Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found: call upon him, while he is near.
דִּרְשׁ֥וּ יְהוָ֖ה בְּהִמָּצְא֑וֹ קְרָאֻ֖הוּ בִּֽהְיוֹת֥וֹ קָרֽוֹב׃
6 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 7 commentaries
Do not seek Him casually; rather, seek the Lord with your entire heart and your full understanding. Are we not familiar with Him? Certainly, He affirms that you are. Yet, as you embrace true order and clarity of thought, you will come to know Him increasingly.
When approaching the Lord, individuals should abandon their sinful behaviors and rebellious thoughts and turn toward God, who promises mercy and gradually releases them from their transgressions. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, clearly outlined a pathway to belief when He addressed the Jews, stating, "Do not murmur among yourselves; no one can come to me, unless the Father who sent him draws him." The Father, in His sovereignty, instructs the Son, saying, "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool," designed for those who have wandered, served worldly desires, and become ensnared by sin. The Father has placed such individuals under the authority of the Son.
This should not suggest that the Son lacks power; He is capable of all things, being the omnipotent might of the Father. However, in His divine providence, it was necessary for the Father to send the Son to embrace human nature, thereby granting the Son the authority to rule through the Father's power and wisdom, enabling the feeble to gain strength and the foolish to attain wisdom. It is crucial that no one doubts the Son's ability to bring all things under His dominion; rather, we should recognize that God and the Father accomplish all through Him.
What, then, is the aim of the prophetic message? It reveals the presence of the Father, urging the nations to call upon God, who has shown Himself as a witness to their tongues— His chief and lord. He is identified as God, and they are commanded to seek Him. This search is not a physical quest, as the Divine Being transcends the material realm; instead, it involves the soul's longing for fellowship with Him through acts of reverence and genuine knowledge of God. Such a pursuit is typical of those who are yet distant from Him, separated by sin and ignorance, which, once removed, allows them to draw near to God. This is illustrated in Paul's letter to the Gentile believers, where he states, "But now you who were sometimes far off are near." Therefore, one must earnestly seek the Almighty and, upon finding Him, respond. To call upon Him translates to praising Him as God, requesting from Him the strength and will essential for our transformation, and striving to receive liberation and fortitude to escape the grip of sin and the dominion of Satan. As it is written, "I will call upon the Lord with praise, and I shall be saved from my enemies."
Thus, those who find God and approach Him should forsake their sinful paths and wicked intentions to turn to the Lord, where they will receive absolution. Those called to conversion and anticipating His gracious offerings must resolutely turn away from their previous ways, harmful deeds, sinful inclinations, and carnal desires. In this manner, a sincere heart that turns from sin will indeed find forgiveness, reflecting the scriptural truth that where sin abounded, grace superabounded. Not a single transgression remains unpurified when God chooses to cleanse it. Concerning Jesus Christ, our Savior, it is written: "Behold, this one enters like the fire of a crucible, and like the soap of those who wash. And He will sit down decoiling and purifying like silver and like gold," for He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. The fire symbolically denotes the purifying power of the Holy Spirit, which eradicates the impurities of our sins.
The welfare of the spirit How can I find You, O Lord? In my search for You, O my God, I seek the life of joy. I will pursue You so that my spirit may thrive. My spirit sustains my body, and it draws its vitality from You. Is it not true that the life of blessing is what every person longs for, as there is no one who does not wish for it?
If a seeker can truly encounter God, then why does Scripture instruct us to "Seek His face always" (Ps 104:4)? Should one continue to seek even when they have found Him? The divine is beyond full understanding, prompting a continual quest so that one does not mistakenly believe nothing is attained when confronted with the profound mystery of what is sought. Why then does the seeker persist if they grasp that the object of their pursuit is beyond comprehension? It is precisely because one should not cease their journey until they have made significant headway in pursuing that which is inexplicable, and in doing so, grow ever closer to the ultimate good they desire. This good is pursued not merely to possess it but to savor its sweetness, and it is indeed discovered so that one may seek it with even greater zeal.
Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him when He is near. Let the wicked abandon his ways, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord, and He will show compassion; to our God, for He abundantly pardons. Therefore, as we mentioned earlier, since we were reluctant to accept the eternal covenant and the unwavering mercies of David, which many Gentiles embraced while we hesitated, I, the prophet, urge my fellow countrymen to repent while the opportunity remains. Turn to Him who currently speaks through the prophets, for He will later speak in person. Seek Him while it is possible to find Him, while you inhabit the body, while there is still a chance for repentance; seek Him not through location, but through faith.
Detailed guidance on seeking God can be found elsewhere: Enrich yourselves in the goodness of the Lord, and in purity of heart pursue Him, for He is discovered not by those who test Him, but by those who believe (Prem. 1:1-2). Thus, being aware of the admonition regarding sinners: 'Those who are far from You will perish,' we should ask the Lord: 'How can I escape from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, You are there' (Psalm 138:7-8). Call upon Him when He is near, lest He withdraw far from us due to our sins and vices. For He draws near to those who approach Him and joyfully welcomes back the son who returns to Him after a long absence. Therefore, the saint declares in the Psalm, 'Indeed, for me it is good to draw near to God' (Psalm 72:28). Only Moses approached the Lord directly (Ex. 22). Through Jeremiah, God proclaims: I am a God who is near, not a God who is far away (Jeremiah 23:23)—drawing close to those who come to Me in faith, while distancing Myself from those who approach with doubt. Hence, believers are encouraged: 'Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you' (James 4:8). And to ensure we understand this fully, He further instructs: 'Resist the devil, and he will flee from you' (James 4:7); about whom Peter previously warned: 'Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Stand firm against him in faith' (1 Pet. 5:8-9). It is not sufficient to seek the Lord and, while time permits for repentance, find and call upon Him when He is near if the wicked man does not forsake his old ways and thoughts that led him astray from God. For only then shall we turn to the Lord, who will have compassion on us, the loving Father who is gracious and readily forgives, as we abandon our prior thoughts and behaviors, so that we may be blessed to hear, 'Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered' (Psalm 31:1).
The prophet declares that when those who sought have discovered and those who were called have been granted pardon, they should abandon their previous wrongdoing and reject the path of unrighteousness. Instead, direct your hearts towards God rather than away from Him. For He will show you compassion and offer you the forgiveness of your transgressions.
Invoke the Lord. In this appeal, the prophet reaches out to both the Gentiles and the Jews, inviting everyone to earnestly pursue the Lord so they might discover Him, as He is close to those who call upon Him, for in Him we exist, move, and have our being (Acts 17:27-28). If the Lord is accessible even to those who do not actively search for Him, how much more generous is He toward those earnestly seeking Him? When you encounter Him, call upon Him, which means to express your spiritual needs and, with faith in His grace, lay before Him your requests for forgiveness and salvation.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS