Draw Near (1)

April 24

Draw Near (1)
proserchomai

Heb_10:22 declares, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Draw near is proserchomai (G4334), to approach, accede to. It is usually used in the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew qērab (H7126), which also means to come near or approach but also pictures the idea of closeness to the object being approached.

The Greek likewise pictures such closeness. This word appears in Mat_4:11, for example, where the angels “came and ministered unto [Jesus]” after Satan tempted Him and then departed.

Jesus’ disciples also “came to Him” often (Mat_5:1; Mat_8:25; etc.) showing their closeness to Him. Of special note is 1Ti_6:3-5, where Paul writes that we should withdraw ourselves from anyone who does not “consent” to (i.e., accede or agree to) sound doctrine.

What, then, does it mean biblically to draw near to God?

First, and foremost, drawing near to God means having a sincere desire for truth. The words true heart are alēthinēs kardias. As we studied on February 1-3, both the English word truth and the Greek behind it (aletheia, G225) speak of that which is absolute, incontrovertible, irrefutable, incontestable, unarguable, and unchanging.

The specific form of the Greek here also refers to “sincerity.” Kardia (G2588, heart, see November 14) refers not just to the emotional nature, but also to the reason and to the faculty of intelligence.

While many people today say such things as, “I want to be near God,” or “I want to get close to God,” when confronted with the absolutes of God’s Word, they rebel.

That’s a staggering contradiction! They don’t want to draw near to God at all. They are like the Israelites, of whom Isaiah wrote, “Wherefore the Lord said,

Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” (Isa_29:13). Yes, they say the words, but when it comes down to real truth, they reject it and live according to their own ways.

The most important thing that drawing near to God means is that we sincerely want to hear, receive, and obey God’s truth.
We’ll continue these thoughts tomorrow.

Scriptures for Study: Where can we “come” boldly, according to Heb_4:16? (See also January 5.) What is a prerequisite for coming close to God (Heb_11:6)?

 
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