But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and all your soul.
Deuteronomy 4:29, NIV
The first three chapters of Deuteronomy contain a brief history of the 40 years that Israel wandered in the desert, but it is the fourth chapter that is so vital for men of all ages because it contains one of the major themes of the entire Bible: Seek and you will find!
This is an exciting theme, because so many people are convinced that no one can really know God or exactly what it is that He wants us to while we are here on earth. However, nothing could be farther from the truth because God promises us once and for all that those who look for Him with all of their heart and all of their soul will most certainly find Him.
It was true for the Israelites who lived under the Law of Moses, and it is true for all who would live under the Law of Christ today. Some will be tempted to challenge this fact, and they may even attempt to use (or misuse) Scripture to prove their point. They might be tempted to go to the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus said:
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14, NIV
In reading these words of Jesus, some will suppose that because many people will not find the way that leads to life (that means they will be lost!) that God's Word is just too hard to understand. Nothing, though, could be further from the truth, and we know this is so because Jesus also gave us this promise in that same Sermon on the Mount:
"Seek and you will find" Matthew 7:7, NIV
Some may wonder if Jesus is contradicting Himself when He says, "seek and you will find" only to say a few moments later, "only a few find". So how do we reconcile this? The answer is clear: If everyone who seeks will find, then those who do not find simply do not seek. By the way, for something as critical as the standard for your entire life, Jesus is not saying that any who show a mere passing interest in following God's way will find it. Instead, we must understand the theme we began with in Deuteronomy chapter 4: We will find only if we seek with all of our heart and soul.
One of the reasons that it is so important for us to read and study the Old Testament is because it is from the Old Testament that we learn much about the nature of God and His eternal principles. Since a principle is a truth that can never change, these principles help us to make sense of some of the most important themes in Scripture. And, there is no more important principle for us to learn than this: If you seek God, you will find Him, but only if you go about that seeking with all of your heart and soul.
Aren't you glad you decided to study the Old Testament?
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
Matthew 7:7-8, NIV
Today is the 23rd day of the 30 day challenge to study through the books of Moses, with Deuteronomy 1-4 being the text for today. May God richly bless you as you seek Him and Jesus with all of your heart and soul!