BY REV F. MACDONALD, M.A., Tolsta.
We are all very familiar with these words. That being the case, we are in danger of being blinded to their glory and meaning. The message contained in this verse is a message that never grows old. Today, as in the days of Isaiah, we need to hear this gracious and solemn call to seek the Lord while we are on mercy’s ground.
In connection with the words of our text, three things demand consideration.
1. Those who are called upon to seek the Lord.
In examining first of all those who are called upon to seek the Lord, we must refute the theory that only the spiritually thirsty are exhorted and encouraged to that duty. This passage of Truth, viewed in the light of its context exposes that fallacy for, those addressed are accused of spending their money for that which is not bread and their labour for that which satisfieth not. They are further designated as wicked, and unrighteous. Let us consider then the character of those commanded to seek the Lord. They are, in the words of Holy Scripture, wicked. The wicked man is the unregenerate natural man. This we can prove by stating one or two of the more general and universal characteristics of the wicked, from the infallible oracles of Truth. The first of these we find in Psalm 10 verse 4 viz., that the wicked will not seek after God. Now, this fact is true, wherever we go. A man may not be an open adulterer, he may not be addicted to lying, swearing, and drunkenness, and yet he may still be a wicked man. If it is true that he does not seek after God, then he is in the eyes of God, wicked. The character of godless men may, and does vary considerably, but this feature belongs to each and all of them. Dear reader, is it true of you that you are not seeking the Lord? Have you been seeking Him yesterday, are you seeking Him today? If not, rest assured, that whatever profession of religion you make, and however blameless your moral character may be, you too, are a wicked man. I know perfectly well, that there are certain companies, certain associates, certain sins that you would shun. I further know that the lewd company of some you know, is even now intolerable to you, but, remember that, if you are not among those who are seeking the Lord, your soul will be gathered with sinners of the basest and vilest sort. In this chapter, God warns us that His thoughts are not our thoughts, and therefore, there will be no distinction at last between unregenerate men and wicked men. The second mark of the wicked is, to use the words of Christ, that they seek a sign. In other words they seek, not what they lack, but what they already possess. What you need is not a sign, but faith, yet like the Pharisees of old you go as far as to demand a sign, before you will believe that Christ is the Eternal Son of God, and the only Saviour of men. Now why was no sign granted to that wicked and adulterous generation? Was it not because they despised both the Word and the miracles of the Saviour? And is it not so with many of us? Why do we despise the Word of God? How ridiculous on our part to think that God will give us some particular sign or revelation, other than the Word which he has gifted to us, in all its purity and fullness. To us as to that generation, no sign will be given but the sign of the prophet Jonas. We know all that need be known as far as our salvation is concerned, and are we still seeking a sign? One might object saying that David asked a sign, when he said “Show me a sign for good,” but there is a vast difference between David’s motive and your motive. You, like the Scribes of old, seek a sign, as an excuse for your present unbelief, while David sought a sign to strengthen his faith. See then, my dear reader, that you do not despise and neglect what God has so graciously given to you. Seek Jesus in His Word, and cease asking for a sign.
Yet another feature of the wicked. We find the Saviour in one of his parables calling a man “A wicked and slothful servant.” What crime was this man guilty of? And the answer is, that he buried his God given talent in the earth. Nothing very wicked about that, you say, but what is your judgment to the judgment of God? If Christ calls him a wicked man, he is undoubtedly guilty. The sin referred to here, is the sin of negligence. It is probable, that the man in question felt quite justified in doing what he did. After all he had only one talent, others had many: yet, he himself divulges the real cause of his wickedness. He thought that God was an austere master and acted accordingly. It was his erroneous thought of God, his misconception of the true character of God that led him to act in such a way, as to incur the sentence of death. Let us not think that this is a very rare case, that this does not happen among us. We too, are often guilty of the sin of negligence. Error, be it noted, error concerning the true character of the God of Truth is the source of inactivity. God was not an austere master, but this man was not concerned to know the Truth about the Lord. Have you dear sinner found out the Truth about the God of the Bible? Do you think of Him as a fond indulgent father, a God all love, a God who can connive at sin, and allow you to indulge your own sinful desires, is that your conception of God? Well, that is certainly, not the God of the Bible, but a God who is but the figment of your own imagination. On the other hand are you tempted to think of God as an austere master, one rather like Pharaoh who demands bricks but gives no straw. Again I say this is not the God of salvation. No, God is merciful and just, holy and gracious, and can never be accused of being a taskmaster, or an indulgent father. All therefore whose conceptions of God are not according to Truth, are wicked.
Further, in the context we find that the character of the wicked is unveiled by their conduct. Three things are stated concerning them. (a) They thirst for that which does not satisfy. (b) They spend money for that which is not bread. (c) They labour for that which satisfieth not. Oh, how dearly sinners pay for that which is not bread. Apart from the terrible cost at which they gain the pleasures they seek, such as, the loss of character, the hardening of the heart, and the danger of being lost for ever, apart, I say, from these things they spend thousands of pounds in seeking to gratify their lusts. How much have you spent in this way? How much do you give to the Cause of Christ and to charitable institutions of mercy? Can you calculate what you have spent in sinful pleasures, in dress, in useless periodicals, and in many other ways? Did it ever occur to you that God will call you to give an account for every penny that you abuse? Yes, you are spending great sums every year, and still, are you satisfied? Can you say before God and man that you are quite satisfied, or is it a fact that like the wicked described in this chapter, you are an unsatisfied spendthrift? It is indeed heartbreaking to observe how willing men and women are to spend time, money, and energy, in labouring for that which satisfieth not. Are you guilty then? If so, what is to be done? What has God to say to such sinners as we have endeavoured to portray? The answer is clear, gracious, and thought provoking. They are confronted not with immediate death, as one might well expect, but with the glorious privilege and duty of seeking the Lord. Were it not for the long-suffering and goodness of that Being, whom we provoke continually, our sins would have, long ere now sealed our doom in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone. Were it not that he has no delight in the death of the sinner we should even now be consumed by the breath of His mouth. Oh what a wonder that sinners, ungodly, unrighteous, and carefree should be exhorted and warned in terms so clear and precious. Even to you dear sinner, God says “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near.”
2. What is implied in seeking the Lord.
We now come to consider the duty itself. It has been stated more than once that although man by the Fall, lost his power to obey, God did not lose his right to command. Duty is ours, the power is God’s. We need the irresistible power of the Holy Spirit if we are ever to seek the Lord aright, and we believe that this is one of the first discoveries made to the soul by that same Spirit. That being so, the Holy Ghost reveals to the sinner several other things in connection with this duty of seeking the Lord. Generally speaking I only seek for that which I have lost. Unless I know that I have lost God, I will not seek after Him. That Truth is brought home to the individual, by the Word and the Spirit of God. He realises, as never before that he has lost God, not merely His favour, His blessing, and His love, but God Himself. He has lost what Adam possessed before his fall: he has lost God, in all the fullness of His Divine Being as the portion of a man’s soul. Sinner, were you ever convinced of this, in such a way that you had no doubt at all regarding this solemn and humiliating truth? Then again, if I lose something of little value, I may grieve over it and search for it, but if I fail to recover the lost article, I will soon forget my grief, and abandon my search. If however, what I have lost is of great value, I will not easily forego my search, nor assuage my grief. In other words, the depths of my grief and the intense earnestness of my search, will be in some way determined by, and proportionate to, the value of that which I have lost. Now, we think that the Holy Ghost in rousing a poor sinner to engage in this holy exercise of seeking after God, will give to him a true sense of the unspeakable worth, preciousness, and glory of what he has lost. It is thus that a sinner begins to seek after God. Oh, how he bewails the unspeakable loss which he has sustained, how he dwells upon the excellence and value of the Fountain of life and blessedness, how he considers every other loss to be as nothing, compared with the loss of God. Again, if I know where I have lost my jewels, if I can give others an assurance, that within a certain radius I have lost my treasure, I have at least more hope of recovering what has been lost. In the case of the sinner he too must know not only that he has lost God, that he has lost an invaluable treasure, but must he not know where, or how, he has lost that treasure? Here again the hand of the Holy Spirit can be traced. It is He, and He alone, that can bring the sinner back in heart and mind to that very place where he lost God. And where did man first of all lose God? Was it not in Eden, in Adam, so that the sinner’s relationship to Adam, is no longer a mere theory, but a solemn and awful reality? Many a time the same individual repeated the solemn words of the Catechism “Sinned in him and fell with him in his first transgression,” but now he feels this to be terribly true. The attention of the sinner is now reverted to his first parent, and Genesis chapter 3 becomes alive. The Spirit of God is convincing him of the baneful effects of that relationship which still exists between himself, and Adam. He is brought in guilty before God. He knows that he is a lost son of Adam, that he has inherited a corrupt nature, and that he has sinned continuously against his God and Creator. But there is hope for this sinner. He is called to seek the Lord that he may find Him, and the same Spirit that showed him how, and where, he lost his God, is about to disclose to him that he can find again his God; and in what way? In the last Adam, the Son of Man, the Son of God, and the only Saviour. The soul now apprehends the Eternal value of that which he lost, and is so bent on recovering the lost treasure, that the remotest possibility of finding, is, in itself, a source of hope, and an holy incentive to gracious activity. With a conscience now awake, with an understanding now enlightened, to see the wickedness and futility of taking comfort in his own inability, he is spurred on to seek for God. To his surprise, the Holy Spirit brings to his notice, not the mere possibility, but the absolute assurance of finding God. Such a gracious revelation, unfolded to him by the God who cannot lie, and sealed to his soul by the Word and Spirit of Truth begets hope in his bosom, and incites him to follow on to know the Lord, in spite of every Satanic obstacle and difficulty in the way. How encouraging are the words of the Saviour “Ask, and it shall be given you: seek and ye shall find: knock and it shall be opened unto you: For everyone that asketh, receiveth: and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened; or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that ask him.” In the light of these words then, it is no vain thing to seek the Lord. Every possible encouragement is given, and we may be sure that the discouragements arise from another quarter.
Some are foolish enough to seek the living among the dead. Against this we are warned. Suffice it to say that the soul that is seeking God will not find Him among sinners who are dead in trespasses and sins. God is not in all their thoughts, and death reigns to such an extent, that it is vain to seek the Living God among them. Rather let us seek God where He is to be found, in His Word and ordinances, both public and private; among his people, concerning whom He has said “And I will dwell among them.” In this connection we would do well to remember and ponder the words of Christ to His spouse “If thou know not O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds tents.” It may not be out of place to remind the reader here of the necessity of seeking God according to the due order. Some may think that this is a matter of indifference, but the Old Testament records that Israel failed to find their God, because they sought Him not after the due order. When we must confess with the church, “I sought Him but I found Him not” it behoves us to pry into the cause for our disappointment. As a rule it is because we are seeking the Lord in a legal manner, or in a way not authorised in His Word, or because of our lack of earnestness. Perhaps the best answer that can be given to any who are perplexed about this matter, is to be found in Jeremiah, namely “When ye shall seek for me with all your heart, then shall ye find me.” Dear reader, how often we come across these words in the Truth “If thou seek Him He will be found of thee.” The God who never said to the house of Jacob “Seek ye Me in vain” calls you this day to seek Him now, with the assurance that your search will not be fruitless. For your further encouragement, we would remind you of the Saviour’s intercession on behalf of the seeker. Listen to these words “O Lord, the God of Israel, Let none who search do make, And seek Thee be at any time Confounded for my sake.”
3. The time limit of this exercise.
Now although the seeker then has every prospect of finding the Lord, yet, there is a time limit. We are not to have this invitation extended to us, but in time, and that leads me in the last place to consider as proposed, the time limit. The words, “While He may be found,” and “While He is near,” clearly indicate that these blessings are confined to a certain period. The Word of God speaks very plainly about those who shall seek to enter the Kingdom, and shall not be able. God will have no hesitation in disowning all such. Further, we observe that although the time limit is in one sense most certain, but in another sense it is most uncertain. We know not when our day of grace shall come to an end. No age can be stated: one may be taken away in youth, another in old age. Now both the certainty and the uncertainty of the time limit make this duty of seeking the Lord all the more serious and urgent. It is time to seek the Lord: It is time to realise that now is the accepted time, that now is the day of salvation. Many there are who dislike this word “now.” They definitely intend to seek God, but not yet. By adopting such an attitude they show clearly that they have utterly failed to grasp the meaning and message of this passage. As far as you are concerned your duty is an immediate one. It might surprise those who intend to seek the Lord at some other time, to know that such a thought betrays fearful ignorance regarding the great work of salvation. For one thing, it is because they think it an easy matter to seek the Lord. They think that it is in their own power to command faith, concern, and repentance. In other words the Arminian heresy is at the root of their procrastination. If sinners only realised their own utter inability to seek the Lord aright, they would immediately, and without ceasing, cry to God for the exercise of His Divine power, in turning them to Himself.
What is left to those who do not seek the Lord? What prospect does the future hold for them? There is nothing left to them, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour them. For he that despised Moses law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace. For we know Him that hath said “Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompence, saith the Lord” “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”