Korab Korban: Draw Near Offering

[Mr. M]

In Mark 7:8-13, The Lord condemns the practice of designating personal wealth as korban (a gift) rather than

providing parental care, undermining the commandment of God. This Word is in support of the previous statement:

Mark 7:

6 He answered and said unto them, Well has Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written,

These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

To fully comprehend this, we find that throughout the Law, korban is preceded by the word korab, with 

the typical translation being "to bring an offering". However, a more literal meaning of korab is "to draw near".

The daily offerings [Exodus 29:38-46] were made specifically to sanctify the tabernacle to enable

the children of Israel to "draw near" to the presence of the Lord.

Exodus 29:

42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of meeting

before the Lord, where I will meet you to speak with you. 

43 And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory.

This condemnation of only drawing near with hypocritical lips but not in heart came upon not only the leaders the Lord

is addressing, but also Jerusalem, the city of the great King, fulfilling the word of the prophet against Her:

Zephaniah 3:1 Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted,
To the oppressing city!
2 She has not obeyed His voice,
She has not received corrections;
She has not trusted the Lord,
She has not drawn near to her God.

For this the Lord raised this lamentation:

Matthew 23:

³⁷ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that kill the prophets, and stone them which are sent unto thee,

how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gather her chickens under her wings, and you would not!

³⁸ Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

³⁹ For I say unto you, You shall not see me henceforth, till you shall say,

Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.

Edited December 5, 2022 by Mr. M

[NickyLouse]

Drawing near is a significant aspect of shema - of intently listening. The thing that stands out to me most about Exodus 20 is that after the hearing of the 10 words, the people stood at a distance from God and said that they would listen to Moses rather than God Himself. He wants us all to korban - to draw near in order to hear Him clearly.