As I study my Bible, worship, serve, cultivate relationships with the people around me …
Where is my heart?
Near to God or far from God? It’s a good question for me to ask myself. And a good question for you also in case you wondered.
Because …
Because we can mistake a type of nearness to God with heart-to-heart intimacy. That being, our hearts intimate with God’s heart. Now that is such a cool and powerful concept in itself that we can share this amazing intimacy with our Creator and Redeemer, but I will try to stay the course. But now as I think about it as I think and type at the same time, it is part of this track that I’ve taken this morning.
Let’s look at our Bible study.
The intellectual stimulus of studying the words of God is very powerful. So powerful, in fact, to make us believe that we are near to God. And we are near, as in so close yet so far away. We are right there but our heart is still distant, still refusing to bow before God’s throne, or as Isaiah simply puts it “far from me [God].” The land of religion and the land of rebellion can be one and the same. Often, if not usually, in fact.
And you say, “Not so.” But let’s listen to Isaiah for a moment. God’s speaker, his prophet, his mouthpiece says this.
- Isaiah 29:13 (NIV84)
The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”
Did you catch that?
The telling sign is in whose “rules” do we buy into. Do we come close to God with our hearts bowing before him? Or do we come close to God only with our words so we can make up the game plan, establish the rules, i.e. stay in control.
Again, I think I hear a protest, “But we are studying God’s word. And we love our Bible study, and we have learned so much about God. There’s no way we can be this involved in the Word and be far from God.”
But we can. I can. You can. Here I ask, “Are we going to listen to God’s words as spoken through Isaiah, or are we going to dismiss them as applying to someone else?”
If we can draw near to God in worship, that which is highest and holiest, and stay far from God, why is it such a stretch to believe that this doesn’t apply to our Bible study?
Near with the mouth, honor with the lips, far from God – that is Isaiah’s punchline.
- “What a great discussion we had today!”
- “Isn’t God amazing, his word so powerful.”
- “How intriguing was our study! Really gives me something to think about.”
The study of God’s word can be intellectually and emotionally intoxicating and still leave us short of the King’s throne room.
Living by the words …
The plain stuff is usually the food. The complexity is often the playground. Have we been eating or playing?
- Deuteronomy 8:3 (ESV)
And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Too harsh, too critical?
Maybe for you. Maybe you don’t need to hear this. Maybe you are not keeping your heart from God while you study and enjoy the intellectual soundness and validity of his word of truth. But for many it is the word that needs to be heard.
You may be intoxicated.
You have quite possibly been intoxicated by the powerful nature of the words that have been spoken from heaven and written by the prophets. And by your rules, you are doing just fine. Thank you very much.
“Your lips are moving, but your heart is not.”
First, I will say that I love Bible study. Bible study can be a good thing but making too much of the fact that you study the Bible can be a deadly assumption. “I love Bible study” has for too long been used as a strong criterion for proof of belief in and devotion to God. Isaiah seems to be telling us, “Your lips are moving, but your heart is not.” The words have failed to bring your heart to God. You have made up religious rules that allow you to add just enough God to your life for his blessing. Not going to happen. Your heart is far from God.
So then what does God want?
What is the opposite of a heart far from God? Let’s look at his self-proclaimed number one statement in all of Scripture?
- Matthew 22:36–38 (ESV)
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment.”
A heart close to God …
He wants us to love him. Yes, love him in obedience and love him in service. Love him by loving others. But first and foremost – love him. God wants my heart. And now the tears come, and I praise him. And I shut up amazement!
