And YHWH says, “Because this people draws near with its mouth, and they honor Me with its lips, but its heart is far from Me, and their fear of Me is taught by the command of men; . .” Isaiah 29:13

Far – Followers of YHWH are commanded to count the mile markers.  They are to have intimate acquaintance with the Hebrew word rachaq.  This verb means “to be far away” or “to become far away.”  If you’re going to follow the Lord, you must distance yourself from competing ideologies.

Notice that rachaq is a verb.  In English, “far” is an adverb.  It describes an action, but it isn’t the action itself.  So, when we translate this verse, we add “is” to the sentence.  But in Hebrew, the verse should read “its heart distances itself from Me.”  This is a deliberate action, not an accidental modifier of some inner condition.  This is walking away from God.

How does God describe walking away from Him?  You’ll notice that walking away does not show itself in religious apathy.  These people still speak the words.  They sing the songs, say the prayers and recite the creeds.  The mile markers of separation are not visible to anyone but God.  Rabbinic literature was particularly sensitive to this invisible separation, so much so that they had a special Hebrew word for the problem.  That word is kavvanah.  Abraham Heschel says, “Kavvanah is attentiveness to God.  Its purpose is to direct the heart rather than the tongue or the arms.  It is not an act of the mind that serves to guide the external action, but one that has meaning in itself.”  “Kavvanah in this sense is not the awareness of being commanded but the awareness of Him who commands; not of a yoke we carry but of the Will we remember; the awareness of God rather than the awareness of duty.”[1]

Heschel draws attention to the fact that kavvanah is being rather than doing.  It is experiencing being with God.  The external actions that accompany our religious expressions are incidental to dwelling in the presence of the Lord.  If our hearts draw near to Him, we stop trying to be dutiful servants of the Most High.  We become awe-struck worshippers of He Who Is.

Now read the second part of this verse.  Why do the people engage in religious activity without kavvanah?  God says, “Their fear is taught by the command of men.”  Let that sink in a minute.  Human traditions, human religious practices, human rules for moral behavior replace heart-felt wonder.  God’s mile markers are pulled up and our rituals and rites are put in their place.  What is the result?  A form of worship without the power of the living God.  It all looks so good, but the hearts of the people are not near the presence of God.  They have distanced themselves by being religious instead of righteous.

Now the questions:  How are your heart mile markers?  Are they being uprooted by the teaching of men or the declarations of the church?  Where is kavvanah in your life?

Topical Index: kavvanah, rachaq, far, religion, Isaiah 29:13