Draw Near to God

In the shadow of Mount Sinai, the nation of Israel is about to meet God. They are about to hear Him speak and see His majestic power. In one sense, they are drawing near to God. Many years later, our brother James will tell us to “draw near to God and He will draw near to us” (James 4:8, NASB throughout).  

When I read and study Exodus 19, four things stand out about drawing near to God. These are the same four things we should consider when we are about to meet Him. 

I know, as you do, that we are in the presence of God twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. However, there are times when we approach God that are a little different than being in His presence. For lack of a better word, we can call them special. 

We meet God in the Scriptures. We meet God in worship. We meet Him in prayer. We meet Him when we hear His Word preached. We meet Him when we come together to praise and worship Him on the Lord’s Day. We meet him around the Lord’s Table.  

I believe when we meet Him in these special ways, we should, like Israel of old, prepare ourselves. Again, I find what Moses told the nation of Israel is good advice for us today. 

In Exodus 19:5, God says to Israel, “Now, then if you will indeed obey My voice and obey My covenant.” If we come before God in prayer and in the reading of Scripture, we should come, as He told Israel, in a spirit of obedience. 

God wants us to obey Him. He expects us both to listen and obey. He doesn’t want His words to fall on deaf ears. As disciples of Christ, we should obey what He teaches. The New Testament reiterates this principle. 

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). 

“This is love, that we walk according to His commandments” (2 John 1:6). 

“And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments” (1 John 2:3). 

The question is, “Will we obey Him? Will we do what He says?” In Exodus 18:9, the Israelites say, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” Sadly, as Old Testament history shows, they didn’t. Do we? Do you? Do I? To come and meet God, we must obey His teachings. 

The truth is, we must hear the commandments of God before we can obey them. Didn’t Paul say, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14). 

We must listen to what He is saying. We must pay attention when we read His Word and when we hear His Word preached and taught. If we are to know the truth, we must listen to God. God speaks only the truth. Don’t tune God out. Listen and obey Him. 

God told Moses in Exodus 19:10, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow and let them wash their garments.” We must consecrate ourselves to God. 

There is an old hymn based on Psalm 139 that says, “Search me, oh God, and know my heart today; try me, O Savior, know my thoughts I pray; see if there be some wicked way in me; cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.” 

When we approach God, we should do so with a clean heart and mind. This is why God gave us repentance. A professor I had in college told us that when he prayed, he began his prayer by asking God to forgive him of his sins and cleanse his heart. “That way,” he told us, “I can approach the throne of grace having been cleansed by the blood of Christ.” I always thought this was a good idea. 

When someone comes to visit us, we try and have the house all clean and neat. We might even take a bath and change clothes! When we approach our God, we should come in reverence and humility, with a clean heart and a holy life. When we come to meet, we should have a deep, deep respect for Him. 

Moses built a boundary around Mount Sinai. In Exodus 19:12-13, God told him to tell the people, “You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”  

Wow, if anyone touched the mountain, he was to be killed, even an animal. This should show us how we are to revere God. 

Reverence for God seems to be lost in many of our congregations today. When we come to meet God, we should do it with respect, reverence, and, yes, fear. We should come in a humble and submissive spirit. As I travel, I can see many congregations where the respect for God seems forgotten. Many want to present God like He’s your buddy or pal. We have, by trying to make God seem more approachable, cheapened and degraded His holiness. 

We should remember God is not like us. God is holy, one-hundred percent holy. He is to be exalted. He is the only wise and faithful God. He is the Creator and Maker, the sovereign Lord. He is our Master. 

He tells us what to do, and we do it. We don’t get a voice. What we get is the free-will choice to obey. He has commanded, and we don’t argue with Him. When He speaks, it is not idle chit-chat. It is not multiple choice. We have only one response, and that is to do what He has told us to do.  

Scripture tells us some angels encircle the throne of God, saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty. Who is and was and is to come.” He is our God, and we must approach Him in reverence, submission, and love. Let us come before His presence in a humble spirit and bow before Him and worship and praise Him—and let us do it often. 

God bless you. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

See you next month.