{"id":581,"date":"2014-10-24T15:23:21","date_gmt":"2014-10-24T22:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/corbanblogs.wpengine.com\/ministry\/?p=581"},"modified":"2014-10-24T15:19:42","modified_gmt":"2014-10-24T22:19:42","slug":"intimacy-with-god-and-the-fall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.corban.edu\/ministry\/index.php\/2014\/10\/intimacy-with-god-and-the-fall\/","title":{"rendered":"Intimacy With God and the Fall"},"content":{"rendered":"

INTRODUCTION<\/strong><\/p>\n

People feel God is distant, far away, absent.<\/p>\n

People run from God, are estranged and separated from Him.<\/p>\n

People feel God is their enemy, that He hates them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The challenge of relational intimacy is illustrated in the famous American short stories, Sherwood Anderson\u2019s \u201cUnlighted Lamps\u201d.[1]\u00a0 In it, Anderson depicts a small town in America circa 1908, and the relationship of a father\u2014the town doctor\u2014with his eighteen-year-old daughter.\u00a0 Late on a Sunday afternoon, the girl decided to go for a long walk, thinking about her father\u2019s recent comment, that he was a victim of heart disease and might die at any moment. \u00a0Anderson adds,<\/p>\n

With these words the Doctor had turned and walked out of his office, going down a wooden stairway to the street.\u00a0 He had wanted to put his arm about his daughter\u2019s shoulder as he talked to her, but never having shown any feeling in his relations with her could not sufficiently release some tight thing in himself.<\/p>\n

During her walk she reflects on her lack of intimacy with her father.\u00a0 She had no real relationship with her father or with anyone in this small town for that matter.\u00a0 He not only buried himself in his work, but was also, obviously, a man closed off to close relationships with anyone, which appears to be why his wife left him years earlier.<\/p>\n

Before her return, the daughter and the father on their own resolved to reach out to each other. \u00a0The daughter \u201cresolved that the night should not pass without an effort on her part to make the old dream come true,\u201d[2] the dream of an intimate loving relationship with her father.\u00a0 At the same time, her father on a house call actually said out loud, \u201cTonight I\u2019ll do it.\u00a0 If it kills me I\u2019ll make myself talk to the girl.\u201d[3] \u00a0This promise of resolution is palpable and right within their grasp.\u00a0 However, the story closes with him ascending to the top of the stairs to find his waiting daughter, but he suddenly then falls backward down the stairs, presumably the result of a heart attack, and dies.<\/p>\n

Sherwood Anderson often contended that not only was small town Americana extremely romanticized, but its citizens were as well.\u00a0 They were full of flaws and inabilities to cultivate intimate relationships, so flawed that he labeled them \u201cGrotesques\u201d.\u00a0And while there is truth in his assessment of early 20th century Americana, the Bible clearly declares that every human who has ever lived (and will live) is a grotesque.\u00a0 This malady is evidenced not only in their relationships with each other, but also with God Himself.\u00a0 From Adam and Eve\u2019s fateful choice to disobey God, human capacity for intimacy with their good Creator has been deeply flawed.\u00a0 What is the source of these flaws, this estrangement, these barriers?\u00a0 How can we understand them in order to draw near to God?\u00a0 Let\u2019s look at the backstory in light of these questions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

INTIMACY WITH GOD: THE WAY IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE<\/strong><\/p>\n

The capacity for intimacy with God begins with His creation.\u00a0 Unlike the father in Anderson\u2019s short story, God has always initiated intimacy with Him.\u00a0 In fact, it is a reflection of His very own nature as the Triune God.\u00a0 Creation is not only the act of the God, the Spirit and His Word (Gen 1:1-3; John 1:1-3; Col 1:16-17) as individual members of the Godhead, but the act of \u201cUs\u201d (Gen 1:26).[4]\u00a0 This creative interaction has set the pattern for the active relationship God has with His creation.<\/p>\n

God instilled the capacity for intimacy in humans themselves.\u00a0 He made man and woman in His image as the capstone of His creation.\u00a0 Von Rad rightly observes that when the text of Genesis 1:26 notes \u201cthe announcement of a divine resolution: \u2018Let us make man\u2019 . . . God participates more intimately and intensively in this than in other works of creation.\u201d[5]<\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0 The resemblance men and women have to God is found at minimum in the companionship and complementarity they have for each other.\u00a0 Hoekema aptly adds, \u201cIn this way human beings reflect God, who exists not as a solitary being but as a being in fellowship.\u201d[6]<\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0 The active intention of this is when God shares His dominion over the rest of creation with them.\u00a0 We might wonder whether God and Adam and Eve were discussing the management of His creation during their walks in the Garden (Gen 3:7).<\/p>\n

Furthermore, built into the created order is the intimacy of humankind patterned after their Creator.\u00a0 Part of this dominion has been to fulfill the mandate to be fruitful and multiply (Gen 1:28), an aspect of their one-flesh marriage union (Gen 2:24).\u00a0 What follows is a simple summary description of their open and safe relationship, \u201cAnd the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed\u201d (Gen 2:25).\u00a0 This is strategically placed in the narrative at the end of their creation in chapter 2 and preceding the description of the Fall in chapter 3.\u00a0 It describes the pattern of human intimacy and its subsequent distortion.\u00a0 Thus central to understanding the nature and relationship of God and His creation is the intimacy within the Godhead itself and the profound capacity for human intimacy with God and others.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

UNIVERSAL ESTRANGEMENT: NOT THE WAY IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE<\/strong><\/p>\n

This designed capacity for intimacy with God was severed at one moment in history.\u00a0 The Fall was the result of the serpent\u2019s test and twist of the thesis that the man and woman\u2019s relationship had been based upon an honest open sharing between them and God.\u00a0 The serpent deceived the woman into believing that God indeed had not been sharing everything with them.\u00a0 Why hadn\u2019t He allowed them to experience the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?\u00a0 Had God really said that about it?\u00a0 It appears Eve at that very moment was to either trust God because of the intimacy of their relationship up to that point, or go and make a trusting connection of intimacy with God.\u00a0 In other words, why not simply ask Him?\u00a0 But instead they both rebelled and ate the forbidden fruit.<\/p>\n

The consequence of this sin did not bring about \u201cthe promise of divine enlightenment,\u201d but \u201cmistrust and alienation replaced the security and intimacy they had enjoyed\u201d[7]<\/sup><\/sup> not only with each other, but also with God Himself.\u00a0 The self-conscious nakedness and inadequate attempt at self-protective covering underscore the destruction of their intimacy.\u00a0 Furthermore, the previous pattern of their walking with God in the Garden in the cool of the day (3:7) was interrupted forever.\u00a0 God calls for them, asking, \u201cWhere are you?\u201d in order to draw them out of their hiding.\u00a0 Universal estrangement had begun.\u00a0 Because they both did not trust in God\u2019s revealed law or will concerning the source of wisdom from \u201cthe tree of the knowledge of good and evil,\u201d the LORD God declared clearly that the consequence would be becoming in a most perverted way \u201clike Us, knowing good and evil\u201d (3:22).\u00a0 It appears, then, that the ban from the Garden, the wandering of Cain, etc. are examples of this universal estrangement playing itself out, and the Tower of Babel, Jacob\u2019s wrestling with God, etc. are just some of the examples strewn along the path of man\u2019s vain attempts to restore intimacy with God on their own terms (cf. Rom. 1:21-23).<\/p>\n

The Apostle Paul personalizes this universal estrangement by describing humanity as God\u2019s \u201cenemies\u201d (\u1f10\u03c7\u03b8\u03c1\u03bf\u1f76, Rom 5:10).\u00a0 The human mind is set on the flesh and practices \u201cenmity\u201d (\u1f14\u03c7\u03b8\u03c1\u03b1) or open hostility toward God and His will (Rom 8:7).\u00a0 What concept describes the recalcitrance and relational distance and discord more vividly than this?\u00a0 That is why it is so significant that Christ\u2019s atoning sacrifice not only provides forensic justification to the believing sinner (Rom 3:24-26; 4:5; 5:1), but also the complete removal of the boiling wrath with which God reciprocates the enmity and replaces it with reconciliation (\u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u03bb\u03bb\u03ac\u03c3\u03c3\u03c9) (Rom 5:10-11)!\u00a0 Forensic justification is the foundation for this restored intimacy, because \u201chaving been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ\u201d (Rom 5:1).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

INTIMACY WITH GOD: CONTINUING BARRIERS OF THE GROTESQUES<\/strong><\/p>\n

We humans are truly \u201cgrotesques.\u201d Further investigation into what the Scriptures have to say about our universal estrangement from God reveals continuing barriers to intimacy with Him.\u00a0 These barriers are cultivated in the human heart and mind, and yet, external forces also play into this relational discord. \u00a0Let\u2019s look at a sampling of certain key results of the Fall that cause this human-divine estrangement.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Spiritual Adultery<\/strong><\/p>\n

James 4:8 is one of the clearest passages in the Bible exhorting believers to keep close to God.\u00a0 In this case, God\u2019s people are to draw near to Him.\u00a0 James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, promises, \u201cDraw near to God and He will draw near to you.\u201d However, this is not a promise without significant conditions.\u00a0 The aorist active imperative (\u1f10\u03b3\u03b3\u03b9\u03b5\u1fd6)[8]<\/sup><\/sup> not only describes the privilege to draw near to God, but additionally shows that failure to do so is, at minimum, disobedience.<\/p>\n

The most striking feature of this exhortation is that it provides a cure for two specific cancerous destroyers of intimacy: spiritual adultery and Satanic opposition. \u00a0First, James calls out his readers for their unfaithfulness to God.\u00a0 His people who are selfish, envious and quarrelsome (4:1-3) will not only see their prayers to God go unanswered, but will find themselves acting as His enemies.\u00a0 Friendship or intimacy with the world and its materialistic values is nothing other than spiritual adultery (v. 4-5).\u00a0 There could be no more horrific and painful image that James could use to describe this kind of sinful breach of intimacy with God.[9]\u00a0\u00a0 On this drawing near, Davids notes, \u201cThis term normally indicates an activity of worship: All their church\u2019s worship is not a coming near, for their community disharmony rooted in preoccupation with worldly success makes it unacceptable.\u201d[10]<\/sup><\/sup> The cure for this first barrier is plainly given: humble repentance before God.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Satanic Opposition<\/strong><\/p>\n

The second destroyer of intimacy with God in this passage comes from Satan\u2019s opposition.\u00a0 James calls his readers to cease succumbing to Satan\u2019s desires to separate them from their intimate relationship with God.[11]<\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0 In verse 7, James calls them to \u201cresist the devil and he will flee from you.\u201d\u00a0 Then he exhorts them to draw near to God.\u00a0 It is at that point that He will draw near to them.\u00a0 The flow of thought is as if James was reflecting on Satan\u2019s role in the Fall of humanity.\u00a0 He had caused Eve and Adam to doubt their close relationship with God, and now seems to have this same strategy for all believers.\u00a0 God must be holding out on us and so we shouldn\u2019t trust him with our needs and wants.\u00a0 Thus, estrangement is cultivated.<\/p>\n

The cure for this relational cancer is clearly again humble repentance in refusing to listen to the Devil\u2019s lies about how to fulfill one\u2019s desires.\u00a0 This humble repentance assumes that spiritual and emotional cleansing of this Satan-inspired adultery needs to take place.\u00a0 This is because James immediately exhorts the offender in verses 8b-10: \u201cCleanse your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you double minded.\u00a0 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.\u00a0 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.\u201d\u00a0 Moo aptly describes this image, \u201cThose who sincerely repent and turn to God will find him, like the father of the prodigal son, eager to receive back his erring children.\u201d[12]\u00a0 God is open to intimacy, but not as if He was a sort of jovial Santa Claus.\u00a0 We must understand the seriousness of our sin and the damage it does to our relationship with God.\u00a0 We must seek to make things right with Him, rather than arrogantly assuming He will \u201cforgive and forget\u201d the hurt He experiences.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Arrogant Self-Sufficiency<\/strong><\/p>\n

A related example of a barrier to intimacy with God is the effect that arrogant self-sufficiency has on our relationship with God.\u00a0 David provides us a window into this malady.\u00a0 In a moment of candor when reflecting on the Lord\u2019s deliverance, he described his own self-deceived satisfaction.\u00a0 He had allowed himself to think he was fully responsible for his safe and prosperous lifestyle in Jerusalem.\u00a0 However, the Lord allowed it all to be taken away by rebellion of his own son, Absalom. \u00a0It was at that point that he saw his sin\u2019s connection to his feelings of estrangement from God.<\/p>\n

Now as for me, I said in my prosperity<\/p>\n

\u201cI will never be moved,\u201d<\/p>\n

O LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong;<\/p>\n

You hid your face,<\/p>\n

I was dismayed (Ps 30:6-7).<\/p>\n

He had made the illogical leap to surmise that his prosperity (shalu<\/em>-ease) was a sure sign of his enduring rule and safety.\u00a0 His assumed enduring stability[13] was born out of his wrong-headedness.\u00a0 It is because of this that the Lord concealed or covered (sathar<\/em>) His very warm, supportive and intimate presence.\u00a0 This brought David to a point where he felt his life was in complete ruin.<\/p>\n

David should have known this from Saul\u2019s life.\u00a0 The Lord was deafeningly silent when Saul was arrogantly self-sufficient.\u00a0 The infamous witch of Endor incident is one such case in point (1 Sam 28).\u00a0 The Lord was already displeased with him, and refused to be some sort of genie at his beck and call (v. 6, 16).\u00a0 His lack of closeness with the Lord was in stark contrast to David, \u201cthe man after God\u2019s own heart\u201d (1 Sam 13:14).<\/p>\n

We must remember that taking on an arrogant self-sufficient attitude is characteristic of the wicked[14] (cf. Ps 10:1, 6).\u00a0 We are assuming that we are ultimately responsible for any successes we have, or perhaps that we cannot be moved from our stable position in any aspect of life (cf. James 4:13-17).\u00a0 The Lord takes this as a show of contempt or a spurning of Him and His gracious presence (Ps 10:3). He then blocks not only our ability to see Him and to enjoy His gracious presence, but also withdraws His blessing of personal peace and stability.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Distraction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Often distraction is a barrier to intimacy with God.\u00a0 The familiar account of Mary, Martha and Jesus in Luke 10:38-42 is a great example.\u00a0 Martha welcomed Jesus into her home, but became distracted with her hostess preparations and became worried and bothered.\u00a0 Mary was in the deeply intimate position of sitting at Jesus\u2019 feet and listening to his teachings.\u00a0 Martha\u2019s distraction caused her to miss a marvelous opportunity simply to be with the Lord.\u00a0 It drove her to resentment rather than reclining in the Lord\u2019s very presence.\u00a0 She even blames Jesus for allowing such cultivation when she exclaims, \u201cLord, don\u2019t you care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone?\u00a0 Tell her to help me.\u201d Jesus, however, does not get sucked into Martha\u2019s distraction, but simply states, \u201cMary has chosen the good part.\u201d\u00a0 He affirms her choice to spend time with Him when she could have been distracted.<\/p>\n

The Fall has introduced into the human race the skewed value of doing good things at the sacrifice of the best.\u00a0 Many of us get so busy and then notice, \u201cWhere\u2019s God?\u201d\u00a0 It is like drifting in an inner tube from the beach.\u00a0 The joy of floating distracts from the wisdom of staying close to the shore.\u00a0 Relaxing in the sun lulls one into distraction from the drifting. Suddenly, the shore is no longer visible. \u00a0Martha probably should have recognized at that moment her humble, and maybe even seemingly humiliating, need to admit her being distracted from the most important person who has ever walked this earth.\u00a0 Like her, we must not allow ourselves to become distracted and drift away from sitting at our Lord\u2019s feet and hearing His voice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Suffering<\/strong><\/p>\n

On a different level than the previous barriers, the Fall has brought suffering that somehow hides God.\u00a0 <\/strong>The feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and being alone often come in these times.\u00a0 The transparency of David in the Psalms, for example, allows us to see into the heart of a believer who experiences the inner turmoil of the Lord\u2019s perceived absence in the very midst of devastating trials.\u00a0 He cried out in Psalm 27:7-10,<\/p>\n

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;<\/p>\n

be gracious to me and answer me!<\/p>\n

You have said, \u201cSeek my face.\u201d<\/p>\n

My heart says to you,<\/p>\n

\u201cYour face, Lord, do I seek.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hide not your face from me.<\/p>\n

Turn not your servant away in anger,<\/p>\n

O you who have been my help.<\/p>\n

Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!<\/p>\n

For my father and my mother have forsaken me,<\/p>\n

but the Lord will take me in.<\/p>\n

The Lord\u2019s hidden face appeared to be the worst possible result of the circumstance.\u00a0 In Psalm 69:17, David called this a \u201cdistress,\u201d the binding, cramping, or besieging feelings of an inescapable trial (from tsarar<\/em>).\u00a0 He knows God\u2019s expressed desire for close fellowship with him, but he has to remind the Lord and himself that separation and feeling alone and abandoned are not the way their relationship is supposed to be.\u00a0 He saw himself as the Lord\u2019s servant (cf. Ps 102:2).\u00a0 Logically, the Lord should move His ear, as it were, closer to them and quickly answer His suffering servant\u2019s calls for help.<\/p>\n

These trials may seem like they will last for an eternity.\u00a0 Repeatedly David cried out to the Lord in Psalm 13:1-2,<\/p>\n

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?<\/p>\n

How long will you hide your face from me?<\/p>\n

How long must I take counsel in my soul<\/p>\n

and have sorrow in my heart all the day?<\/p>\n

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?<\/p>\n

Not only was he not experiencing the blessed nearness of His God, but he seemed also to be left with the conclusion that he had been forgotten, left on his own, and utterly humiliated by his enemies (cf. Job 13:24-28; Ps 39:12-13).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

CONCLUSION<\/strong><\/p>\n

Humans truly are grotesques.\u00a0 We are broken and things are not as they should be. Yet we are fully culpable for cultivating estrangement from God. \u00a0It is as if too often the fallen pull of our hearts polarizes away rather than pulls toward God\u2019s heart.\u00a0\u00a0 Beyond that, our suffering through the trials of life externally threatens our sense of His nearness to us.\u00a0 Where is He in the midst of losing a job, enduring a divorce, watching helplessly over a suffering child, etc.?<\/p>\n

Any expectations for an easy, long lasting and unassailable intimacy with God do not reckon with the radical effects of humanity\u2019s Fall.\u00a0 One might wonder if ideas in our culture about storybook romances and the unrealistic fantasy of living happily-ever-after have helped, in part, to create an inability to take personal responsibility for human movement away from God. \u00a0In his incisive study, Thomas Bergler describes an aspect of the typical middle-class American church as having worship services where,<\/p>\n

The congregation sings top-forty-style songs addressed to God and heavily peppered with the words \u201cI,\u201d \u201cyou,\u201d and \u201clove\u201d.\u00a0 In the sermon, the pastor may talk about \u201cfalling in love with Jesus.\u201d With or without the romantic analogy, the preacher will spend a lot of time on the topic of God\u2019s love.\u00a0 Even in theologically conservative churches, you won\u2019t hear much about guilt, suffering or judgment.[15]<\/p>\n

This can lead to expectations of a sort of intimacy with God that are not based in repentant obedient trust in the holy Creator and Redeemer, but rather in a form of adolescent idolatry and self-deception.\u00a0 We may one day find ourselves looking at our \u201crelationship\u201d with God and find that He hasn\u2019t delivered what we expected. Some may even break-up with Him.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, we are not without hope.\u00a0 James\u2019 words continue to call us to \u201cdraw near to God\u201d in humble repentance with the promise that He will draw near to us.\u00a0 Our calling from God is to trust and obey and to be loyal to Him as our Savior and Master.\u00a0 He is proven and trustworthy.\u00a0 In this damaged era before Christ returns, He ever invites us to experience true intimacy with Him.\u00a0 It is part of our calling as His servants and children to respond.\u00a0 We can enjoy the closeness of His presence.\u00a0 We can experience communication with Him and hear His voice through His Word prompted by His Spirit.\u00a0 We can see His face and sense the lifting of His countenance as we recount His promises and celebrate His blessings.\u00a0 We can know His care as we feel His hand of blessing and deliverance.\u00a0 The Fall can never fully separate us from God.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]Sherwood Anderson, \u201cUnlighted Lamps,\u201d Great American Short Stories<\/em>, edited by Wallace and Mary Stegner,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[2]Anderson, \u201cUnlighted Lamps,\u201d 298.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[3]Ibid<\/em>., 302.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[4]See Wenham, Genesis 1-12 (Waco:\u00a0 Word, 199), for a good summary of the evidence that these first person plural pronouns in Genesis 1 and 3 refer to God as more than one person, as opposed to the \u201croyal \u2018we\u2019\u201d, or God and angels views.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/sup><\/sup>Gerhard Von Rad, Genesis: A Commentary<\/em>, Translated by John H. Marks (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1961), 55.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/sup><\/sup>Anthony A. Hoekema, Created in God\u2019s Image <\/em>(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986), 14.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/sup><\/sup>Allen P. Ross, Creation and Blessing: A Guide to the Study and Exposition of Genesis <\/em>(Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988), 137.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/sup><\/sup>The only means for gaining intimacy with God in this age of salvation history is coming to God through His Son, Jesus Christ.\u00a0 There are several passages in Hebrews where Christ is the means to drawing near to God.\u00a0 Hebrews 4:16; 7:19, 25; and 10:22.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[9]For an extensive study of this biblical theme see, Raymond C. Ortland, Jr., God’s Unfaithful Wife: A Biblical Theology of Spiritual Adultery<\/em> (New Studies in Biblical Theology), (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2003).<\/p>\n

[10]<\/sup><\/sup>Peter H. Davids, James<\/em>, New International Biblical Commentary, vol. 15, (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrikson, 1989), 102.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/sup><\/sup>Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James: An Introduction and Commentary<\/em>, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985), 148.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[12]Moo, The Letter of James<\/em>, 148.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[13]The Hebrew term mot<\/em> here shows he assumed his lifestyle would notfalter, give way, be shaken, or totter and fall.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>[14]Wickedness is devastating to intimacy with God.\u00a0 Proverbs 15:29 declares, \u201cThe Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.\u201d These \u201cwicked\u201d are rasha<\/em> or criminally evil.\u00a0 In 15:26 they are known for their evil plans vs. pleasant words.\u00a0 In 15:27 they offer bribes. 15:28 provides a serious contrast by stating, \u201cThe heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.\u201d \u00a0<\/strong>Since there were \u201cbelievers\u201d and \u201cunbelievers\u201d in the physical nation of Israel (Rom 9:6), the wicked here are probably unbelievers.\u00a0 However, it does imply that the Lord then is not only near to the righteous, but that because He is, He hears their prayers, and hears them close up, so to speak.\u00a0 What does this imply about our intimacy with Him when we dream or plan evil in our hearts and have unpleasant and evil words like the wicked?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[15]Thomas E. Bergler, The Juvenilization of American Christianity<\/em>, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012), 1.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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