What Are You Seeking?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
27 He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.
27 שֹׁ֣חֵֽר ט֭וֹב יְבַקֵּ֣שׁ רָצ֑וֹן וְדֹרֵ֖שׁ רָעָ֣ה תְבוֹאֶֽנּוּ׃
32 “Now therefore, O sons, listen to me, For blessed are they who keep my ways. 33 “Heed instruction and be wise, And do not neglect it. 34 “Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at my doorposts. 35 “For he who finds me finds life And obtains favor from the Lord. 36 “But he who sins against me injures himself; All those who hate me love death.”
The One who controls evil and good is God.
Only He can retribute evil and good to men.
This is what everyone is working towards - what is good for them.
However, the good that someone wants is defined by the person and that is not what is in view here.
What is good?
The creation is good:
31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Marriage is good:
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
A house full of tools and luxuries of life is good:
10 “Then it shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, 11 and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, 12 then watch yourself, that you do not forget the Lord who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13 “You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.
What is evil?
Violence is evil:
5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
Esth 7:10; Ps 7:15, 16; 57:6