“Those Who Diligently Seek Him”
(Hebrews 11:6)
Introduction. “Diligently Seek” ekzeteo “1. To seek in order to find; a. to seek a thing; b. to seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into; c. to seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after; 2. to seek i.e. require, demand, a. to crave, demand something from someone" (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 195).
I. General Usage. - Papyri & Non-literary Sources.
- 14 BC. One source uses the word to describe death "seeking to change" ones garment so that they cannot be seen (BGU IV. 1141.41).
- First century BC, another uses it of seeking out guilty persons (POxy. 1465.11).
- An inscription from Hierapolis uses it of seeking out money (Cagnat IV.834.5, from Moulton & Milligan, p. 194).
- Literary sources (zeteo) without the prefix.
- Xenophon, uses it of seeking divine things (Memorobilia, 1.1.15).
- Plato, uses it describing Socrates seeking and inquiring (supposedly at the command of a god) to expose false wisdom (Apology 23b).
II. Greek Old Testament.
- Divine reckoning (Genesis 9:5) -- "require" three times.
- Seeking Divine judgment (Exodus 18:15). LXX lit. “to seek judgment from God.”
- Seeking reconciliation to God, after having turned to idolatry (Deuteronomy 4:29).
- Keeping statutes (Psalm 119:145, 155; LXX 118).
- Seeking salvation (Amos 5:5-7).
III. New Testament.
- Divine reckoning (Luke 11:47-51). Note: vss. 50, 51) “required.”
- Gentiles seeking the Lord (Acts 15:15-20).
- What the wicked to not do (Romans 3:10-12) Note: vs. 11 is a paraphrase of Psalm 14:1-2 and 53:1-2.
- Seeking to change choices (Hebrews 12:14-17). Used twice here, "sought" and "carefully."
- Seeking to understand the plans of God (1 Peter 1:10-12). Note: vs. 10 “inquired.”
IV. Application.
(Hebrews 11:6) If God is to be our rewarder, our faith must be one that "diligently seeks Him." We must...
- See this as something which demands our attention, like the Divine reckoning which demands our attention.
- Understand that it involves obedience, as in the Psalms where it is keeping or seeking God’s commandments.
- Understand that when we sin, we must seek God quickly, as the Lord told those in idolatry that they would seekHim and find Him.
- Always seek to know more and more of the things of God, like the prophets who wanted to understand those thing they were led to prophesy.
- Understand that one day it will be too late to "diligently seek" Him. Then we, like Esau may desire to change our condition but it will be too late.