23 “Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the Lord. “No, I am far away at the same time. 24 Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” says the Lord. ~ Jeremiah 23:23-24
Ancient Israel and the modern-day world and Church are complete opposites. What do I mean? In today’s world, we are constantly preaching that the LORD is near. That He isn’t far away. That He is close to us. Ancient Israel, the LORD had to remind them of the opposite. Why? Because God interacts with us today differently than He did back then. In the days of Ancient Israel, God would come down in the cloud when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies. If they were unclean, fire would come out from the Ark of the Covenant and consume them. The LORD was physical when He spoke to and responded to Ancient Israel’s actions.
Today, God works less blatant. He works in us. He doesn’t physically come down in a cloud or fire. He changes us from the inside to the outside. Ancient Israel felt that if God was in one place, then He could not be in another, all at the same time. So, they felt they could sin in secret, and the LORD wouldn’t know. That He was in the Temple or even the synagogues, but not their private dwelling. Not their secret places. So, the LORD had to remind them that He wasn’t just near, but far off.
We today, need the opposite reminder. We need the reminder that the LORD isn’t just far off but close. That He dwells in us and through us. That He walks with us and talks with us. That He is close by. He may interact with us differently today, but who He is has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is a God who is near and a God who is close by. He is a God who fills the Heavens and the earth. He is the Almighty.
Therefore, don’t be like Ancient Israel by forgetting one quality of the LORD for another. He is far, but He is close. He is unseen, but He is seen in all that is around us. He does not change.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remember Whom You Serve.