Verse:
Isaiah 55:6
Seek ( seek / darash ) ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Commentary by Adam Clarke
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found Source
Rab. David Kimchi gives the true sense of this passage: "Seek ye the Lord, because he may be found: call upon him, because he is near. Repent before ye die, for after death there is no conversion of the soul."
Commentary by Coffman
Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah. Seek ye Jehovah
The call for sinners to repent and turn to God is urgent business. Note the dramatic imperatives of this chapter: "Come to the waters," "Come ye," "Come ye," "Buy and eat," "Come, buy," "Hearken diligently," "Eat that which is good," "Incline your ear," "Come unto me," "Hear," "Seek ye Jehovah," "Call ye upon him," "Forsake the wicked way," "Forsake unrighteous thoughts," -- there are twenty of these in the first seven verses! It is as if God is standing and screaming for men to heed his word and be saved.
The balance of the chapter, and beginning right here in Isa. 55:7, is devoted to the reasons why men should heed the Divine call to repentance, there being five of these: (1) "God will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:7). (2) "My thoughts are not your thoughts," etc., (Isaiah 55:8). (3) A third for introduces this reason, "God's ways are superior to men's ways as the heavens are higher than the earth" (Isaiah 55:9). (4) "God's Word will accomplish its purpose anyway, regardless of what men do" (Isaiah 55:10-11). (5) The fifth and final for occurs in Isa. 55:12, where the fifth reason for heeding God's call is cited as the everlasting joy and success which shall reward it (Isaiah 55:12-13).Source
(Isaiah 55:6). Barnes made the following deductions from this imperative: It is implied here that: (1) men are by nature ignorant of God, otherwise they should not have been commanded to `seek'; (2) if men will obtain God's favor, they must seek it; (3) the invitation to seek God is open to all men; and, (4) the knowledge of God is of inestimable value.
Cheyne noted that these verses apply to the captives in Babylon, and that they mean that, "God here urges his people to make sure that they are of the True Israel."
Commentary by David Guzik
Seek the LORD while He may be found: Source
The prophet impresses a sense of urgency on God's people. "This is the time. God can be found now. Seek Him now." It isn't that God is hidden, and can only be found now. It is that He can only be found when our hearts are inclined to look for Him, and that inclination itself is a gift from God! We must receive the gift, and make the most of it while we have it. Not seeking, and failing to call upon Him while He is near, means we will not receive the blessings He promises.
Commentary by Geneva Study Bible
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Source
When he offers himself by the preaching of his word.
Commentary by Jamieson, Fausset, Brown
The condition and limit in the obtaining of the spiritual benefits (Isa 55:1-3): Source
Isa 55:1-3 (1) Seek the Lord.
"Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful love promised to David.
(2) Seek Him while He is to be foundcall
Isa 65:1 Psa 32:6
"I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me;
I was found by those who did not seek me.
To a nation that did not call on my name,
I said, 'Here am I, here am I.'Mat 25:1-13
Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you
while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him.John 7:34
1 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.
4 The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.
5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
7 "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
8 The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'
9 " 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
10 "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11 "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'
12 "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
13 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.John 8:21
You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come." 2 Corinthians 6:2
Once more Jesus said to them, "I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come." Heb 2:3
For he says,
"In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.Heb 3:13, 15
how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
15 As has just been said:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion."near
--casting yourselves wholly on His mercy (Ro 10:13). Stronger than "seek"; so "near" is more positive than "while He may be found" (Ro 10:8, 9).
Ro 10:13 Ro 10:8, 9
13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
8 But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:
9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
--propitious (Ps 34:18; Ps 145:18).
Ps 34:18 Ps 145:18
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
Commentary by John Gill
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found Source
The Lord is to be sought unto at all times, whenever the people of God meet together, especially on sabbath days, and while the external ministry of the word lasts, and life itself; so the Targum, Kimchi compares it with (Ecclesiastes 9:10) . The Jewish writers, as Aben Ezra and others, generally interpret it before the sealing of the decree, or before the decree is gone forth. It may be understood of place, as well as time, and be rendered, "seek the Lord in the place where he may be found"; God is to be found, as Aben Ezra observes, in all places, and at all times; under the Old Testament there was a particular place appointed for the worship of God, the tabernacle and temple, where he was to be sought unto, and might be found; under the New Testament, all places are alike, and wherever the church and people of God meet together, there he is to be sought, and there he may be found, even in his house and ordinances: call ye upon him while he is near;
``seek the fear of the Lord, while ye are alive.'' the same thing designed by different words: seeking and calling design not only prayer, but the whole of public worship, and the time and place when and where the Lord is to be found, and is near. Aben Ezra thinks it refers to the Shechinah in the sanctuary. Perhaps it may have some respect to the time of Christ's incarnation, and his being in the land of Judea; and to the destruction of the temple by the Romans, when the Lord could be no more sought unto, and found in that place; or when the Christians were obliged to move from Jerusalem, because of the siege of it; and when the Jews had no more an opportunity of hearing the Gospel there.
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
Commentary by John Wesley
Seek While
- Labour to get the knowledge of God's will, and to obtain his grace and favour. Near
- In this day of grace, while he offers mercy and reconciliation. Source
- Ready and desirous to receive you to mercy.
Commentary by Matthew Henry
Here is a gracious offer made of pardon, and peace, and all happiness, to poor sinners, upon gospel terms, Source
1. Let them pray, and their prayers shall be heard and answered (Isaiah 55:6): "Seek the Lord while he may be found. Seek him whom you have left by revolting from your allegiance to him and whom you have lost by provoking him to withdraw his favour from you. Call upon him now while he is near, and within call." Observe here,
(1.) The duties required. (2.) The motives made use of to press these duties upon us: While he may be found--while he is near.
[1.] "Seek the Lord. Seek to him, and enquire of him, as your oracle. Ask the law at his mouth. What wilt thou have me to do? Seek for him, and enquire after him, as your portion and happiness; seek to be reconciled to him and acquainted with him, and to be happy in his favour. Be sorry that you have lost him; be solicitous to find him; take the appointed method of finding him, making use of Christ as your way, the Spirit as your guide, and the word as your rule."
[2.] "Call upon him. Pray to him, to be reconciled, and, being reconciled, pray to him for every thing else you have need of."
[1.] It is implied that now God is near and will be found, so that it shall not be in vain to seek him and to call upon him. Now his patience is waiting on us, his word is calling to us, and his Spirit striving with us. Let us now improve our advantages and opportunities; for now is the accepted time. But,
[2.] There is a day coming when he will be afar off, and will not be found, when the day of his patience is over, and his Spirit will strive no more. There may come such a time in this life, when the heart is incurably hardened; it is certain that at death and judgment the door will be shut, Luke 16:26, Luke 13:25,26. Mercy is now offered, but then judgment without mercy will take place.
Luke 16:26 Luke 13:25,26
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'
"But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'
26 "Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'
About Commentary Authors
Prepared by William C. Barman for George Young Memorial United Methodist Church -- Palm Harbor, FL on 9/15/03; 12:22:05 PM