Drawing Near unto God

Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Mark 1:14f (Spoke 19, Cycle 2)

The verse above contains the first words of Jesus Christ in Mark's Gospel. The Greek word translated as at hand is from the root engidzo (draw near). It is used frequently to translate the KeyWord qarav (draw near) in the Septuagint, as when God said "the days are at hand (qarav), and the effect of every vision" (Ezek 12:23). These words are equivalent; God used them both as temporal markers. And just as the first words of Christ in Matthew are linked to the Tzaddi KeyWord tzedek (righteousness, BW book pg 323), so now we see His first words in Mark are linked to this Quph KeyWord. In the Septuagint, one or another form of engidzo (draw near) is used to translate each of the following five instances of qarav in the Quph Alphabetic Verses:

• AV Lam. 3:57 Thou drewest near (qarav) in the day that I called (qara) upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not.
• AV Ps 145:18The LORD is nigh (qarav) unto all them that call (qara) upon him, to all that call (qara) upon him in truth.
• AV Ps 119:151 Thou art near (qarav), O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.
• AV Ps 34:18 The LORD is nigh (qarav) unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
• AV Ps119:150 They draw nigh (qarav) that follow after mischief: they are far from thy law.

In the first two verses, God linked qarav (draw near) with qara (cry), which teaches us how to draw near to God; we need only cry out to Him! This is the lesson the Psalms teach both by word and by example. God completed this lesson with another KeyWord, qavah (wait), teaching us that we draw near to God by calling and waiting upon Him:

• AV Ps 37:34 Wait (qavah) on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

Next article: Mark - The Gospel of Action

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