February 6, 2022

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For your name’s sake, O LORD,
pardon my guilt, for it is great.
Who is the man who fears the LORD?
Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
HIs soul shall abide in well-being,
and his offspring shall inherit the land.
The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him,
and he makes known to them his covenant.
My eyes are ever toward the LORD,
for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Psalm 25:11-15

Intro: The heading of this psalm tells us it was composed by David

I usually try to ignore the Psalm headings
– if David wrote it, we’re tempted to locate an event in his life’s story that “explains” it
(for instance, explains the theme and mood of the psalm)
• Bible teachers who do not “get” poetry or do not like poetry frequently look for connections outside the psalm itself
◦ as though, if we do not know context, we can not know the poem’s meaning
◦ but poems carry their own meaning, and their context is normal life
• the psalms are general enough to fit everyone’s experience
◦ we must let them speak for themselves regardless of the author
– the “poet” who penned Psalm 25 was in trouble — he faced:
• the threat of many enemies whose hatred was violent
• he suffered emotional distress and physical affliction
• his guilty conscience told him he did not deserve help
◦ he needed something more than “religion” could provide
◦ he needed the assurance of a special closeness with God

Today I will give my last talk on “intimacy”

If you want to learn more about intimacy, you’ll have to consult an expert
– I’ve surveyed our closest human relationships – and today I’ll talk about intimacy with God
• the greatest intimacy that we can experience is with our Creator
• no one knows us better – and – no one loves us more
– the challenge of this relationship is, of course, on our side
• how well do we know him?
• but that is the good news of the “gospel”
◦ God wants us to know him, and to know him well
◦ intimacy with him is his desire and design
(that is why God has given us a Bible, and why he gave us Jesus)

Before I give you a method for developing intimacy with God

I have to tell you, there is no method for developing intimacy with God
– the Lord draws us to himself in his grace and by the energy of the Spirit
• we do not work our way into it
◦ it’s like our other intimate relationships
◦ it develops over time, simply by being together
• opportunities come to us every day, every minute of every day
– the experience of intimacy with God may stir our emotions,
• but it’s more than a feeling we get in prayer or worship
• it is a continuous companionship
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him (Col. 2:6)
◦ we received Jesus–as a gift
◦ we continue to “receive” friendship with him all our lives

When we went through Hebrews, a key idea running through the whole book was,
– draw near to God – this is goal of our spiritual existence
Therefore, brothers [and sisters], since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus . . . let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith (Heb. 10:19-22)
• James simplifies the instruction:
Draw hear to God, and he will draw near to you (Jas. 4:8)
– to know more about God, we’ll want to study Bible or theology
• those studies can strengthen our foundation,
• but our goal is not an intimate knowledge of the Bible,
◦ and it is not a theological intimacy, but a relational intimacy
◦ the experience of intimacy is more important than knowing about it

For me, the most beautiful statement in this psalm is verse 14

“Friendship” translates a Hebrew word that implies intimacy
– a secret interaction, a shared closeness, an intimate conversation
• it is used to describe God’s secret assembly or council
For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD
to see and to hear his word
or who has paid attention to his word and listened? . . .
But if they had stood in my council,
then they would have proclaimed my words to my people (Jer. 23:18 and 22)
• it is as if God has a private office
◦ no one is allowed access except his closest friends
◦ the psalm tells us certain people are given that privilege
– it is a daring idea and one that few religions have attempted — that a human could be friends with a deity
• Abraham was the first to be called God’s friend (2 Chr. 20:7; Isa. 41:8)
◦ that leads to an interesting insight into intimate friendship in Genesis
The LORD said [to himself], “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed him? For I have [known] him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him (Gen. 18:17-19)
◦ God was so close to Abraham, that he could not hold back information he knew would affect his friend
• the New Testament is equally bold when it talks about “fellowship” with God
and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 1:3)

The next important word is one we do not understand very well
– “fear” – most everyone’s first reaction,
“Am I supposed to be afraid of God?!”
• first, you would be silly not to be afraid
◦ we have no concept of how immeasurably vast God is
◦ nor do we appreciate his “otherness” – how different he is from ourselves or anything we know
(God is not a human blown out to infinite proportions)
• however, that is not what is meant here
– fear is used as a comprehensive term for our total relationship with God
(it is an abbreviation for knowing, loving, and serving God)
• fear express the essence of a Creator and creation encounter
◦ fear stands for respect and reverence – it means we know our place
◦ it means we take God seriously!
(this is why, in the Our Father, the first thing Jesus taught us to pray was, “hallowed by your name,” or, literally, “let your name be revered”
• ideas and concepts do not scare us
◦ we play with them – manipulate them
◦ God, however, is not a concept, and,
. . . without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he IS and that he rewards those who seek him (Heb. 11:6)

The second line of the psalm is as rich as the first
– covenant is a major theme in the Scriptures
• the Christian Bible is divided into the Old and New Covenants
• what a covenant does is guarantees a relationship between two parties
◦ it can be a treaty between nations,
◦ a business agreement between partners or companies,
◦ a pact between two individuals
◦ or the formal commitment lovers in marriage
– God’s relationship with Abraham was a friendship covenant
• God’s relationship with Israel was a marriage covenant
◦ the most beautiful expression of this is found in a parable Ezekiel relayed
When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love . . . and I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine (Eze. 16:8)
• when Israel broke that covenant, God promised a new one
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers . . . my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD (Jer. 31:32)
◦ the new covenant became effective when Jesus presented the cup to disciples and said,
This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood (Lk. 22:20)
– from the beginning, the goal of God’s covenant was intimacy
And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring . . . to be God to you and to your offspring (Gen. 17:7-8)
• this is always the very heart of the covenant
I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God (Ex. 6:7)
◦ we personalize it when we say, I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine (Song 6:3)
• it was always about God’s love for his people
the LORD appeared to [Israel] from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you (Jer. 31:3)
• this is the significance of God making known his covenant
◦ we discover the closeness that he offers us

Conclusion: Like I said, there is no method for achieving intimacy with God

But there is a matter of saying “Yes” to God – of accepting his offer
– we do that, not once in a lifetime, but every day
• like every relationship, this one thrives on communication
◦ for instance, this entire psalm is a prayer
• v. 4, Make me to know your ways, O LORD
◦ like our intimate knowledge of our spouse’s habits, quirks, and idiosyncrasies
Moses prayed, . . . please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight (Ex. 33:13)
– prayer is not:
• searching for the right words;
• “working” God (the way my grandchildren work me)
• or trying to evoke God’s pity; or convince him that he should help you
• it’s not trying to muster up the right kind of faith so we get what we want
Prayer is another interaction in an ongoing conversation
It is our here and now awareness of God
and that awareness awakens us to everything
There is no need to use lots of words in prayer,
what is important is having an awareness of his presence
Evagrius, “A single word in intimacy is worth more than a thousand at a distance.”

Otherwise, even when you are not praying,
think about God during the day
There will be many reminders in the world around you,
if your heart is set on thinking about your heavenly Father
After all, you are his and he is yours