Intimacy With God: What the Old and New Testaments Reveal
Reading the Old Testament Through New Covenant Eyes
I love the Old Testament, but I read the Old Testament much differently than I once did. Now I read it with an awareness that there is a significant difference for me as a new covenant believer. Because I belong to Jesus, I read the Old Testament knowing that the old covenant people of God are much different from me. Not just in time, culture, language, situation, and all the obvious barriers between us, but there are theological differences based on what the blood of Jesus does for me.
At the same time, I read the Old Testament knowing that the experience of God’s people pre-Jesus very much informs my new covenant life. I saw it clearly this morning while reading Deuteronomy 5.
Before I move forward with this I want to make a side note of information. This week while reading through the Chronological Bible and summarizing my reading of each chapter, I read the notes in my study Bible before reading Deuteronomy. I learned that Deuteronomy is organized around three speeches Moses gave to the children of Israel just before they entered the Promised Land. Understanding this helped me better understand what I was reading.
Deuteronomy 1-4 is Moses’ first speech where he reviewed Israel’s history from leaving Egypt to where they were at the end of Numbers—on the east side of the Promised Land ready to enter it and take possession.
Deuteronomy 5-28 is Moses’ second speech where he revisited and explained God’s commands He gave at Mount Sinai.
Deuteronomy 29-33 is Moses’ third and final speech where he prepared them for his departure and gave them final instructions, encouragement, blessing, and song before they entered the Promised Land.
An Invitation to Intimacy With God
In Deuteronomy 5 Moses began his second speech by reviewing the Ten Commandments and reminding God’s people of how they witnessed the glory of God when the mountain burned with fire, how they heard God’s voice speak to them from the fire. He also reminded them of their response of fear for their lives. The Israelites did not want to come close to God because they were sure they would die. So, they told Moses:
“You go near and hear all that the Lord our God may say, and tell us all that the Lord our God says to you, and we will hear it and do it.”
Deuteronomy 5:27
Oh my! Can I stop here and say, “Baloney!”
If they had left off the last part of the sentence, maybe I would have believed them. But I know the rest of their story. And God's next words reveal the real problem with their hearts and His deep desire for them.
“Oh that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep My commandments, that it might be well with them and well with their children forever!”
Deuteronomy 5:29
I love the very next words God spoke to Moses:
“But as for you, stand here by Me,
and I will speak to you all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I am giving them to possess.”
Deuteronomy 5:31
But as for you, stand here by Me…
What an incredible invitation of intimacy with God!
God Wants Intimate Fellowship
One thing I have seen so clearly in all the years of reading and studying the Old and New Testament is that both reveal that God desires an intimate relationship with His people. But there is a difference in what that connection looks like when talking about the old covenant versus the new covenant. And this is where those differences shine so brightly.
The old covenant people of God really had something to fear in drawing near to God’s presence. Up until this point, the Israelite experience of God had been so magnificent and powerful, and they were repeatedly taught and shown the danger of sinful people drawing near to a holy God. God’s holiness and human sin did not mix. But because God wanted intimate connection, He made a way through the new covenant.
Through the death of Jesus Christ, the fear of death in the presence of God has been taken away. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, we have been invited into nearness and intimacy with God. I did a deep dive into this topic in a previous blog post: Jesus, God’s Chosen Avenue of Atonement for Me and You.
Jesus on the cross was God saying to me, to you, to anyone who would, “But as for you, stand here by Me.”
Take a moment to visualize Jesus on the cross. When you see Him there, put your name in the blank and take a moment to hear His personal message to you,
“But as for you___________, stand here by Me.”
We so often see ourselves like the children of Israel, but what God did for us was position us to have the nearness and intimacy Moses had with God. God repeatedly invited Moses up the mountain to be near and with Him, to hear Him speak personally and intimately—face to face.
For you and me, Jesus’ death was God’s invitation to come up the mountain and experience God’s glory and hear Him speak to us face to face.
The Better Covenant
In Deuteronomy 5, Moses reminded God's people of God giving them the Ten Commandments, their experience of seeing God's glory, and the overwhelming fear that caused them to stand at a distance rather than draw near.
Then Moses moved into his “Therefore” in Deuteronomy 5:32-33.
Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.
Deuteronomy 5:32-33
Moses’ “therefore” was old covenant based and said:
Therefore, obey God and live.
Therefore, obey God and get His blessings.
Therefore, obey God and gain His promises.
Contrast Deuteronomy 5 with Hebrews 10:19-22, which gives us the better-ness of the new covenant in Jesus’ blood.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:19-22 (NIV)
The “therefore” God’s Word speaks to us is completely different. Did you notice the words that describe what is offered in the intimate connection with God in the new covenant?
Confidence and Full Assurance of Faith
From fear and dread to confidence and full assurance!
Not partial or skeptical or apprehensive.
Simply step right into God’s holy presence.
Under the old covenant, Israel's obedience was tied to experiencing God's covenant blessings and promises in the land. The new covenant flipped that upside down and now says:
Come near. (Hebrews 10:22)
Get God’s blessing already available to you. (Ephesians 1:3)
Take hold of His “Yes and Amen” promises. (2 Corinthians 1:20)
And because of all God has done, honor Him with your devotion and obedience. (Romans 12:1)
I wrote more about this beautiful exchange—God’s devotion to us and our devotion to Him—in a previous blog post, What Is Devotion? And Is God Devoted To Me?
For you and me, obedience is a response to what has already been given. We enter His holy and intimate presence at any moment for any reason. But even more than that, our spiritual reality is that because of Jesus, we live in His intimate, holy presence at all times because God the Holy Spirit lives in us.
As you go about the rest of your week, hold on to these words as if they were specifically spoken directly and personally to you by the Lord.
“But as for you___________, stand here by Me.”
And every time these words run through your mind, say this to Him,
“Lord, I am listening. What is it that You want to speak to me?”
If you are in your own waiting season, don’t miss this encouraging message in the latest HER Podcast with Moriah Hagel,
Listen to the podcast: God Does Not Waste Your Season: Trusting God with Your Story.
Frequently Asked Questions About Intimacy With God
Q: What does the Bible say about intimacy with God?
The Bible reveals that God desires an intimate relationship with His people. Under the new covenant, Jesus made the way for believers to confidently draw near to God. Hebrews 10:19–22 tells us that because of the blood of Jesus, we can enter God’s presence with confidence and draw near with full assurance of faith.
Q: How can I draw near to God?
Because of Jesus, drawing near to God isn’t about earning access to Him through our obedience or good works. Believers have already been given access to God’s presence through Christ. We draw near by faith, spending time with Him in His Word and prayer, listening to Him, and responding to Him with trust and obedience. (Hebrews 10:19–22)
Q: Why were the Israelites afraid to draw near to God in Deuteronomy 5?
The Israelites had witnessed God’s holiness, fire, and glory. They had also witnessed the severity of God’s judgment and the deadly consequences for sinful human beings who did not honor His righteous requirements for approaching His holy presence. They knew that drawing near to God was not something to take lightly. Therefore, being in God’s presence evoked fear for their lives, so they asked Moses to draw near on their behalf, hear what God said, and then bring His words back to them. (Deuteronomy 5:23–27; Leviticus 10:1–3)
Q: What does “But as for you, stand here by Me” mean in Deuteronomy 5:31?
God spoke these words specifically to Moses after the Israelites asked him to approach God on their behalf. Moses was invited to remain near God, hear His commands, and then teach them to Israel. For believers today, Moses’ nearness to God provides a beautiful picture of something made possible for us through Jesus: we have been given access to God’s presence and are invited to draw near with confidence. (Hebrews 10:19–22)
Q: What is different about intimacy with God under the new covenant?
Under the new covenant, our access to God’s presence is based on what Jesus has accomplished rather than our ability to make ourselves worthy to approach Him. His blood cleanses us, He is our great High Priest, and the Holy Spirit lives within believers. Because of Christ, we approach God with confidence and full assurance rather than remaining at a distance in fear. (Hebrews 10:19–22)
Q: Does intimacy with God depend on how well I obey Him?
Our obedience does not earn us access to God. Jesus has already made the way for believers to draw near through His blood. Instead, obedience becomes our response to the grace, mercy, and blessings we have already received in Christ. We offer ourselves to God because of what He has done for us, not to convince Him to let us come near. (Hebrews 10:19–22; Romans 12:1)
Q: How does the Holy Spirit help us experience intimacy with God?
For believers, God’s presence is not limited to a particular place or moment. God the Holy Spirit lives within us, giving us an incredible intimacy with God that the old covenant people of God did not experience in the same way. We can seek Him, listen to His Word, pray, and respond to Him throughout our everyday lives, knowing that He is present with us at all times. (1 Corinthians 6:19; John 14:16–17)
