As I read today’s text from Deuteronomy 4, I couldn’t help but hear a song in my head. Verse 7 says “For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for?” My heart began singing the song “My God is Near” by Mac Lynch. The chorus goes like this:

When God is near,

All the world seems far away.

When God is near,

Ev'ry fear is set aside.

When God is near,

How can I stray how can I falter?

I'll stay upon the altar,

I know my God is near.                

This song speaks of the dear closeness of a genuine walk with God. When we are walking in close communion with the Savior, the cares of this world, and the fears of the unknown rest in His hands. Like a child can sleep in his father’s arms knowing that daddy will protect me from all the bad guys, so a believer can rest in the arms of the Heavenly Father.                

But is it possible to be close to God and still fall into idolatry? Well, it depends on how you define close. Nobody was closer to God than His people, Israel. He was with them, guiding through the wilderness by cloud and fire, meeting with Moses on Mount Horeb, and establishing His presence with them in the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle and later the temple. They were in close proximity to God, but their hearts were far from Him at times (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8; Mark 7:6).                

As people who are faithful in church, involved in service, and, by virtue of the fact that you’re reading this, one would assume reading your Bible regularly, you can be in close proximity to God without ever being in close fellowship with Him. Let me give you an example.               

By the nature of my job, I am in close proximity to criminals every day. I see them, I watch what they do, I see who they talk to and who they avoid, I may even talk to them. I learn about them, but I don’t develop a relationship with them, beyond a “Hey, what’s going on today?” On the other hand, I am also in daily close proximity to my wife. But if I maintained the same level of “closeness” with her that I do with these felons, we would not have much of a marriage!                

We have to be careful to invest in the relationship aspect of our walk with God. Being close TO Him is never a substitute for being close WITH Him. Israel had every opportunity: God was close by, He told them what He wanted and didn’t want them to do, and He offered His blessings if they would only obey. But as those who fell into idolatry in Moab, worshipping Baalpeor (the local God in the town of Peor in Moab), we can fall victim to the same thing if we don’t maintain a close relationship with God. We must make sure that God is Near, not just nearby.