“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.

  1. Papyri & Non-literary Sources.
    1. 14 BC. One source uses the word to describe death "seeking to change" one’s garment so that they cannot be seen (BGU IV. 1141.41).
    2. First century BC, another uses it of seeking out guilty persons (POxy. 1465.11).
    3. An inscription from Hierapolis uses it of seeking out money (Cagnat IV.834.5, from Moulton & Milligan, p. 194).
  2. Literary sources (zeteo) without the prefix.
    1. Xenophon, uses it of seeking divine things (Memorobilia, 1.1.15).
    2. 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.

  1. Divine reckoning (Genesis 9:5) -- "require" three times.
  2. Seeking Divine judgment (Exodus 18:15). LXX lit. “to seek judgment from God.”
  3. Seeking reconciliation to God, after having turned to idolatry (Deuteronomy 4:29).
  4. Keeping statutes (Psalm 119:145, 155; LXX 118).
  5. Seeking salvation (Amos 5:5-7).

III. New Testament.

  1. Divine reckoning (Luke 11:47-51). Note: vss. 50, 51) “required.”
  2. Gentiles seeking the Lord (Acts 15:15-20).
  3. 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.
  4. Seeking to change choices (Hebrews 12:14-17). Used twice here, "sought" and "carefully."
  5. 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...

  1. See this as something which demands our attention, like the Divine reckoning which demands our attention.
  2. Understand that it involves obedience, as in the Psalms where it is keeping or seeking God’s commandments.
  3. Understand that when we sin, we must seek God quickly, as the Lord told those in idolatry that they would seekHim and find Him.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.