Seek and Search
“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
Seek and Search – Not just action, but diligent, purposeful action. You won’t get what you’re looking for unless you know the difference. That’s why Jeremiah uses two words for “seek” in this verse. God wants you to know that it takes more than just doing something. It takes doing something for a purpose.
The first verb used here is bāqaš (baqash). It is a verb of concrete action. When I want something, I better do more than sit on my hands and hope that what I want will knock on my door. I better get up and do something about getting it. God does not tolerate spiritual couch potatoes. But this verb is usually about physical action in an effort to acquire something. Want to see the view from the top of the hill? Climb. Want to put money in the bank? Work. This is a “blood and sweat” word. It is used to describe the Egyptians who were seeking to find Moses after he killed one of the taskmasters (Exodus 3:15).
But there is another element that is necessary when you seek God. That element is found in the second verb, dāraš (darash). dāraš is the verb for “seeking with great care,” especially those things that can only be found with deep thought. In other words, this is not a verb about searching for some external object to acquire. This is a verb about diligently searching for knowledge. Deuteronomy often warns Israel to seek wisdom and advice from God. The word midrash comes from this verb. A Midrash is a careful commentary on Jewish Scripture. The purpose of a Midrash is to give the reader a deeper understanding of God’s record.
Do you remember Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well? She asked Jesus, “Where is the proper place of worship?” She wanted to know the right location. But Jesus answered that the real worshipper worships in spirit and in truth. It’s not sufficient to seek (bāqaš) God’s place. You must carefully seek (dāraš) knowing God. What verb describes your effort today? Are you running around looking and carefully knowing?
Topical Index: dāraš, bāqaš, seek, search, Jeremiah 29:13
