In some ways, I’m jealous of the Israelites. Not because of the manna (I’m sure I would’ve gotten sick of it, too), but because of the proximity that Israel enjoyed with Jehovah.
Think about it. We live in a world that is dealing with nearly two thousand years of silence from God. His letters to the churches in Asia in the book of Revelation were the last time He’s spoken to us. All the apostles are dead. The first generation of witnesses has long since been buried.
But Israel had not only the constant presence of Moses, but the physical presence of God near them in the form smoke and cloud pillars. All they had to do was look out their front door and there was the mark of God’s presence.
They even had the tabernacle. Even though it was just a tent—albeit a nice tent—it was the meeting place between God and man. You had a High Priest who interacted with God once a year! Tell me you’re not at least a little jealous of that intimacy.
Moses identifies the uniqueness of this nearness in Deuteronomy 4:7: “For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God whenever we call on Him?”
The customs of other gods and their peoples are well-documented. Rituals that forced subservience and humiliation. Priests who were corrupt and self-serving. A “deity” who was mute and non-visible to its adherents.
Yet even other nations were in awe of Jehovah. They marveled at His deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt across the Red Sea, and were terrified of this slave-army’s defeat of powerful nations such as the Midianites and the Ammonites.
According to Deuteronomy 4:8, they were also impressed by the law code that Israel was bound by. Way before it was popular, the Torah demanded humane treatment of slaves and foreigners, prohibited capital punishment except for the most grievous sins, and the establishment of cities of refuge to ensure equitable justice.
Did other nations have that type of setup? Doubtful, most importantly because they served gods of clay and iron—non-entities that were representations of man’s base lusts rather than a higher entity.
God chose Israel to be unique, but what made them unique was not their victories, but the closeness of God. He spoke His words to only them; no other nation was so blessed (Psalm 147:19-20).
In our day, God has spoken to us through His Son. That proximity isn’t exclusive to a nation, but to His Kingdom. We are His people and live lives that are emblematic of service to a real and powerful God. No matter what other people possess in their own lives, they can’t replicate that.
Because of that, according to Hebrews 10:20-25, I serve a God that is close…nearer than He’s ever been before. His presence is not reserved for once a year with a High Priest, but with you. You can go to Him anytime you want, for any reason, at any time.
How’s that for nearness?