Sabbath Thought - Such a God

"For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?" (Deuteronomy 4:7, NKJV).

Moses recorded the book of Deuteronomy for the nation of Israel as a reminder of their covenant with God when they came out of Egypt.  The generation that came out of Egypt had all died during the forty years of their wanderings (except for Joshua and Caleb, Numbers 32:10-12).  In Deuteronomy chapter 1 Moses reminds the nation that the previous generation died in the wilderness because of their rebellion to God.

In chapters two and three Moses recounts the nations they encountered in their travels, and God's deliverance in those battles.  Even before Israel entered the Promised Land, God had already begun to prepare the land for them (Deuteronomy 2:31, 3:2, 20).  Chapter four begins with God telling Israel to remember the statutes, judgments, and commandments He gave them - because in keeping those things Israel would become "a wise and understanding people" (ch. 4:6).  We come then to verse 7.  This is not Moses telling Israel that God was near to them, this was God Himself telling the people that He would be near to them!

If we break down verse seven we find many interesting things to consider.  The word "nation" is go'-ee in the Hebrew and it means a foreign nation - that is, nations other than Israel.  The word can also simply mean a group of people.  What nation is there that is so great as to have God close to them?  A nation's greatness comes from being close to God, not through conquest, economic power, or some other means.  God's Israel today are the people who keep His commandments, who follow the example of Abraham (Romans 4:12), who worship God in spirit (Philippians 3:3), and those whom God has chosen (1 Peter 2:9).

In Deuteronomy 4:7 the word "near" does mean close in proximity, but it can also mean to be allied, to be a neighbor, or to be "kinfolk" (that is related to each other).  We are now children of God (Galatians 3:26, Ephesians 5:1) being begotten of God through His spirit (1 Peter 1:3).  God is our ally, but more importantly He is our Father and we His children.

We are a great people because God is near to us.  He is near to us because we listen and respond to His instruction on how to live.  We are already in His family, so we can call upon Him at anytime.  We have access to God that the rest of the world doesn't currently have.  So let us draw near to Him "...with a true heart in full assurance of faith...," (Hebrews 10:22).  If we draw close to Him, He will draw close to us (James 4:8).

May we always be close to God, so He will be close to us!

I wish you a very meaningful Sabbath,

Dan Dowd

18 December, 2020