“Seek the LORD and live!”
Biblical Hebrew verbs contain a variety of meanings, and translation and interpretation can be influenced by word choice and context. We’ve already talked about some challenging verbs with complex meanings. Nevertheless, examining these verb forms and their derivatives in further detail is highly recommended as it demonstrates the significance of God’s Word. And He desires to communicate with us via this Word!
This time, we examine the verb “darash,” which has the following meanings: to search, to investigate, to comprehend, to study, to investigate, to ask, to query, to turn to, to care for, and so on.
“Darash,” in the sense of asking, looking into, or questioning, appears in the historical account of Rebekah’s children’s thrusting birth within her belly. When Rebekah “..to “darash” / ask the Lord..about this, He responded with an explanation (Genesis 25:22-23).
“Darash” specifically refers to asking questions, seeking God, scrutinizing, and following His plan. This is where the believer has an ongoing commission and task!
Every day from dawn until dusk, the people gathered before Moses to “darash,” or ask God, what he should be doing for them. Moses’ father-in-law said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you spend the entire morning and evening by yourself when everyone else stands around you? Moses then addressed his father-in-law, saying, “Because the people come to me to “darash” / inquire of God; when they are at odds, they come to me, and I settle the dispute between two parties, and I teach them the laws and statutes of God” (Exodus 18:14-16).
Subsequently, Moses instructed Israel to seek the Lord and His sanctuary instead of serving the heathen idols and to ask Him for assistance (Deuteronomy 12:5). David urged God’s people to construct His sanctuary and to “darash,” or seek, with all of their hearts and souls, centuries later (1 Chronicles 22:19). This true exhortation suggests and demands a turn away from things that are disobeying God.
God’s prophets urged people to turn from their sin and seek God before God’s punishment—the exile—came. They did this over and over again. “Now is the time to seek the Lord, to “darash,” so that He may come and pour righteousness upon you,” Hosea exclaimed (Hosea 10:12b).
In the name of the Lord, the prophet Amos wept for Israel’s transgressions, disobedience, and unfaithfulness to Him, saying, “Darash”[1] / seek Me and live… and, “Seek the Lord and live…” (Amos 4:4, 6). The constant exhortation to “Darash”—to pursue virtue rather than evil in order to survive—was evident. (Amos 5:14).
Additionally, according to Isaiah, although God’s people turned to odd sources for assistance, they “did not turn to Him who struck them, nor “darash” / inquire of the Lord of hosts.”(Isaiah 31:1–9:13). “Seek the Lord while He may be found,” he exclaimed. (Isaiah 55:6).
Later, in Zephaniah 1:4-6, Zephaniah foretold that the day to come would be the “day of the LORD,” a day of vengeance and punishment due to the numerous crimes committed by God’s people, who abandoned Him and failed to “darash” (seek) Him. Zephaniah blamed the people for disobeying the Lord, idolatry, syncretism, bending down to celestial bodies, and swearing by Malcham, or “their king,” even though they were supposed to serve the Lord as monarch. A remarkable parallel to the modern world, where many worship idols while pretending to serve the Lord. Zephaniah summoned everyone then and again, urging repentance, understanding, and conversion!
God is incredibly patient (Exodus 34:6) and keeps extending an invitation to everyone because He desires life and conversion rather than the annihilation of humanity (see 2 Peter 3:9). He forewarned of the chastisement on the day of wrath through His prophets. That urgent cry for repentance is heard now as well, for He is coming.
God looks down to see who is clever enough to seek Him out during a time of foolish aversion (Psalm 14:2).
The wise prays to God and bears witness to his response. According to Psalm 34:4, “I “darash” / sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”
Because You, O Lord, have not abandoned those who seek You, those who know your name place their trust in You (Psalm 9:10). David expresses gratitude to God for his deliverance in this psalm. He was given the opportunity to learn firsthand that the Lord delivers when he was in great hardship. He thus learned the name of God’s holy covenant.
In a same manner, calling on the Lord Jesus, Savior, helps us to know His name. A person is greatly fortunate if they sincerely “darash” or seek Him (Psalm 119:2).
“Darash” means to seek the Lord and His might; “darash” means to seek His presence consistently! (A Psalm 105:4a).
Note:
[1] The verb form “darash” has a specific form here, as it does in many other texts. It would be complicated to discuss the many verb tenses, so I will just state the stem in its unconjugated form in every instance.
