An ancient Chassidic parable tells the story of Yechiel, the young grandson of a Chassidic rabbi, who once played hide-and-seek with a friend. When it was his turn to hide, he found a great hiding place where he waited, somewhat impatiently, for his friend to find him.
He waited and waited; it seemed like hours - but his friend never came. In fact, his friend had never even started looking for him. He’d left the little boy and gone home.
With tears streaming down his face, Yechiel ran to his grandfather and told him what had happened. Deeply moved by the hurt of his grandson, the rabbi also broke into tears saying, "God says the same thing - ’I hide, but no one tries to find me’".
I. INTRODUCTION
1. I hide, but no one tries to find me. When you first heard that statement, you probably said to yourself, “God makes himself available to everybody – he doesn’t hide!” Your problem (mine, too), is that you think like a 21st century gentile…
A. In ancient Jewish thought, God made himself visible only to those who sought him – particularly priests, prophets and others called specifically by God. They believed God hid himself from the pagan nations because he did not wish to reveal himself to them.
B. For this reason, the Jews focused much of their theology on seeking God’s face (some believe this phrase is a reference to his “hiding”).
C. Whether you share their belief or not is not important. What is important for the sake of our study is that you understand it; and perhaps by the close of our time together you will have a new appreciation for Jewish thought as it relates to OT writings.
2. Read 1 Chronicles 28:1-10 from JPS while their Bibles are closed.
3. PRAY. TWM to 1 Chronicles 28.
II. BACKGROUND/SETTING
1. In this passage the Chronicler records David’s plans for the building of the temple of the Lord, and his final instructions to his son Solomon.
2. David has come to terms (to some extent) with the fact that he will not build the temple for Yahweh his God, despite his deep desire to do so (cf. v.2). If you’ve ever experienced the loss of a dream, you understand David’s disappointment.
3. He masks his regret (as many of us do) with some positive self-affirmation (v.4-7):
A. Yahweh, the God of Israel chose me to be king; first Judah, then my family, then me!
B. Among my sons, he has chosen Solomon to be the king of the kingdom of the Lord.
C. Solomon, my son, will build the temple; he will be the LORD’s son
D. His kingdom will last forever if he is uncompromising in carrying out the law of God.
4. David’s words of self-affirmation do not grow out of arrogance, but out of a duty to bless the LORD. The Jews saw blessing as two-dimensional; God showering goodness upon man, and man responding with praise, worship, submission and obedience.
5. After issuing a challenge to the children of Israel (v.8) to live in strict obedience to the laws and commandments of Yahweh, he turns his attention to Solomon in a beautifully passionate moment, and gives him this emotional instruction (v.9):
A. And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge (know) the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.
i. NIV acknowledge is unfortunate - should probably be translated know
ii. Heart does not refer to the organ, or even the emotions, but the inner midst of the will – the center of conscious decision
6. This verse brings us to a question: How do I seek God and know God, and is there a relationship between the two? Let’s take a look and see for ourselves…
III. HOW DO I SEEK GOD?
1. The textbook answer to this question is to “read the Bible and pray”. I find no fault with that instruction, but we need clearer direction than that to be effective. Jesus taught that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind. With that in mind, seeking God should follow this pattern.
A. Seek with your heart. Remember, the heart refers to the inner midst of the will – the center of conscious decision. In other words, the pursuit of God begins with attitude, not activity. Your must decide to pursue him – you must make it a goal.
i. If you want a closer walk with God, if you ever feel distant or disconnected, this is how you begin to recover; with a change of attitude toward the things of God.
ii. This may involve dramatic change in lifestyle, priorities and schedule – don’t say I didn’t warn you…
B. Seek with your soul. Your decision to pursue him cannot be at your leisure. You must completely commit to the goal. Not just an hour or two on Sundays and Wednesdays, but a complete dedication to seeking God as your first priority.
i. The goal here is intimacy. In order to get it, you must give it.
ii. Prayer is the secret to seeking with your soul. Talk to God about your desire – be specific and intentional –
C. Seek with your mind. We tend to overlook this dimension. The study of scripture requires exactly that – STUDY.
i. Let me encourage you to make an investment in your relationship with God. The resources available today make it possible for clergy and laypeople alike to delve into the scriptures in ways they never thought possible.
(a) Get involved in a serious study group – something beyond a social gathering
(b) Take a class at a local Bible institute, college, or seminary
(c) Add four books to your library: a good study Bible, a concordance, a Bible dictionary, and a single volume commentary on the Bible. Armed with these tools and a heart and soul for seeking God, you will be amazed at the power at your fingertips.
IV. KNOWING GOD
1. When you commit to seeking God this way, you will begin to know him in a way you have not known him before.
A. You will read Scripture looking for insights into God’s character and his heart (Fontana – theological insights about God). As you read, pray over the scripture and ask God to reveal himself to you through that specific passage. He will!
2. After a time, you will begin to spot these insights quickly because your eyes are trained and sensitive to them. Guess what! You’re beginning to know God better!
3. This newfound knowledge (beyond intellectual, now personal and experiential) will have another affect on you – suddenly, you want to seek God even more!
A. It becomes a never-ending cycle of spiritual formation – you seek him in order to know him, and as you know him, you seek him more to know him better! It’s a paradox (two conditions that seem to contradict each other)
B. It will help if you think of seeking God and knowing God as two sides of the same coin!
The late author and pastor A. W. Tozer said this about the relationship between seeking and knowing:
“What I am anxious to see in Christian believers is a beautiful paradox. I want to see in them the joy of finding God while at the same time they are blessedly pursuing Him. I want to see in them the great joy of having God yet always wanting Him. ”
4. That’s it…that’s it! Always having God yet always wanting more of him!
V. SERVING GOD
1. I can assure you that when this paradox exists in your walk with the Lord, serving him will be a given – you can’t sit still!
2. You will have greater peace in whatever he calls you to do, BECAUSE YOU HAVE COME TO KNOW HIM – HE’S NOT AN ACQUAINTANCE, HE’S THE CLOSEST FRIEND YOU HAVE.
3. You’ll begin to look for opportunities to serve – new areas of challenge that will draw you still closer to him.
4. Your walk will be defined by the intimacy you share with God.
5. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
VI. CONCLUSION
1. David gave his son Solomon outstanding advice. There is nothing that will prepare him for the life he will have better than to seek , know and serve God.
A. Not in a superficial Sunday, Wednesday kind of way…that’s activity. We’re talking about attitude.
B. Lou Holtz, former football coach at Notre Dame once said; “never confuse activity with accomplishment”
C. It was certain that Solomon’s life would be filled with activity – David wanted it to be filled with accomplishment – accomplishment that grows out of seeking, knowing and serving God.
D. How about you?
