Why should we be near to God? Is it simply a command, one of those "Obey me or I'll smite you" kind of things? Or is it about what we get out if it? Perhaps God will give us more love, comfort, and help. Yeah, it's part of all that, but there's more to it. Being near to God gives us a special insight. It's a matter of look, see, and observe. For example, take the account of Elijah (1 Kings 18-19).
When we first look at the passage, God tells the prophet to appear before King Ahab and He will bring rain. Elijah obeys and calls for a "prophet" competition. Nothing happens as the prophets of Baal offer their sacrifice. But when Elijah offers his, God answers by casting fire upon his altar. Then, sure enough, clouds come and it rains. A story of God's power? Review the passage again.
What do you see? Desperate people with little faith waver between following God or Baal, the deity of a violent religion. Except for Elijah, God's prophets have been murdered. After God's fire falls onto Elijah's altar, the prophets of Baal are killed. The king returns to Jezreel, but the power of God enables Elijah to beat him there. A story of the one and only God? Review the passage once more.
What do you observe? The key figure is Elijah, a man deemed a trouble-maker. Ahab searched nations and kingdoms to find him. Elijah appears to Ahab and challenges him. Before all, Elijah worships and honors God. He witnesses the fire falling from the sky and a raincloud rising from the sea. He has seen the power of the one and only God. Yet when the King's wife threatens to kill him, he flees. Why?
When we observe, we go deeper. Consider this. Many Bible translations say that Elijah was afraid, but the word here actually means "saw". What did Elijah see as he looked back on the day the fire fell? A rebellious king of faithless people. The construction of the altars. The absence of Baal. God's unmatchable power. But he certainly saw something else.
Before he raced to Jezreel by the power of God, he had run ahead of Him and assumed His authority. The prophets of Baal were slaughtered, not by God's command, but Elijah's. When Elijah received Jezebel's message, he saw that he had not merely killed the prophets of Baal, he had murdered them. No longer near to God, he fled, though not from Jezebel...from God.
Some merely look. They stroll in a park and notice people scattered about, but only as a panorama. Others venture to see. Their attention takes in more details---two boys struggling to raise a kite in a blustery wind, a young mother and toddler offering crumbs to expectant pigeons, a man sitting on a park bench.
But a few observe. The man is elderly, his white hair dirty and unkempt. He wears an old plaid coat. A button is missing, others strain to keep the coat closed against the wind. His trousers are worn, the cuffs frayed, and multiple creases run across the top of scuffed shoes. Hunched, he stares vacantly. Red, chapped hands are folded as if in prayer. His face bears no expression.
Those who look take note of a picture. Those who see find a scene in which they are a part. But those who observe discover a man---lonely and destitute, wearing old clothes and ill-fitting shoes, and in need of compassion, encouragement, and love. Those who look and see will make assumptions and move along. But the one who observes will seek answers, follow God, and take a seat on the park bench.
As we draw near to God, He draws near to us. As we stay near to Him, we become more like Him. We approach life differently. We grow as a new creation. When we look, we gain knowledge. When we see, we gain understanding. When we observe, we gain wisdom. And through such knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, we experience the promise of God.
By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations, by understanding He set the heavens in place; by His knowledge the deeps were divided...and the clouds brought the rain. (from Proverbs 3:19-20)
