WORD STUDY – SEEKING
Isaiah 51:1: “Harken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord, look unto the rock from whence you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit, when you are digged.
Seek – Hebrew: bakas- to seek, inquire, to demand, to require, to ask.
This verse affords the opportunity to glimpse into the heart of God. The key lies in that phrase written by Isaiah: “You that seek the Lord, look unto the rock from whence you were hewn.” This is not just those who follow a righteous life, most Christians want to follow a righteous life. The word “follow” is “radaph” which is in a simple qal form and has the idea of simply following after something.
However, for those who are following righteousness but are also seeking the Lord, Isaiah gives a little clue as to how to fill this void you feel within yourself. The word “seek” is “bakas” which is in a piel participial form, which is much more intense than just following after, this has the idea of being driven, or obsessed. As a participle it would put it in a present tense, you are now obsessively seeking the Lord.
I am finding more and more Christians who sense this driving urge to know God, to be intimate with Him. Well for any among you who are reading this and you have this drive in your heart, an obsession or bakas (to seek) God then this verse is for you.
To really know the Heart of God you must “look” to the rock from whence you were hewn. The word “look” is “navat” which means to look upon or behold. However, this is in a Hiphil form and as such, it is more than just looking upon, it is attaching oneself to this rock from which you were hewn.
Jewish commentators explain it this way. When you or someone else suffers pain, you must realize that God, as a loving Father, is also suffering the same pain. If a man’s wife is unhappy, then he will also be unhappy no matter how good his fortune, for when he becomes one with his wife, he will share her happiness as well as her pain.
It would then follow that if we are the bride of Christ, then Christ as the bridegroom will not only feel our every hurt and sorrow we feel, but it will grieve him just as the hurt and sorrow of a man’s bride would grieve him.
However, Jewish commentators go on to say we must switch roles and look beyond our own pain and sorrow to the pain and sorrow God feels on ours or others behalf. I remember as a youth pastor, I was on a church bus taking our youth group on a retreat when one of our sponsors ran up to the bus driver and demanded he pull the bus over to the side of the road. Once stopped the man jumped out of the bus and started to chase after a little dog that was running loose down the highway. After the incident and the dog was safe, the man returned to the bus and I heard him muttering the words of his wife under his breath: “Get ‘em Charlie, get ‘em Charlie.” The man would never have chased after this dog on his own. He did it for the sake of his wife who saw the dog and was grieved over the plight and danger this little dog was in. The man might have said: “Honey, forgive me but you’re nuts. If you think I am going to stop this bus and run out in the middle of heavy traffic to chase down some mutt, think again, it’s just a dog for Pete’s sake.” Instead, almost without thinking, his wife’s grief pierced his heart and he went into action to protect his wife’s heart because he too was grieved, not over the plight of the dog but over his wife’s grief.
Sometime days before a class or speaking engagement when I am praying for my students or members of the fellowship that I will be addressing that I catch a glimpse of God’s heart and I see His grief or sorrow over a student or person who will be in attendance at the meeting. I may never have met this student or person but I sense God’s grief or sorrow over this person’s plight and I am compelled to share with this person a word (usually a Hebrew word) from God’s heart. I know, it is a foolish thing to do, but at the moment all I can think of is the concern or grief in God’s heart and wanting to do something to address that grief or concern. Afterwards, I find myself thinking: “Dummy, Dummy, Chaim is a Dummy.” That is my version of: “Get ‘em Charlie, get ‘em Charlie.”
You must remember that the Jewish concept of prayer is much different than ours. To the Jew, prayer is uniting yourself with God, not just offering up petitions. It is in that unity that you share with God, his joy and his peace as well as His sorrow and grief; that is prayer. When you share that joy and peace with others or address God’s sorrow and grief over others, that is also prayer for you are doing it in unity with God. Thus, when you feel pain, the Rock from whence you were hewn is also wounded. The word “hewn” is “chastav” which has the idea of being cut off . By reattaching yourself to the rock it will heal the wound that both you and the Rock or the Heavenly Father feels.
When you are lonely, broken, hurting; then pause to look at the Heavenly Father, He is feeling your loneliness, brokenness and hurt, He too is in pain. Perhaps you are catching a glimpse into His heart and you are feeling His pain for another. Do you ever stop to consider His pain or are you too focused on your own pain or your fear of embarrassment or safety to address another’s sorrow or pain with sharing God’s heart? But what can you do for the Heavenly Father’s pain? If it is your pain bringing God pain then you can do the same thing a hurting wife can do for the pain her husband feels on her behalf, she will let him hold her, stroke her, comfort her and say gentle things to her to ease her pain. When he is able to ease her pain, the pain he feels because of her is also eased. If that pain is for someone else, well, then you may just have to stop the bus and “Get ‘em Charlie, get ‘em Charlie.”
Isaiah 51:1: “Harken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord, look unto the rock from whence you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit, when you are digged.
Seek – Hebrew: bakas- to seek, inquire, to demand, to require, to ask.
This verse affords the opportunity to glimpse into the heart of God. The key lies in that phrase written by Isaiah: “You that seek the Lord, look unto the rock from whence you were hewn.” This is not just those who follow a righteous life, most Christians want to follow a righteous life. The word “follow” is “radaph” which is in a simple qal form and has the idea of simply following after something.
However, for those who are following righteousness but are also seeking the Lord, Isaiah gives a little clue as to how to fill this void you feel within yourself. The word “seek” is “bakas” which is in a piel participial form, which is much more intense than just following after, this has the idea of being driven, or obsessed. As a participle it would put it in a present tense, you are now obsessively seeking the Lord.
I am finding more and more Christians who sense this driving urge to know God, to be intimate with Him. Well for any among you who are reading this and you have this drive in your heart, an obsession or bakas (to seek) God then this verse is for you.
To really know the Heart of God you must “look” to the rock from whence you were hewn. The word “look” is “navat” which means to look upon or behold. However, this is in a Hiphil form and as such, it is more than just looking upon, it is attaching oneself to this rock from which you were hewn.
Jewish commentators explain it this way. When you or someone else suffers pain, you must realize that God, as a loving Father, is also suffering the same pain. If a man’s wife is unhappy, then he will also be unhappy no matter how good his fortune, for when he becomes one with his wife, he will share her happiness as well as her pain.
It would then follow that if we are the bride of Christ, then Christ as the bridegroom will not only feel our every hurt and sorrow we feel, but it will grieve him just as the hurt and sorrow of a man’s bride would grieve him.
However, Jewish commentators go on to say we must switch roles and look beyond our own pain and sorrow to the pain and sorrow God feels on ours or others behalf. I remember as a youth pastor, I was on a church bus taking our youth group on a retreat when one of our sponsors ran up to the bus driver and demanded he pull the bus over to the side of the road. Once stopped the man jumped out of the bus and started to chase after a little dog that was running loose down the highway. After the incident and the dog was safe, the man returned to the bus and I heard him muttering the words of his wife under his breath: “Get ‘em Charlie, get ‘em Charlie.” The man would never have chased after this dog on his own. He did it for the sake of his wife who saw the dog and was grieved over the plight and danger this little dog was in. The man might have said: “Honey, forgive me but you’re nuts. If you think I am going to stop this bus and run out in the middle of heavy traffic to chase down some mutt, think again, it’s just a dog for Pete’s sake.” Instead, almost without thinking, his wife’s grief pierced his heart and he went into action to protect his wife’s heart because he too was grieved, not over the plight of the dog but over his wife’s grief.
Sometime days before a class or speaking engagement when I am praying for my students or members of the fellowship that I will be addressing that I catch a glimpse of God’s heart and I see His grief or sorrow over a student or person who will be in attendance at the meeting. I may never have met this student or person but I sense God’s grief or sorrow over this person’s plight and I am compelled to share with this person a word (usually a Hebrew word) from God’s heart. I know, it is a foolish thing to do, but at the moment all I can think of is the concern or grief in God’s heart and wanting to do something to address that grief or concern. Afterwards, I find myself thinking: “Dummy, Dummy, Chaim is a Dummy.” That is my version of: “Get ‘em Charlie, get ‘em Charlie.”
You must remember that the Jewish concept of prayer is much different than ours. To the Jew, prayer is uniting yourself with God, not just offering up petitions. It is in that unity that you share with God, his joy and his peace as well as His sorrow and grief; that is prayer. When you share that joy and peace with others or address God’s sorrow and grief over others, that is also prayer for you are doing it in unity with God. Thus, when you feel pain, the Rock from whence you were hewn is also wounded. The word “hewn” is “chastav” which has the idea of being cut off . By reattaching yourself to the rock it will heal the wound that both you and the Rock or the Heavenly Father feels.
When you are lonely, broken, hurting; then pause to look at the Heavenly Father, He is feeling your loneliness, brokenness and hurt, He too is in pain. Perhaps you are catching a glimpse into His heart and you are feeling His pain for another. Do you ever stop to consider His pain or are you too focused on your own pain or your fear of embarrassment or safety to address another’s sorrow or pain with sharing God’s heart? But what can you do for the Heavenly Father’s pain? If it is your pain bringing God pain then you can do the same thing a hurting wife can do for the pain her husband feels on her behalf, she will let him hold her, stroke her, comfort her and say gentle things to her to ease her pain. When he is able to ease her pain, the pain he feels because of her is also eased. If that pain is for someone else, well, then you may just have to stop the bus and “Get ‘em Charlie, get ‘em Charlie.”
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