Good Afternoon Yamon Ki Yesepar;
Deuteronomy 4:7: “For who is a great nation whose God is coming near to them as Jehovah your God is, in all our prayers to Him.
James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
You know one of the main differences between Judeo-Christianity and all the other religions of the world is that every religion of the world has man reaching up for God. Judeo-Christianity is the only religion in the world where God is reaching down to man. Remember the song Elvis Presley made famous? “Reach out to Jesus, He’s reaching out to you.” Yet, I have met so many Christians who treat our faith like any other faith in the world, feeling we have to earn God’s attention. We are the only religion in the world where our God sacrificed for us, He sacrificed His Son. Show me another religion that can make such a claim. The United States is a Christian nation. What other nation reaches out to other nations in pouring aid and assistance. What other nation is the first to help another oppressed nation. What other nation spends it’s wealth helping bring freedom to another nation. What other nation is right now spending its resources, sacrificing its youth to die in another country to help that country gain freedom from tyranny. We are a Judeo-Christian nation and we are merely reflecting the God that we serve.
I believe Deuteronomy 4:7, although is speaking of Israel, is also speaking of any nation that will draw near to God just as so many in our country are still praying for this nation, seeking God’s face.
Most of you have heard my favorite Talmud story. A king and his son were in such disagreement that eventually the son left home to live in another kingdom. After some time the king, the father, sent a messenger to his son asking his son to come home. The son replied: “That is too far for me to come.” The king, this father, sent his servant back with this message. “Then come as far as you can, and I will meet you.”
“For who is a great nation whose God is coming near to them.” The word for “coming near” is “kerovim.” The root word is “karav.” This word is used to express the inward part, the heart, being in the midst. This in the third declension, His heart is literally all over us. Don’t forget that last part of the verse, “in all our prayers.” The word used here for prayer is “Kare’enu.” It literally means calling out, inviting, falling upon. Note the similarities between “karav” and “Kare.” This is a play on words. When we call, pray or fall all over God, He is literally all over us.
But soft, check out James 4:8: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” The word in the Greek for “draw near” is “eggizo” which literally means to draw near with the intention of joining yourself. When you draw near to God to join yourself with Him, He will draw near to join Himself with you. In the Septuagint guess what Greek word is used in Deuteronomy 4:7 for kerovim (drawing near, or being all over us)? You got it, “eggizo.” When we reach out to God in prayer He not only comes to us but He is all over us.
Jesus knew oral tradition very well and I believe as others believe that Jesus draw upon the Talmud story of the king who ask his son to come as far as he could and from this story gave His parable of the prodigal son. Only in the story that Jesus told this story ends with the father hugging and kissing his son – eggizo or kerovim.
Draw near to God in prayer and He will hug and kiss you.
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