The covenant between God and Israel was designed to strengthen the bonds which God had established with His people, bonds of love and obedience issuing in blessing and glory. An important component in this relationship was the requirement of seekingthe Lord, coming into the presence of the Lord in order to renew covenant with Him by means of offerings and sacrifices.

Seeking the Lord in worship is the primary means whereby God’s people would demonstrate their love for Him.

God instructed Moses to construct the tabernacle as a place for Him to dwell in the midst of His people. He ordained the priests and Levites to serve the needs of the tabernacle and of the people as they came before the Lord to renew covenant with Him. An elaborate system of sacrifices and offerings is outlined in the Law of God which provided tangible means for the people, through the mediation of priests and sacrifices, to be renewed in the favor and love of the Lord and to go forth strengthened unto obedience.

Seeking the Lord for the people of ancient Israel was to be a regular discipline of their lives. They were commanded to seek Him in His Word, as we have seen, where they would learn His will and discover, reflected by the mirror of the Law, areas in their own lives where they had fallen short of His expectations. Then they would be instructed how to seek Him through sacrifices and offerings in order to have their covenant relationship renewed.

But the people were also instructed to seek the Lord in order to offer freely to Him, as tokens of their love and devotion and so as to deepen their commitment to Him. The system of sacrifices and offerings was put in place to remind the people that the essence of the covenant consisted in knowing the Lord and enjoying His favor. The sacrifices and offerings provided tangible means for them to seek God for reassurance and renewal as often as they may.

We seek God today through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ and in offerings of prayers, gifts, fasts, and special works of service. All these are to us what the ancient sacrifices and offerings were for Israel – not means for salvation but for expressing our love for and faith in the Lord, and for being renewed in our covenant standing with Him.

Seeking the Lord must be for us, as it was for the ancient Israelites, a daily and moment-by-moment occupation (Ps. 105.4; Jer. 29.13, 14).

T. M. Moore

The book of Ecclesiastes is a crucial resource for understanding the Biblical worldview against the backdrop of our secular age. Follow T. M.’s studies in Ecclesiastes by downloading the free, weekly studies available in our Scriptorium Resources page at The Fellowship of Ailbe. Click hereto see the weekly studies available thus far.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.