Are gates to keep things in or to let things out? Gates can be beautiful as in this picture of the famous doors of a church in Florence, Italy. It is said that they look like the Doors of Paradise. The other picture is of l'Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. We were on the subway and came out at night and saw this sight. Totally gorgeous.
When I visited my grandparent's farm, we could go to the barn and there would be a well worn door with a hook that definitely kept the animals and their smell in.
We could go back to the woods on that property and we would find another gate. I'm not sure why this gate was there. No animals roamed there then, but perhaps at one time they did. Once inside this gate was a well with the best water I have ever tasted. On a fall day, it was crisp and cold and wonderful.
I think the gates in the church above are mostly for beauty, but they must have kept in some of the heat. They kept in the reverent attitude so that outside noises didn't disturb the worshipers.
Here are some scriptures about gates:
"Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord, through which the righteous shall enter." Psalm 118:19,20 NKJ.
"I was glad when they said to me, 'let us go into the house of the Lord.' Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem." Psalm 122:1,2 NKJ.
"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction..." Matt.7:13 NKJ.
Many of us have a picture of the pearly gates of heaven from various places. The Bible says, "...the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God." Rev. 21:10 and "Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates..."vs 12 NKJ That description finishes with "The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl." Vs 21 NKJ. That is an image to think about with awe and joy.
So I guess I have decided that gates are mostly to both keep things in, to keep things out, to have a sense of place, and for beauty.
The gates on the church look like ones I saw in England many years ago.. We were visiting Bath..
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That is an interesting contemplation of gates, Nancy. And I agree with your conclusion. They do keep things out, and in, and can be a source of beauty. I just visited the blog of a jewelry designer who was going over the famous jewels of Elizabeth Taylor. One of them was this massive pear-shaped pearl. I can't even begin to imagine how an entire gate made of pearl will be!
ReplyDeleteI would love to have a garden gate or one at the beginning of our property. They can be so beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteTerri - I agree and would you love to see morning glories growing on it? I would.
ReplyDeleteNancy: What a unique, interesting post! I love all the Scriptures about gates. I cannot wait to see those pearl gates in Heaven--maybe even swing on them!!
ReplyDeleteIn my case, my gate protects my dog from getting away while still allowing us a view of the pond behind our house. This allows me to lazily let my dog out in the morning without having to set foot outside. So my gate represents my wimpiness at facing the weather and my laziness!!!
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