Read Joshua 23:8
"But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day."
As I was reading through Joshua, this verse jumped out to me. I love the phrase "cling to the Lord," but what does it mean exactly?
To go deeper in the text, it is often helpful to go back to the original text the Bible was written in. The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, and the New Testament was originally written in Greek. The Scriptures have since been translated to many different languages. Going back to the original text and discovering the meaning of those Greek and Hebrew words will shed greater light on what the original author was trying to convey. Remember that the Bible is inerrant (without error) in those original texts. I haven't studied Greek or Hebrew, but thankfully, there are many resources out there that translate words for us. My favorite source is www.blueletterbible.org.
I gave you that little lesson on the biblical languages, because it is often not explained. Preachers and teachers often refer to Greek words, but if you don't know why they're doing it, then it doesn't make much sense. So now you know!
With all that being said, the Hebrew word that has been translated "cling" in this passage is the word "dabaq." It means to "cling, stick, stay or keep close, cleave, follow close to, join to, overtake, or catch." I'd also like to point out that this is the same exact word used in Genesis 2:24, which states, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." The same Hebrew word, "dabaq," is translated "joined to" in this verse. Do you find it interesting that God uses the same word to describe the intimacy of a married couple as our intimacy with the Lord?
The metaphor of marriage is just one way that God reveals His relationship with believers. Christ is referred to as the bridegroom and the church is His bride. I believe that the Lord uses that metaphor in order to give us a glimpse of the extent of love and intimacy we should have with the Lord. Among human relationships, the husband/wife relationship is by far the closest. In this relationship we see the height of intimacy between two people. Two separate people join together and actually become one flesh. Amazingly, this marriage relationship is a reflection of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31-32).
How incredible to think that we can have that kind of intimacy with the Lord. I believe that clinging to the Lord includes following Him closely in obedience, knowing Him more deeply (which comes from spending time with Him, praying, reading the Scriptures), and loving Him wholeheartedly. Remember that He loves you more than you know, He knows every single thing about you, and He desires intimacy with you. Ask Him today to help you cling to Him. Pray that your intimacy with Him would deepen and your love for Him would grow even more.
