transitive verb

1
: to resort to : go to
2
a : to go in search of : look for b : to try to discover
3
: to ask for : REQUEST <seeks advice>
4
: to try to acquire or gain : aim at <seek fame>
5
: to make an attempt : TRY —used with to and an infinitive <governments…seek to keep the bulk of their
people contented — D. M. Potter>
intransitive verb
1
: to make a search or inquiry
2
a : to be sought b : to be lacking <in critical judgment … they were sadly to seek — Times Literary
Supplement>

SEEKING GOD
"Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord ..."

Hosea 10:12.
I.   What does it mean to "seek God"?

      A.  The psalmist well described man's search for God

            when he cried, "deep calleth unto deep ..." (Psalms 42)

      B.  It is the spirit of man longing for fellowship with God.

                  Psalms 63:1, 6-8; 84:2, 3

                  Song of Songs 3:1-4
                  Isaiah 26:9
                  John 4:23, 24
                  Romans 1:9
                  Philippians 3:3

II.  The very purpose of man's existence is to seek God.

            Acts 17:26-28

      A.  Failure to seek after God results in spiritual death.

                  Isaiah 5:13
                  Hosea 4:6

      B.   But an impartation of His life through us can be obtained

            by seeking Him with all our hearts.

                  Deuteronomy 30:6, 19, 20

                  Psalms 69:32
                  Proverbs 8:34, 35; 14:27; 19:23
                  Amos 5:4, 6, 8
                  John 14:6

III.  He promises that those who diligently seek him shall find him.

                  Deuteronomy 4:29-31 (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

                  1 Chronicles 28:9
                  Psalms 9:10
                  Proverbs 8:17
                  Matthew 7:7 (Luke 11:9-10)
                  John 6:37
                  James 4:8

      A. We do not seek Him in vain.

                  Isaiah 45:19
                  Malachi 3:13, 14

      B.  He promises certain blessings and rewards to those

            who diligently seek His Face.

                  Psalms 107:9
                  Lamentations 3:25
                  Hebrews 11:6

            1.   Joy.

                        Psalms 70:4; 105:3

            2.   Peace and rest.

                       2 Chronicles 14:7; 15:12-15

            3.   Revelation.
                       Jeremiah 33:3

            4.   Understanding in the ways of God.

                       Proverbs 28:5

            5.   Strength.

                       1 Chronicles 16:11

                       Psalms 105:4
                       Isaiah 40:31; 41:1

            6.  Prosperity and provision.

                       2 Chronicles 26:5

                       Psalms 34:9, 10
                       Matthew 6:33

            7.  Security.

                       Psalm 27:4, 5

IV.   God requires an immediate response on our part to the

        beckoning of the Spirit.

                  Psalms 27:8

      A.  The Lord, like a timid deer, is withdrawn.

                  Song of Songs 2:9

      B.   We must not delay when He calls (Song of Songs 5:2-6),

             but seek the Lord "while He may be found" (Isaiah 55:6).

      C.   Continued delay to the call of the Spirit may result in the

             hardening of our hearts (Hebrews 3:7-8, 15), and
             cause that the consciousness of His Presence be withheld
             from us.

                   2 Chronicles 32:31

                   Song of Songs 5:2-6, esp. v. 6
                   Hosea 5:15.

V.  God seeks those who will seek Him.

             2 Chronicles 16:9
             Psalms 14:2; 53:2
             John 4:23

      A.   "Continually."

                     1 Chronicles 16:11

      B.  Whole-heartedly.

                     2 Chronicles 15:12

                     Psalms 119:2, 10
                     Jeremiah 29:13
                     Hebrews 10:22

      C.   "Diligently."

                     Psalms 63:1

                     Proverbs 8:17
                     Isaiah 26:9

      D.  Above all else.

                     Psalms 27:4; 73:25-26

                     Matthew 6:33

Seeking After God
How many times have you heard Christians say (or heard the words from your own mouth), “So-
and-so is not a Christian but he’s searching”? It is a common statement among Christians. The
idea is that there are people all over the place who are searching for God. Their problem is that
they just haven’t been able to find Him. He is playing hide-and-seek. He is elusive. 

In the Garden of Eden, when sin came into the world, who hid? Jesus came into the world to
seek and to save the lost. Jesus wasn’t the one who was hiding. God is not a fugitive. We are the
ones on the run. Scripture declares that the wicked flee when no man pursues. As Martin Luther
remarked: “The pagan trembles at the rustling of a leaf. The uniform teaching of Scripture is that
fallen men are fleeing from God.”  

People do not seek God. They seek after the benefits that only God can give them. The sin of
fallen man is this: Man seeks the benefits of God while fleeing from God Himself. We are, by
nature, fugitives.

The Bible tells us repeatedly to seek after God. The conclusion we draw from these texts is that
since we are called to seek after God it must mean that we, even in our fallen state, have the
moral capacity to do that seeking. But who is being addressed in these texts? In the case of the
Old Testament, it is the people of Israel who are called to seek the Lord. In the New Testament,
it is believers who are called to seek the kingdom. 

Coram Deo
Are you seeking the benefits God can give you or seeking after God alone?

Passages for Further Study

Isaiah 55:6
Matthew 7:7
Revelation 3:20