Ezra 7:10
Ezra 7:10 "For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments."
God is a God of order
Examples
1. Creation
2. First the blade then the ear then the corn
3. The Feasts
We see order (progression) in our text verse – Ezra 7:10
My goal is to impress these four words into our minds and into our hearts as we consider what these words mean and how we can apply then to our lives. That we SHOULD, and NEED TO, apply them is a given!
STEP 1 – PREPARATION
Hebrew # 3559 kuwn - to establish, fix, prepare, make ready, make right
Primary Meaning - To Make Ready!
When a baby is due, we prepare the nursery. Though we may never be prepared for everything when a baby comes.
We prepare for vocation by attending schools, colleges, seminars, etc. Very few jobs do you just walk in and do it. Most require training and other preparation.
We prepare for retirement by saving, investing, etc. How many people regret NOT having prepared better for retirement
Proverbs 30:25 ”The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer”;
We prepare for dinner by purchasing food, making the food ready, cooking the food, serving the food, etc.
Mark 14:12 "And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?"
We prepare for the oil change by having bought the oil and filter and having available the necessary tools for the job.
We prepare for building a house - Counting the cost is part of preparation.
Joshua 22:26 "Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:"
2 Chronicles 2:9 "Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great."
Proverbs 24:27 "Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house"
We prepare for war – there must be a knowledge of the danger, a call to arms, etc.
1 Corinthians 14:8 says "For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?"
For many things, in order to be done, something else must have already been done (preparation).
We prepare for many, many things all the time.
A. GOD PREPARES !
A HEART
1 Chronicles 29:18 "O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee"; Psalm 10:17 "LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear."
A TABLE
Psalm 23:5 "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over."
A MANSION
John 14:2-3 "In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
A SAVIOR
God prepared Moses for the task of bringing Israel out of Egypt. God prepared the Red Sea for Israel’s crossing. God prepared for us the way of deliverance, by planning and “executing” the plan whereby Jesus Christ came to earth as man, suffered and died for you and me, was crucified – died – in our stead, arose from the dead – raised to walk in newness of life!
God prepared for the things He would do – In Jonah, God prepared 4 things – a great fish, a gourd, a worm, a wind.
B. WE NEED TO PREPARE. What should we prepare for? How should we prepare? What are we preparing for? How are we preparing?
Exodus 15:2 "The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him."
Deuteronomy 19:3 "Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither."
1 Samuel 7:3 "And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, 'If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.'"
2 Chronicles 35:6 "So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses."
Isaiah 40:3 "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, 'Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'"
Malachi 3:1 "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts."
Luke 1:76 "And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,"
Luke 3:4 "As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'"
Luke 7:27 "This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee."
Isaiah 57:14 "And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people."
Isaiah 62:10 "Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. "
Amos 4:12 "Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel." [Prepare for His return, O Church]
Practical Preparation 1. Submit 2. Pray 3. Study
Primary Context -
PREPARE TO SEEK GOD’S LAW (WORD)
PREPARE TO DO GOD’S LAW (WORD) – Heed, Obey, Follow
PREPARE TO TEACH GOD’S LAW (WORD)
STEP 2 – SEEK
Hebrew # 1875 – darash - to tread; to frequent; usually, to follow. By implication – to seek, ask, worship
Let me try to transition from Preparation to Seek. First, we should have seen that Prepare is not passive! Neither is Seek! Second, successful seeking is preceded by proper preparation. Let’s assume a search party is required – perhaps a lost child. The search may go into the night. It may become an extended search. And you don’t know the condition in which you may find the child. So you prepare for the search! – Flashlights, food, clothing, first-aid kit, etc. And then you begin – preferably methodically, systematically, so as not to waste time, duplicate effort, or overlook anything important. But having made all the preparations, it is not then time to nap, it is time to search. It’s no time for laziness, but for diligence. Though you may become weary, you don’t give up, because a child’s life may depend on you. Life is full of problems, difficulties, etc. When conflicts arise, often times there is a lack of the truth. And who will persevere until the truth be known? Many will accept the apparent as evidence of fact. Many will accept what is easiest to find, what inconveniences them the least, etc. Many reach wrong conclusions because they do not search enough for the truth.
2 Chronicles 12:14 says "And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD".
2 Chronicles 19:3 "Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God".
In seeking God, we must be willing to find God - not a god that we would like, nor a god of our own making, but the God who is!
Leviticus 19:31 "Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God".
1 Samuel 28:7 "Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor".
Psalm 10:4 "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts".
Psalm 14:2 "The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God".
Psalm 119:155 "Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes".
Hosea 10:12 "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you".
SEEKING EXEMPLIFIED
Luke 19:10 "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost".
SEEKING INSTRUCTED
1 Chronicles 16:11 "Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually".
1 Chronicles 22:19 "Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD".
1 Chronicles 28:8 "Now, therefore, in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever".
Isaiah 31:1 "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD"!
Isaiah 55:6 "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near".
RESPONSE TO GOD’S INSTRUCTION
Psalm 27:8 "When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek".
2 Chronicles 15:12-13 "And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman".
SEEK WITH DETERMINATION
2 Chronicles 11:16 "And after them, out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers".
2 Chronicles 20:3 "And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah".
Psalm 27:4 "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple".
SEEK WITH DILIGENCE
2 Chronicles 34:3 "For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images".
Psalm 63:1 "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is";
SEEK WITH HUMILITY
Isaiah 51:1 "Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged".
WHAT TO SEEK
First and foremost, we need to SEEK HIM!
Once we find HIM, we seek those things that please Him
Luke 12:29-31 "29And seek not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you".
Colossians 3:1 "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God".
Malachi 2:7 "For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts".
Ezra 8:21 "Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance".
BLESSINGS OF SEEKING HIM
SUCCESS
Deuteronomy 4:29 "But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul".
1 Chronicles 28:9 "And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever".
2 Chronicles 15:2 "And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you".
Jeremiah 29:13 "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart".
REWARD
Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him".
2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land".
Ezra 8:22 "For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him".
SATISFACTION
Psalm 34:10 "The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing".
JOY AND GLADNESS
Psalm 22:26 "The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever".
Psalm 40:16 "Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified".
1 Chronicles 16:10 "Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD".
LIFE
Psalm 69:32 "The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God".
Amos 5:4 "For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live":
Amos 5:6 "Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel".
Amos 5:8 "Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name":
Amos 5:14 "Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken".
LIBERTY
Psalm 119:45 "And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts".
UNDERSTANDING
Proverbs 28:5 "Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things".
BLESSING PRONOUNCED
Psalm 119:2 "Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart".
WARNING ABOUT DECEIVERS !
Ezra 4:2 "Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither".
John 6:26 "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled"
Luke 13:24 "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able".
STEP 3 – DO
Hebrew # 6213 asah - to do (Be doers, not just hearers, of the Word - James 1:22)
Numbers 15:39 "And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring":
2 Chronicles 14:4 "And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment".
2 Chronicles 31:21 "And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered".
STEP 4 – TEACH - the Word
Hebrew #3925 lamad = to goad (by impl. “to teach”)
Deut 6:1-9 "Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
Deut 6:17-25 " You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the LORD swore to your fathers, to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has spoken. “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; and the LORD showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.’
Matt 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
2 Tim. 2:1-2 "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."
Heb. 5:11-14 "...of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. Spiritual Immaturity For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
Titus 2:1-15 "But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you."
Ezra 7:10 "For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments."
God is a God of order
Examples
1. Creation
2. First the blade then the ear then the corn
3. The Feasts
We see order (progression) in our text verse – Ezra 7:10
My goal is to impress these four words into our minds and into our hearts as we consider what these words mean and how we can apply then to our lives. That we SHOULD, and NEED TO, apply them is a given!
STEP 1 – PREPARATION
Hebrew # 3559 kuwn - to establish, fix, prepare, make ready, make right
Primary Meaning - To Make Ready!
When a baby is due, we prepare the nursery. Though we may never be prepared for everything when a baby comes.
We prepare for vocation by attending schools, colleges, seminars, etc. Very few jobs do you just walk in and do it. Most require training and other preparation.
We prepare for retirement by saving, investing, etc. How many people regret NOT having prepared better for retirement
Proverbs 30:25 ”The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer”;
We prepare for dinner by purchasing food, making the food ready, cooking the food, serving the food, etc.
Mark 14:12 "And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?"
We prepare for the oil change by having bought the oil and filter and having available the necessary tools for the job.
We prepare for building a house - Counting the cost is part of preparation.
Joshua 22:26 "Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:"
2 Chronicles 2:9 "Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great."
Proverbs 24:27 "Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house"
We prepare for war – there must be a knowledge of the danger, a call to arms, etc.
1 Corinthians 14:8 says "For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?"
For many things, in order to be done, something else must have already been done (preparation).
We prepare for many, many things all the time.
A. GOD PREPARES !
A HEART
1 Chronicles 29:18 "O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee"; Psalm 10:17 "LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear."
A TABLE
Psalm 23:5 "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over."
A MANSION
John 14:2-3 "In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
A SAVIOR
God prepared Moses for the task of bringing Israel out of Egypt. God prepared the Red Sea for Israel’s crossing. God prepared for us the way of deliverance, by planning and “executing” the plan whereby Jesus Christ came to earth as man, suffered and died for you and me, was crucified – died – in our stead, arose from the dead – raised to walk in newness of life!
God prepared for the things He would do – In Jonah, God prepared 4 things – a great fish, a gourd, a worm, a wind.
B. WE NEED TO PREPARE. What should we prepare for? How should we prepare? What are we preparing for? How are we preparing?
Exodus 15:2 "The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him."
Deuteronomy 19:3 "Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither."
1 Samuel 7:3 "And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, 'If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.'"
2 Chronicles 35:6 "So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses."
Isaiah 40:3 "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, 'Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'"
Malachi 3:1 "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts."
Luke 1:76 "And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,"
Luke 3:4 "As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'"
Luke 7:27 "This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee."
Isaiah 57:14 "And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people."
Isaiah 62:10 "Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. "
Amos 4:12 "Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel." [Prepare for His return, O Church]
Practical Preparation 1. Submit 2. Pray 3. Study
Primary Context -
PREPARE TO SEEK GOD’S LAW (WORD)
PREPARE TO DO GOD’S LAW (WORD) – Heed, Obey, Follow
PREPARE TO TEACH GOD’S LAW (WORD)
STEP 2 – SEEK
Hebrew # 1875 – darash - to tread; to frequent; usually, to follow. By implication – to seek, ask, worship
Let me try to transition from Preparation to Seek. First, we should have seen that Prepare is not passive! Neither is Seek! Second, successful seeking is preceded by proper preparation. Let’s assume a search party is required – perhaps a lost child. The search may go into the night. It may become an extended search. And you don’t know the condition in which you may find the child. So you prepare for the search! – Flashlights, food, clothing, first-aid kit, etc. And then you begin – preferably methodically, systematically, so as not to waste time, duplicate effort, or overlook anything important. But having made all the preparations, it is not then time to nap, it is time to search. It’s no time for laziness, but for diligence. Though you may become weary, you don’t give up, because a child’s life may depend on you. Life is full of problems, difficulties, etc. When conflicts arise, often times there is a lack of the truth. And who will persevere until the truth be known? Many will accept the apparent as evidence of fact. Many will accept what is easiest to find, what inconveniences them the least, etc. Many reach wrong conclusions because they do not search enough for the truth.
2 Chronicles 12:14 says "And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD".
2 Chronicles 19:3 "Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God".
In seeking God, we must be willing to find God - not a god that we would like, nor a god of our own making, but the God who is!
Leviticus 19:31 "Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God".
1 Samuel 28:7 "Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor".
Psalm 10:4 "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts".
Psalm 14:2 "The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God".
Psalm 119:155 "Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not thy statutes".
Hosea 10:12 "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you".
SEEKING EXEMPLIFIED
Luke 19:10 "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost".
SEEKING INSTRUCTED
1 Chronicles 16:11 "Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually".
1 Chronicles 22:19 "Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and the holy vessels of God, into the house that is to be built to the name of the LORD".
1 Chronicles 28:8 "Now, therefore, in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the LORD, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever".
Isaiah 31:1 "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD"!
Isaiah 55:6 "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near".
RESPONSE TO GOD’S INSTRUCTION
Psalm 27:8 "When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek".
2 Chronicles 15:12-13 "And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman".
SEEK WITH DETERMINATION
2 Chronicles 11:16 "And after them, out of all the tribes of Israel, such as set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came to Jerusalem, to sacrifice unto the LORD God of their fathers".
2 Chronicles 20:3 "And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah".
Psalm 27:4 "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple".
SEEK WITH DILIGENCE
2 Chronicles 34:3 "For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images".
Psalm 63:1 "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is";
SEEK WITH HUMILITY
Isaiah 51:1 "Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged".
WHAT TO SEEK
First and foremost, we need to SEEK HIM!
Once we find HIM, we seek those things that please Him
Luke 12:29-31 "29And seek not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you".
Colossians 3:1 "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God".
Malachi 2:7 "For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts".
Ezra 8:21 "Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance".
BLESSINGS OF SEEKING HIM
SUCCESS
Deuteronomy 4:29 "But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul".
1 Chronicles 28:9 "And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever".
2 Chronicles 15:2 "And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you".
Jeremiah 29:13 "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart".
REWARD
Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him".
2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land".
Ezra 8:22 "For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him".
SATISFACTION
Psalm 34:10 "The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing".
JOY AND GLADNESS
Psalm 22:26 "The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever".
Psalm 40:16 "Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified".
1 Chronicles 16:10 "Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD".
LIFE
Psalm 69:32 "The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God".
Amos 5:4 "For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live":
Amos 5:6 "Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel".
Amos 5:8 "Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name":
Amos 5:14 "Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken".
LIBERTY
Psalm 119:45 "And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts".
UNDERSTANDING
Proverbs 28:5 "Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things".
BLESSING PRONOUNCED
Psalm 119:2 "Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart".
WARNING ABOUT DECEIVERS !
Ezra 4:2 "Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither".
John 6:26 "Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled"
Luke 13:24 "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able".
STEP 3 – DO
Hebrew # 6213 asah - to do (Be doers, not just hearers, of the Word - James 1:22)
Numbers 15:39 "And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring":
2 Chronicles 14:4 "And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment".
2 Chronicles 31:21 "And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered".
STEP 4 – TEACH - the Word
Hebrew #3925 lamad = to goad (by impl. “to teach”)
Deut 6:1-9 "Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
Deut 6:17-25 " You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the LORD swore to your fathers, to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has spoken. “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; and the LORD showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.’
Matt 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
2 Tim. 2:1-2 "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."
Heb. 5:11-14 "...of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. Spiritual Immaturity For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
Titus 2:1-15 "But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you."