D. Scott Meadows
Seek the LORD and his strength,
Seek his face continually (1 Chron 16.11).
This verse is a snippet from young King David’s psalm of joyful praise (1 Chron 16.7-36; cf. vv. 8-22 with Psa 105.1-15; vv. 23-33 with Psa 96.1-13; v. 34 with Psa 106.1; vv. 35-36 with Psa 106.47-48) when he had, on his second attempt, successfully brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. It begins with a series of vigorous exhortations for worshippers of the LORD: give thanks to Him, call upon His name, publish His deeds, sing to Him, talk about His wondrous works, glory in His name, rejoice as His people, and remember His marvelous works (vv. 8-13). Couched among these is another exhortation to make God the object of our unending quest.
The Activity
Literally, to “seek” something is to attempt to find it, to go in search of it, to look for it (COED, MWCD), for example, when you have misplaced the car keys. In the spiritual realm, seeking or searching is a metaphor. God is not literally lost, nor confined to one place remote from us. As Paul said, God has determined that people “should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17.27-28). What is common to the literal and metaphorical senses is a seeker, an object to be sought, a desire to find it, and activity directed toward that end.
So what does one actually do in seeking the Lord?1 It presupposes that God “has become hidden to a nation or individual because of . . . sin.” Finding God means “to come to know him and thus to experience divine acceptance, forgiveness, and support.” The activity of seeking him in Scripture usually means “to come before him (at his sanctuary, in prayer, etc.) in order to seek help, guidance, or information.” It is to engage wholeheartedly in divinely appointed religious activity for the purpose of living as God’s servant and son in communion with him. Scripture intake, prayer, and participation in church meetings are central.
The Object
The only legitimate and profitable spiritual seeking is of “the LORD,” for he alone is God, our “very present help in trouble” (Psa 46.1). The LORD (Jehovah, or Yahweh) is the only true and living God; “all the gods of the nations are idols” (Psa 96.5). The LORD alone is Creator, absolute Sovereign, and Redeemer of his chosen people. He made himself known to Adam and Eve, to Noah, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; He delivered Israel from Egypt, led them through the wilderness, and brought them triumphantly into the Promised Land. He blessed them there, first with prosperity, then with the discipline of exile, and afterward, with the remnant’s return.
Then, in the fullness of time, this LORD became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth (John 1.14), “Emmanuel” (“God with us,” Matt 1.23). We know him as the Lord Jesus Christ. Our quest for God must be focused upon Christ or it is a way of death and condemnation (John 8.24).
The Call and Duty
David writes as the Lord’s spokesman, a holy ambassador with a message for us from heaven itself. “Seek the LORD” is both invitation and command, our greatest opportunity and our solemn obligation. Sin has so corrupted everyone spiritually that we have lost all heart and desire to seek him (Rom 3.9-12). Apart from his gracious spiritual renewal within us, we don’t. That is our greatest sin, a violation of the greatest commandment (Matt 6.33; 22.36-38).
But whoever is genuinely stirred by the Spirit to seek the Lord may be assured that he already knows him and will follow on to know him in a greater way (Hos 6.1-3). The first biblical mention of seeking the Lord is very encouraging: “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” (Deut 4.29).
The Need
The Lord’s “strength” in line one holds it forth for us in our weakness. “Seek the LORD and the strength he gives!” (NET); more loosely, “Go to the LORD for help” (GNB), “Depend on the LORD and his strength; always go to him for help” (NCV).
Biblical religion exalts God and humbles man, bringing us to appreciate more and more His greatness and our smallness, his strength and our weakness. By realizing all other resources, native to us and external from us, are at best inadequate, we embrace the LORD as our God and Savior, and cling to him. Paradoxically, this is the only way to become strong (Isa 26.4; 40.28-31; Dan 11.32; Eph 3.16; 6.10; 2 Tim 2.1; 1 John 5.4).
The Pleasure
“Seek his face” (line two) is both recapitulation and elaboration. This expression connotes his “presence” (ESV) and his favor (Gen 33.11; Exod 33.11; Num 6.25; Esther 1.14). Seeking the LORD is not just a practical matter, that we might have his strength against ruin by all our enemies. Only in his gracious presence do we find all life, light, and joy. God himself is the summum bonum, the highest good, the source and end of all good.2 The psalmist prayed, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psa 16.11).
The Commitment
Line two concludes, “Seek his face continually.” Other translations give “always, evermore, untiringly, day and night,” and “constantly.” “The word is . . . used adverbially in connection with the cult to denote constancy in cultic duties.”3 The worshiper resolves to persevere in his quest for God. And such persistent devotion shall finally be perfected and continue in his eternal, glorious kingdom. Amen.
Notes:
1 Quotes in this paragraph from Dorsey, D. A. (1979–1988). Seek. In G. W. Bromiley (Ed.), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Vol. 4, p. 381). Wm. B. Eerdmans.
2 Muller, R. A. (1985). Dictionary of Latin and Greek theological terms : drawn principally from Protestant scholastic theology. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House.
3 Kaiser, W. C. (1999). 1157 מוד. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 493). Chicago: Moody Press.