Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple. (Psalm 65:4)
Shortly before His crucifixion, Messiah said to His disciples, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (John 15:16). Summarized, this means that we were chosen by God to serve a purpose and produce good fruit that, in turn, propagates God’s purpose into the future. But let’s add to this another statement: “For many are called, but few chosen” (Matthew 20:16). Summarizing this statement, of those He has called, few choose to answer the call, preferring to go their own way.
Put another way, those who have been chosen by God are bidden to draw near to Him. Sounds easy enough but, in reality, drawing near to God is a death sentence of sorts — it requires the death of our will and desires. If He is an all consuming fire, to draw near to Him means that our will must be consumed in that fire just as a sacrifice would be consumed in the flames of the Altar. Interestingly enough, the common Hebrew word for sacrifice is קרבן korban, derived from the root word קרב karav which means, to draw near. In short, the reason many choose not to answer His call to draw near is because it will cost them everything — a heavy price few men are willing to pay.
Yet David, a man after God’s own heart, realized the benefit of drawing near to the Almighty. No doubt, he realized the cost in terms of personal will but also understood and appreciated the incalculable benefits of dwelling in the House of the Lord. Only those who are invited into His Presence, and who answer the summons and draw near, can be satisfied with the goodness of His House. And so, let us act in agreement with James admonition which says, “Therefore submit to God…. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:7-8).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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