I came across a stirring passage this week—Psalm 24:6. Let me give you the immediate context:
Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
(Psalm 24:3-6)
Another translation
In Hebrew, the two words for “seek” are different. The first (“those who seek Him”) means to seek with care, investigate, to be intent on, search after, worship, or to make supplication. The second (“who seek Your face”) means to discover, find, possess, look for, seek to obtain, or try to get.
Both words obviously have similar connotations with the idea of a purposeful pursuit after one thing. In this case, the one thing being God Himself.
Not what they can get from Him. Not what they can do for Him. Just Himself.
Interestingly, in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), both words are translated the same—zēteō, which means to desire, seek, look for, attempt to obtain, examine, consider, or deliberately strive for.
This Greek word (used 119 in the New Testament) is the same word found in Matthew 6:33—”But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
How are we to seek God?
In its context, Jesus tells His listeners in Matthew 6:31 that they are not to be anxious and ask “‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?'” For even the Gentiles seek after and have an intense desire for such things. Rather, as Christians, we must seek after the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
An aggressive pursuit. A deliberate striving for. A passion to obtain. A desire to look for,
Do I live like that? Do I live in fear, worry, and anxiety over the basic necessities of life … or is my focus and pursuit after something (rather Someone) greater?
Do I Seek?
Not do I talk about seeking.
Do my actions, thoughts, life, and language reveal to the world around me that I am seeking after God?
Psalm 24:6 mentions a generation of people who seek God and the intimacy of being with Him (seeking after His face, which demands proximity and intimacy).
I want to be a part of that generation. A generation who deliberately pursues and intentionally seeks after God alone.
But the Psalmist reminds us that it is not merely seeking that defines this generation—it is a life that is transformed and altered by the One they are seeking. For these seekers are described as …
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is … the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face (Psalm 24:4-6).
Let’s seek Him together.
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