What Does It Mean To Draw Nigh

This verse again brings us to the importance of prayer. Chapter 1:6 especially mentions the necessity of faith in connection with prayer. 4:3 tells us there must be the right motive in prayer. Our verse emphasizes the right condition of life in order to have effective prayer. It says we must have clean hands and a pure heart in order to enjoy His nearness.

"Draw nigh to God ..." It is a great privilege to be able to draw nigh to God. With all His greatness, His majesty, and His holiness, it is a wonder that He has any time for us. An unbeliever once said, "If there is a mighty God, do you think He would have time to bother Himself with such insignificant creatures as you and me?" The Almighty does so because He says so! This adds to His greatness. He permits us to draw near, while at the same time drawing near to us, too.

A sinner can draw nigh: Because of the shedding of Christ's blood on the cross, the vilest sinner can now draw nigh to God. Of course, there must be repentance and obedience to the commandments of the Lord in His Word. As in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15), the Father sees the repentant one afar off and runs to meet him. The Spirit of God convicts a sinner of his sins and then urges him to come to the Lord Jesus for forgiveness. When he does come he is welcomed with open arms. As the prodigal could come to his father in rags, so the sinner can come to the Lord Jesus in sin and find a welcome. The prodigal's rags and the sinner's sins are soon gone. The only way a sinner or a saved person can come into His presence is by the blood of Christ. "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh" (Heb. 10:19, 20).

The saint should draw nigh: There is nothing the Father delights in more than constant fellowship with His child. He holds the door of communion constantly open. He loves to hear your voice. We can be as intimate with Him as an earthly child is with his father. Like Enoch, we may walk with God (Gen. 5:24). Although he promises to draw nigh to those who draw nigh to Him, remember, He resists the proud. A proud person cannot live near God; so it behooves us to humble ourselves in His presence.

Satan hinders our drawing nigh to God: Satan flees when he sees the weakest Christian on his knees. Communion with God is one of the most effective weapons against his wiles. Therefore, he will do his utmost to keep a Christian from drawing nigh to God.

Formal prayers: Saying prayers is not drawing nigh to God. There is a great deal of formality that never gets one into His presence at all. Some think they pray when they repeat the so-called Lord's Prayer in parrot like fashion. Even Christians sometimes do not in sincerity get into the Lord's presence. We must constantly guard against formalistic praying.

The effects of drawing nigh: The effects of constant communion with the Lord are unlimited. It will show itself in our talk and walk. We will have peace in our soul and calmness in our life. We will be effective in our service for the Lord. We will be used in the winning of souls, and be of help to the Lord's people. "It is good for me to draw near to God" (Ps. 73:28). To keep near to God: Three rules will help us stay close to God: let the Lord speak to us by reading His Word for fifteen minutes every day; speak to the Lord in prayer for fifteen minutes every day; and speak to someone about the Lord for fifteen minutes every day.

Clean hands and a pure heart: We draw nigh to God when we pray, but we must come with clean hands and a pure heart. We must not come with defiled hands by foully treating our neighbors. We need clean hearts undefiled by lusts, pride, envy, etc. When we draw nigh to God we must be willing to forsake our sins. He will welcome the vilest sinner for salvation, but He must have a clean saint for communion.

Outward cleansing and inward purification: We have the expression "clean hands" and a "pure heart" in the Hebrew Bible Scriptures. "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart" (Ps. 24:3, 4). Psalms 15:1, 2 is similar. We have this outward cleansing of life and inward purification of the desires also in Hebrews 10:22, "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

"... cleanse your hands ..." The Jews washed their hands a great deal (Mark 7:3). They would not think of eating with unwashed hands. They thought it terrible because the disciples of the Lord sometimes ate without this formality (Matt. 15:2). Pilate washed his hands at the trial of the Lord Jesus trying to indicate thereby that he was innocent of His crucifixion (Matt. 27:24). Although the Jews said, "His blood be on us, and on our children," this did not free Pilate of guilt in this unjust decision. In our verse in James, the cleansing of the hands is to be taken in a figurative sense. If we are to draw nigh to God we must keep our hands clean from sinful acts. The hands are the representatives of our actions because we do most things with our hands. We must do nothing impure or unrighteous. "I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting" (1 Tim. 2:8).

"... ye sinners ..." James calls these Jewish Christians "sinners." Someone said, "I'm a sinner, constantly saved by the grace and blood of Jesus Christ. A Christian is not a sinner and a sinner is not a Christian." But, who will deny that one who sins is a sinner, whether saved or not. Only a misinformed or conceited Christian would say he never sins. I admit that many times the Word calls the unsaved "sinners" in contrast to those who are saved, but this is not always so. James calls these Christians, "sinners," because they were sinning – guilty of envy and strife. Their hearts were filled with lust, pride, and worldliness (5:20).

"... purify your hearts ..." Besides cleansing the hands, James says purifying the heart is necessary for communion with the Lord. The hands speak of external while purifying the heart speaks of internal cleansing. The thoughts, desires, and passions of a man must be clean, as well as his actions. It is like purifying a stream at its source. An impure spring equals an impure stream. An unclean heart produces unclean actions. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Ps. 66:18).

Helps toward purification: Our verse puts the responsibility of purifying our hearts upon ourselves. "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1). Following are a few suggestions toward this end. Faith in the Lord is necessary to purifying our hearts. Regarding Cornelius and his household, we read, "And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:9). God's Word always has a purifying effect. "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit" (1 Pet. 1:22). "Obeying the truth" is sure to have a cleansing effect on any soul. True confession and prayer for cleansing is sure to produce similar results. David said, "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned" (Ps. 51:4). This is sincere confession. Then he pleads in verse 7, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Faith in the second coming of Christ also has a purifying effect. "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:3).

"... ye double minded." "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8). Double minded because he asks God without faith. Here, exactly the same term is used to speak of those who profess godliness, but whose hearts are full of lust and worldly ambitions. We must be whole-hearted for God; not somewhere between Him and the world. May our whole life be for His glory and for blessing to the world and the church of our Lord.

Scripture Reading: James 4:9 (KJV)

We might wonder whether this verse is for the unbelieving Jew or for Christians who have sinned – it could apply to both. Surely the unsaved sinner should be afflicted, mourn, and weep over his sins; as well as Christians who have sinned, like these early Jewish Christians, should likewise demonstrate sorrow and repentance.

"Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep ..." These three words, "afflicted," "mourn," and "weep" are closely related. They all speak of true sorrow for sin. "Afflicted" would be better translated "wretched." It speaks of an internal feeling of misery. "Mourn" speaks more of sad outward appearance and actions. "Weep" speaks of the special outflow of tears signifying real sorrow.

The conversion of the sinner: Before a sinner is converted there is always conviction of guilt and a sorrow for sin. Many have been wretched for weeks before yielding to the Lord. Some, like the publican, have beat upon their breasts and cried, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). Others have like Paul said, O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Rom. 7:24). Like Paul, all who are saved found relief through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 7:25). Every sinner who comes weeping to the foot of the cross will surely have a genuine conversion.

The restoration of the saint: While true conviction is necessary for conversion, true confession and obedience is necessary for restoration. Some Christians are not living near to God because their sins have put up a wall of separation between them and Him. For such there must be a time of wretchedness, mourning, and weeping before there can be real joy and fellowship with the Lord. Have we been filled with bitter zeal and envy? Well might we be wretched about it. Have we been adulteresses in that we have sought the fellowship of the world? Perhaps we should do some weeping before the Lord. God is looking for a tear in the eye of those who have dishonored Him, and wandered from Him. Only through self-judgment and obedience to Christ will there be forgiveness and cleansing by God.

A time for mourning: We seem to be in a terrible time of contention and division among believers. It appears that some do not realize the seriousness of it, and may be even participating in it. In this respect we are in little better condition than those to whom James is writing. There is much within individual religious groups that calls for weeping. But far more we see groups of believers, condemning one another and belittling one another. Beloved, this is not a time of boasting, but rather of mourning. Are conditions now better than at the time of Daniel's captivity? He was brought down on his face before God in sackcloth and ashes and confessed the sins of the people (Dan. 9:3-19). Jeremiah is called the weeping prophet. He weeps because of the sins of his people (Jer. 9:1 etc.). Do we ever weep before the Lord because of the condition of our nation, because of unsaved by the millions speeding down the road to hell, and because of the people of God wrangling about who shall be the greatest? Beloved, it is a time to weep, and not a time to laugh (Eccl. 3:4).

"... let your laughter be turned to mourning ..." You may ask, "Is it wrong then to laugh and to be joyous?" No, this is not wrong when conditions are right. In fact, Paul, in writing to the Philippians, commands them to rejoice. "Rejoice in the Lord alway; and again I say, Rejoice" (Phil. 4:4). When there are no clouds between us and the Lord we have every reason to be happy. But this was not so with James' readers. They had sinned against the Lord grievously, and yet they were laughing. He says to such, "Let your laughter be turned into mourning."

Suppose all is well: Some, like those in the Laodicean church, think they are all right. "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17). Many are far from the Lord, and yet laughing in their sinful condition. Their laughter should be turned to mourning. Let them beware lest the Father with His chastening hand change their laughter to mourning. Some have thought they gained the victory over their fellow Christian, only to find that victory turned to mourning. David and his army gained the victory over Absalom, but because of Absalom's death, David did not rejoice, but mourned (2 Sam. 18:33).

Draw nigh in true repentance: David forgave Absalom's sin of murdering Amnon too soon. Absalom showed no sign of true repentance, yet David permitted him to come into his presence and kissed him (2 Sam. 14:33). You can be sure the Lord will not allow anyone to come into His favor until there is true, sincere obedience to the Word of God. We must repent of our sins, being ready to forsake them forever. There cannot and will not be a light healing of sin.

"... and joy to heaviness." The publican of Luke 18 stood afar off. He did not dare draw nigh. There was true shame because of his sin. If we have sinned, we too should hide our faces in shame, and that heavy shame, as the word "heaviness" in our verse implies. Our sin dishonors our Lord, and only as we come with a broken and a contrite heart will He forgive, and restore fellowship. "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted" (Matt. 5:4). In this verse in Matthew the Lord refers especially to those who mourn over their sins.

Scripture Reading: James 4:10 (KJV)

James now again turns to the subject of humility, which he first referred to in 4:6. How similar his language is to Peter's, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time" (1 Pet. 5:6). His language is also like that of the Lord Jesus. "He that shall humble himself shall be exalted" (Matt. 23:12). The way down is the way up. Just as a tree sends roots downward before growing upward, so we must go down in humility before the Lord will lift us up. These early Jewish Christians were trying to lift themselves up instead of humbling themselves before the Lord and waiting for Him to lift them.

Face to face with God: The whole purpose of this chapter thus far has been to bring the reader face to face with God. Verse 7 says, "Submit yourselves to God"; verse 8, "Draw nigh to God"; and our verse, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord."

"Humble yourselves ..." To humble self means to take the low place. This place is to be taken voluntarily as the word "yourselves" implies. There is no reason to be proud. We were corrupt sinners and deserved nothing but the wrath of God. Even now that we are saved we have nothing to boast in. We are nothing, and when we are humble we but acknowledge the truth of our nothingness. Without humility it is impossible to draw nigh to God. The cure for all the ills of these early Christians lay in humility. All their envying, lustfulness, strife, and worldliness would disappear if they became humble.

"... in the sight of the Lord ..." It is in the sight of the Lord that we are to humble ourselves; not in the sight of men. Some talk very humbly and try to act very humbly when some of their fellow Christians are around. However, this does not count with the Lord. Sometimes we forget that we are ever in the sight of the Lord. David realized this as he wrote Psalms 139. He says in verse 2, "Thou knowest my down sitting and mine uprising." He knows when we are lazy, and when we are rebellious. He also says, "Thou understandest my thought afar off." "There is not a word in my tongue but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether" (Ps. 139:4). In verses 7-10 David says, you cannot get out of the Lord's presence by ascending into heaven or by descending into hell. You cannot get away from Him, as Jonah discovered, by dwelling in the uttermost parts of the sea. "Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee" (Ps. 139:12). Much of man's wickedness is done in the dark, but the Lord sees it all.

A realization of His presence will humble us: When Peter saw the great draught of fishes, and realized that he was in the presence of a greater then man, it stirred him and greatly humbled him. He said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord" (Luke 5:8). When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, he said, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (Is. 6:5). To realize that we are ever in the presence of that great and pure One is sure to make us know our own insignificance and sinfulness.

"... He shall lift you up." If we are to be lifted, the Lord must do it. We cannot lift ourselves. Our verse says, "He shall lift you up." We are helpless like the poor woman who was all bowed together "and could in no wise lift up herself" (Luke 13:11). A word and a touch from the Lord Jesus and she was loosed from her infirmity. The Jewish Christians of the Book of James were trying to lift themselves. James says, "ye have not, because ye ask not" (4:2).

Positive promise: Consider the positiveness of our verse. If we humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, we can be sure He will lift us up. His promise to lift us should not be the motive for our humbling self, but rather, the result. We should not humble ourselves to be lifted, but if we really do humble ourselves, He will lift us.

Who will He lift up?: Our verse says He will lift the humble. Twice in the Word we have the following; "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust and lifeth the needy out of the dunghill; that he may set him with princes" (Ps. 113:7,8; 1 Sam. 2:8). "The Lord lifteth up the meek" (Ps. 147:6). The Lord Jesus lifted up Peter's wife's mother as she stretched forth the hand of faith (Mark 1:31). From this we conclude the Lord lifts up the lowly who put their trust in Him.

From what does He lift us?: If we are humble He will lift us out of sin. If we get into trouble, He will lift us out of that, too. He will lift us out of the snares of this world – out of danger into safety – out of degradation into honor. If our spirits are downcast, He will lift us into joy and gladness and then, at last, He will lift us out of this scene into glory.

The lifter was lifted: The Lord Jesus Christ, before He could lift us up, had to be lifted up Himself. He was lifted up to a place of shame on the cross in order to be able to lift us up out of shame into glory. "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die" (John 12:32, 33). After He was lifted up on the cross, He was lifted to the pinnacle of glory (Phil. 2:5-11).

Examples of the lowly lifted: The Word is full of examples of those who were humble – lifted by the Lord. In fact, every great character in the Bible was such a one. Abraham, by every right should have had preference over Lot, but he gave Lot his choice of the land. He said, "If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if thou wilt take the right hand, then I will go to the left" (Gen. 13:9). Moses is called the meekest man on the face of the earth (Num. 12:3). Mordecai was humble, as was David and Daniel. All these the Lord exalted.

New Testament examples: In the New Testament we could list many too. The humble publican of Luke 18 was justified rather than the Pharisee. Consider the humble John the Baptist (Matt. 3:11). He was honored to be the forerunner of the Lord Jesus. All the apostles could be brought forward, especially Paul. This highly educated man was ready to be a fool for Christ's sake (1 Cor. 4:10). Now he is honored as the great apostle to the Gentiles. Christ is the greatest example of the truth of our verse. "He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name" (Phil. 2:8, 9).