In his book The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart, Peter J. Gomes, a member of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and of the Faculty of Divinity, Minister in Harvard’s Memorial Church, and Plummer Professor of Christian Morals, has observed:
“What I see in growing numbers are people on a pilgrimage of spirituality. We are having a deeper sense of unease in our lives and the material goods are leaving us less and less satisfied.”
Few would dispute his observations. In fact, becoming “seeker-sensitive” has become a buzz word in Christian circles in recent years. Some churches have so “successfully” marched under this banner that an entirely new category for church profiles, the mega-church, has emerged. Additionally, developing specialized ministries to target seekers has become the sole priority of many outreach oriented churches, resulting in an array of seeker-centered ministries, all of which seem to enshrine the notion that what matters the most to any number of identifiable affinity groups matters the most to God.
The end result in my estimation is the consumerization of Christianity. When this attitude is full-blown what matters most seems to be how well a church or an organization is doing in the categories of brand recognition; market share and repeat customers (visitors).
The whole “seeker” discussion is much bigger than a flashy fad to follow or evangelistic strategy to implement. We cheapen the idea when we reduce it to these terms. “Seeking God” lies at the heart of discipleship. Jesus said that it all begins with desire. Read: Matthew 16:24; Luke 9:23; and Mark 8:34. Jesus said that Yagottawanna! Well, actually, the key Greek word used in each of these verses is thelō, which means: to purpose, decide, will, want, desire or wish [1].
In essence, Jesus said: If you yearn for God—if you are a seeker—it will be evidenced in the priorities you set for your life. To begin with, you must purpose to, decide to, will to, want to, desire to, or wish to deny yourself; take up your cross and follow me. Seeking God is the single most important step that any person—every person—will take in life!
Numerous biblical examples make this clear:
1) Moses’ Prophecy: Deuteronomy 4:28-29, “28There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. 29But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
2) David’s Counsel: 1 Chronicles 22:19, “19Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the sacred articles belonging to God into the temple that will be built for the Name of the Lord.”
3) Paul’s Assertion: Acts 17:21-28, “24 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’”
4) Jesus’ exhortation: Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Against this backdrop we turn to our primary text for this lesson: Micah 6:8, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
This is more than just a quick and simple list of God’s requirements outlined as follows:
What God Requires of Each of Us…
1) Do the right thing;
2) Do the right thing with loving mercy;
3) Do the right thing with characteristic humility.
You see, there is something more here. Look at the context. This verse is preceded by an exchange between God and His children. Through the prophet, God takes them to task for their infidelity to Him; their injustice towards one another; and apparent disdain for the righteous acts of God on their behalf.
He reminds them that He has not been a burden to them. Why, then, would they abandon Him? He brought them out of Egypt. He redeemed them from the land of slavery. He led them through Moses, Aaron and Miriam. He protected them from Balak. He blessed them when others wanted to curse them. Ultimately, He brought them safely to the Promised Land. All of these things speak of His fidelity to His promises. God’s sovereignty and holiness shine through.
Beyond this, it appears as though God even suggests how He wants His children to respond to His interrogation. He does so in the words which follow the rhetorical question: “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?” (Micah 6:6a)
What an act of grace! Do these people deserve His help? Not hardly. They don’t even deserve a hint, much less explicit instruction for their return journey!
It is as though God says something like: “Just in case you are wondering and because I don’t want you to mess this up, this is not how I want you to respond. Let’s run through the list that you might have in mind. Burnt offerings, with calves a year old? No! The fruit of my body, my firstborn for my transgression? No!”
So, it seems logical that Israel would inquire: “What offering do you want from me?”
God’s reply: “I want your heart. I want you to stop living for your selves and start living for me. I want you to seek me first in all that you do.”
“How?” is Israel’s reply.
That which follows is not a quick fix or a mere patch job, though it is a succinct statement, which cuts to the very heart of the matter. These wandering children need to find their way back home. They’ve had their own way long enough! No sacrifice—no matter how excessive or extreme—will suffice.
What God wants from them is that which they’ve given away to self-indulgence and idolatry. He wants their full devotion. He wants their hearts. He wants them to seek Him with all of their hearts and souls! He wants something more than perfunctory obedience. He wants them to do more than mechanically do the right thing.
He wants them to remember that they serve a God:
1) Who is concerned about justice for all people; therefore act justly towards all people;
2) Who is loves to show mercy to those who are in need; therefore, practice loving mercy towards others;
3) Who has gone to the most incredible lengths to be friends with us; therefore, respectfully join Him for the journey from here to eternity. In giving them they need to come before the Lord at all times, He gives people of all times what we need to come before the Lord.
Thus, we observe that the lives that please the Lord have:
1) An internal compass – act justly;
2) An external focus – love mercy;
3) An eternal emphasis – walk humbly with your God.
So, how are you doing?
What matters most, in my estimation, is not that we do everything in our power to become “seeker-sensitive”. Instead, we should simply strive to be sensitive seekers. It is true for every generation, no matter where we wander, if we seek the Lord God, we will find him if we look for him with all our heart and with all our soul.”
© Bill Williams, October 23, 2005
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[1] Thomas, R. L. New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition. Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998, 1981. H8674.
