he wanted nothing to do with her.  Bonus: Who was the woman and who was her relations?	2 Samuel 13:15-18	Amnon, son of David, raped his half-sister, Tamar, whose brother was Absalom.  This was the first bit of a very bad series of events, leaving David with two dead sons and a ruined daughter.
9	What type of wood was used to make the inner sanctuary doors and doorframes in Solomon’s Temple?  Hint: It was the same tree that produced the oil that was used for lights and anointing oil.	1 Kings 6:31-33	Olive wood, Exodus 25 says that olive oil was used for lights in the tabernacle.  Also, olive oil was the oil in anointing oil.
10	Naaman was the commander of the army of the king of Aram.  He had leprosy.  After he got nowhere with the king of the northern tribes, whose door did he come for a cure of his leprosy?	2 Kings 5:9	Elisha, after Elisha sent a message to the king to have Naaman come to him to prove that there was a true prophet in Israel.

Whether you did well on this quiz or, ummm, not so well, for the first video, here is Louis Jordan singing Open the Door, Richard.  This version might be close to the original comedy routine.

Here are the Pied Pipers singing Open the Door, Richard.  This was considerably different, and the comedy is almost predictable.

Here are the Asidors singing Beyond the Open Door.

Here is Busola Martins singing Open Doors.

Here are the Asidors singing Give Your Heart to the Lord.

Jesus standing at the door is a metaphor, just as giving your heart to the Lord is a metaphor of sorts.  It means trusting in God.  I heard a Gospel song recently and it had a line that I cannot quite remember.  It was something like “I surrendered all I had at the Savior’s feet, and I was left with everything.”  What we give to God is our love, our devotion, our trust, and praising Him the rest of our lives, but what He gives us is Love, Hope, Strength, and eternal life.  Those are the only things we can take with us.

If you like these Saturday morning Bible quizzes, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Saturday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.