“But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him, if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29
The great call of God to all of mankind is for individuals, families, peoples and nations, to seek Him, and to find Him. Why is this so? First, it is the evidence of the working of God by His Spirit in the heart of man, creating a thirst, desire, commitment, and a resolve to know the truth of God in order to KNOW Him in truth. When Jesus was standing before Pilate, just before He would be tried and condemned to die on the cross, He reached out to godless Pilate in order to awaken in him the desire for the truth. The Lord Jesus told Pilate, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (Jn. 18:37) In that most critical moment of Pilate’s life, God the Father brought His Son face to face with him, Pilate responded by asking: “What is truth?” It seems that Pilate’s question reveals that he did not belong to those who are “…of the truth,” and “…hears My voice.” Christ was seeking to stir up in Pilate a resolve to know the truth, but it appears that Pilate turned away from the pursuit, and did NOT find Him, though he would declare to the Jews, “I find no fault in Him (Christ) at all.” What a contrast it is between those who seek and find Christ, and those who do not seek, but remain locked in the downward spiral of sin and deception? It was Bernard of Clairvaux who, in one of his hymns, gives us a glimpse of those who seek and find. He wrote: “But what to those who find? Ah, this, Nor tongue nor pen can show: The love of Jesus, what it is, None but His loved ones know.”
In the days of Moses, after he had led the people of Israel out of Egypt, and slavery to Pharaoh, and also, after the people had wandered in the wilderness forty years, we find Moses addressing the people. Moses would soon die, God having designated Joshua to lead the people to conquer Canaan. Already the people had seen what God would do for them by their recent conquests of two enemy kings, Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan. This was a great encouragement to the people, as the Lord was preparing them for the extensive conquest of Canaan. Soon Joshua would take the place of Moses, assuming the leadership of the people before this daunting, enormous task, Israel’s enemies being numerous of great stature. Certainly, there would be times when faith would be tested by what was seen, as contrasted to what God had declared. It would be at this time that God puts before the people the certain means of strengthening and maintaining overcoming faith.
The first thing God did was to direct the people’s attention to Himself, by calling them to “listen to His statues and judgments.” (4:1) The knowledge of God, and the conviction of HIs presence and faithfulness, will always be according to His word. As long as the people “…keep the commandments of the Lord your God” which He commanded them, His blessing and power would be given. The great testimony before the world would be that of Israel being a “great nation…that has God so near to it.” (4:7)
But what of the matter of actively, daily seeking God? To not go forward in faith, is to retreat from the battlefield. To carefully hear, and heed, the words of God, means to seek God in daily worship of Him, communion with Him being the great priority. The promise to the seeking soul who seeks Him with the whole heart is that “…you will find Him,” revealing Himself in the secret place of worship.
Dear Father, Show us Thy mercy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.