Throughout the Bible, God uses all kinds of imagery to
describe the relationship he has with his people. He is the One who seeks us
out and finds us when we get lost and brings us back into his home. In what specific ways has God sought you out?
From the Torah: Deuteronomy 4:29-40
From the Former Prophets: 1 Samuel 9:1–10:7
From the Latter Prophets: Jeremiah 50:1-10
From the Books of Wisdom and Poetry: Psalm 119:169-176
From the Late Books: Song of Songs 3:1-5
From the Gospels: Luke 15:11-32
From the Epistles: Romans 8:18-30
From the Torah
But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with
all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and
all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will
return to the Lord your
God and obey him. For the Lord your
God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or
forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by
oath.
Ask now about the former days, long before your time, from
the day God created human beings on the earth; ask from one end of the
heavens to the other. Has anything so great as this ever happened, or
has anything like it ever been heard of? Has any other people heard the
voice of God speaking out of fire, as you have, and lived? Has any
god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by
testings, by signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an
outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things
the Lord your God did
for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is
no other. From heaven he made you hear his voice to
discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his
words from out of the fire. Because he loved your ancestors and chose
their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and
his great strength, to drive out before you nations greater and stronger
than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your
inheritance, as it is today.
Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on
the earth below. There is no other. Keep his decrees and commands, which
I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children
after you and that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all
time.
Deuteronomy 4:29-40
From the Former Prophets
There was a Benjamite, a man of standing, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror,
the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. Kish had a son named Saul,
as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a
head taller than anyone else.
Now the
donkeys belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son
Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.” So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and through
the area around Shalisha, but they did not find them. They went on into the district of
Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. Then he passed through the territory of Benjamin,
but they did not find them.
When
they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who
was with him, “Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the
donkeys and start worrying about us.”
But the
servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and
everything he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us
what way to take.”
Saul
said to his servant, “If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks
is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?”
The
servant answered him again. “Look,” he said, “I have a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to
the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take.” (Formerly in Israel, if someone went to inquire of God, they would say, “Come,
let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)
“Good,”
Saul said to his servant. “Come, let’s go.” So they set out for the town where
the man of God was.
As they
were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to
draw water, and they asked them, “Is the seer here?”
“He
is,” they answered. “He’s ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town
today, for the people have a sacrifice at the high place. As soon as you enter the town,
you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will
not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward, those
who are invited will eat. Go up now; you should find him about this time.”
They
went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming
toward them on his way up to the high place.
Now the
day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: “About
this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will
deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for
their cry has reached me.”
When
Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you
about; he will govern my people.”
Saul
approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the
seer’s house is?”
“I am
the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you
are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will
tell you all that is in your heart. As for
the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been
found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you
and your whole family line?”
Saul
answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan
the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?”
Then
Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and seated them at the head
of those who were invited—about thirty in number. Samuel said to the cook, “Bring
the piece of meat I gave you, the one I told you to lay aside.”
So the
cook took up the thigh with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said,
“Here is what has been kept for you. Eat, because it was set aside for you for
this occasion from the time I said, ‘I have invited guests.’” And Saul dined
with Samuel that day.
After they
came down from the high place to the town, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of his house. They rose about daybreak, and
Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get ready, and I will send you on your
way.” When Saul got ready, he and Samuel went outside together. As they were going down to the
edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of
us”—and the servant did so—“but you stay here for a while, so that I may give
you a message from God.”
Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on
Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?
When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb, at Zelzah on the border of
Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set out to look for have
been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, “What
shall I do about my son?”’
“Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of
Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel will meet you there. One will
be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a
skin of wine. They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from
them.
“After
that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you
will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and
they will be prophesying. The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you,
and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled,
do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
1
Samuel 9:1–10:7
From
the Latter Prophets
This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the
prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians:
“Announce and proclaim among the nations,
lift up a banner and proclaim it;
keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;
Bel will be put to shame,
Marduk filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
and her idols filled with terror.’
A nation from the north will attack her
and lay waste her land.
No one will live in it;
both people and animals will flee away.
“In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together
will go in tears to seek the Lord their God.
They will ask the way to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will come and bind themselves to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant
that will not be forgotten.
“My people have been lost sheep;
their shepherds have led them astray
and caused them to roam on the
mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill
and forgot their own resting place.
Whoever found them devoured them;
their enemies said, ‘We are not
guilty,
for they sinned against the Lord, their
verdant pasture,
the Lord, the hope of their ancestors.’
“Flee out of Babylon;
leave the land of the Babylonians,
and be like the goats that lead the
flock.
For I will stir up and bring against Babylon
an alliance of great nations from the land of the north.
They will take up their positions against her,
and from the north she will be captured.
Their arrows will be like skilled warriors
who do not return empty-handed.
So Babylonia will be plundered;
all who plunder her will have their
fill,”
declares the Lord.
Jeremiah
50:1-10
From the Books of Wisdom and Poetry
May my cry come before you, Lord;
give me understanding according to your word.
May my supplication come before you;
deliver me according
to your promise.
May my lips overflow with
praise,
for you teach me your decrees.
May my tongue sing of your word,
for all your commands are righteous.
May your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
I long for your salvation, Lord,
and your law gives me delight.
Let me live that I may praise you,
and may your laws sustain me.
I have strayed like a lost
sheep.
Seek your servant,
for I have not forgotten your commands.
Psalm 119:169-176
From the Late Books
All night long on my bed
I looked for the
one my heart loves;
I looked for him but did not find him.
I will get up now and go about
the city,
through its streets and squares;
I will search for the one my
heart loves.
So I looked for him but did not find him.
The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.
“Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
Scarcely had I passed them
when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let
him go
till I had brought him to my mother’s house,
to the room of the one who conceived me.
Daughters of Jerusalem, I
charge you
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.
Song of Songs 3:1-5
From the Gospels
Jesus
continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of
the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
“Not long after that,
the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and
there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent
everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be
in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who
sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were
eating, but no one gave him anything.
“When he came to his
senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare,
and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go
back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to
be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to
his father.
“But while he was still
a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he
ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
“The son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to
be called your son.’
“But the father said to
his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring
on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf
and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was
dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
“Meanwhile, the older
son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the
servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’
he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him
back safe and sound.’
“The older brother
became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his
father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed
your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with
my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the
fattened calf for him!’
“‘My son,’ the father
said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate
and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was
lost and is found.’”
Luke 15:11-32
From the Epistles
I
consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory
that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of
God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own
choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom
and glory of the children of God.
We know
that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth
right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship,
the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no
hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do
not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
In the
same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to
pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit,
because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
And we
know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of
his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and
sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also
justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
Romans
8:18-30
