Are We Seekers of God or Torah Observers?

by Rod Thomas | Sep 30, 2016 | Podcasts

 Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections-Episode-69

A Probing Question

For this episode of Sabbath Thoughts and Reflections, I have been led to share a comment left by a visitor to our website. That comment–more a question than a comment I should say–seemed to call into question just what I mean by the phrase “Torah Observer” (found in the title of our website) as opposed to someone who is a “Seeker of God.” In fact, here is the actual comment/question for your consideration:

Greetings to you…I can’t really tell you how I arrived here, at your site but it feels more like a tour guide assisted. Your terminology is new and different to me but I sense we have more in common than not. I have a few questions that might help me navigate myself into your Torah World…What makes one a Torah Observer opposed to a Seeker of God? And at what point, does one dive in opposed to wading in the shallow waters? What is the bigger view or commissioning of these Torah Observers? Maybe, I should start with the meaning of the root word, Observer? What does this mean? Thank you for time and your postings!

This comment/question was very opportunistic and timely for me. I had assumed that the title “The Messianic Torah Observer” was self-explanatory. I never thought that our title could conceivably trip up some people who are in search of Biblical and spiritual truth. Apparently, this seems to be the case, at least for a handful of folks. So I saw this question as an opportunity to sit back and truly examine what it means to be a “Torah Observer” and what it means to be a “God seeker.”

A Seeker of God Must Conduct Their Search With Their Whole Heart and Soul.

God Seeker/Truth Seeker-A New Concept?

The concept of being a “God-seeker” is relatively new to me. Growing up in the Southern Baptist Church and transitioning to the Interdenominational and charismatic Christian realms, I had never come across this phrase or concept before. You see, growing up in these Christian sects, you were either a Christian or you were something else–Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindi, Atheist, Agnostic, Satan Worshiper, etc. It had never really dawned on me that there were people out there who were in somewhat of a transitory period of searching for the one true God; the one true Faith; or even the one true principle in life that will sustain them for the rest of their lives.

It wasn’t until I’d become firmly established in Hebrew Roots that I began hearing about “truth seekers.” It appears that a great many people that are drawn to Hebrew Roots, instead of calling themselves Christians or Messianic Jews or Believers, prefer calling themselves “truth seekers” or “God seekers.” The funny thing is that I had actually begun hailing so-called “truth-seekers” in many of my opening comments to these episodes. Despite my frequent greetings to truth and or God seekers, I can honestly say that I’d never given a great deal of thought as to what exactly a “truth-seeker” or a “God-seeker” was. And when I say truth seeker, I also mean God-seeker, more or less.

To me, being a God Seeker implied that one was looking for or seeking for or after God. As a result of that seeking, one either must continue seeking. If one fails to find the object of his or her search there are only a couple options; (1) they either abandon the search altogether if the search proves futile; or (2) actually and ultimately find God Almighty–Yahovah–Yahuah–Yahweh–Abba Father. Since Abba is the holder of all truth, finding Him would in turn mean finding truth. But again, that’s me.

As has become the non-negotiable routine in my walk, I turned to the Bible to arrive at a proper understanding as to what we’re really talking about here. And what I came up with has once again changed the way I view my walk and this Faith of ours.

To Seek God is an Intentional Act

Seeking After God Is an Intentional Act–Not a Cognitive Exercise

The English term “seek” is the Hebrew term “baqash.” Extra-biblical resources define “baqash” from the perspective of an intentional act. That intentional act focuses on a specific object that is the focal point of the search in question. The overall intent, of course, is to acquire or find (i.e., Hebrew “masa) the object in question. As it relates to our topic today, that object is our Heavenly Father or His Truth. In other words, a God-Seeker or God-”baqash” is focused upon acquiring or finding God and or His truth. Simple, hey? Well, don’t stop reading or listening just yet. There is more to this concept than our standard English language-Western understanding of what it means to seek after God.

What Are We Seeker After?

To begin with, wouldn’t it seem obvious to you that in order to seek God, the seeker must have some specific understanding of who, what and where God is. Otherwise, one may seek and find the wrong God as so many in history have done. Otherwise, one may seek and altogether overlook God. Why? Because the seeker never knew exactly who they were looking for in the first place. And then the seeker must determine whether they have the wherewithal to conduct a proper search for God. In other words, does the seeker have the proper spirit, mindset, heart and resources to conduct a proper search. Haven’t you ever sought after someone you were unfamiliar with? Someone you’ve not known or whom you’ve never met or seen before? Isn’t that search difficult if you lack the foundation upon which to base your search? Often, having a name is not nearly enough to make for a successful search. For instance, searching after “God” for instance is somewhat nebulous. The term “God” is a title, not a name. So it stands to reason that one must have more data in order to affect a successful search such as determining “God’s” true name. It’s conceivable that the seeker may require more information to augment our search. If the search fails to turn up the object of our search, such as God and His truths, maybe the seeker must then refine his/her search criteria such as knowing God’s true identity. In addition, the seeker might need to consider the work, history, affiliations, last known location, etc. of the object of our search–i.e., God.

Impediments to a Successful

We know that the enemy is always out there looking to trip us up in our walk. It doesn’t take much for him to hijack one’s search for the one true God. Both Christianity and Hebrew Roots alike are filled to overflowing with characters who go to great lengths to lead truth seekers astray and away from God’s Word. And if one aims to go on a search for God without being properly prepared, he or she is primed for becoming another statistic; another victim of religion and boot-leggers who mislead the sincere seeker of God. The unprepared seeker of God will undoubtedly encounter false teachers and preachers who will go out of their way to convince them that they know where to find the one true God and all of His truth. Before you know it, the seeker finds a God that is nothing like the God of Avraham, Yishach and Yaachov. Consequently, they inevitably will spend years enslaved in religion, having been lied to and believing all along that they’ve found the one true God. I know this because I’m speaking somewhat from personal experience. When I first transitioned into Hebrew Roots, I spent the first two to four years all over the place in terms of defining who Yahovah and His truth was. And how did I fall into this sideways trap? Well, I trusted men to teach me what I perceived at the time to be truth. Instead of my seeking after truth from the pages of my Bible and the revelation and leading of the Ruach Kodesh, I trusted men to feed me their version of the one true God and His truth.

Search Back on Track

We are commanded to seek after Yahovah. In so doing, seeking after Abba Father must be conducted according to His terms, not our own. Moses told us that we would be scattered among the peoples of the world and our numbers would diminish significantly. During that scattering, we would serve pagan gods and abandon Yahovah. But there would come a day when we would

“…seek Yahovah our God and we will find Him if we search for Him with all our heart and all our soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:27-29)

An example of that seeking by us while we sojourned in the Sinai can be found in Exodus 33:7. Nevertheless, Yahovah is found only when one seeks Him with their whole heart as noted in Jeremiah 29:13, which reads:

Failure to pursue Yahovah with the right heart and spirit is simply a feigned or fake search of Him. When seekers with improper hearts and spirits seek after Yahovah and they find themselves in need of the one true God, they will NOT find Him. (References: Ezekiel 7:25, 26; Hosea 5:6; Amos 8:12) This is a most serious thing with eternal implications for the seeker. And here’s that heart thing showing its head once again. Recall just a few episodes ago, I spoke to the importance of having a humble and contrite and broken heart and spirit in order for Abba to hear and notice us. Indeed, this for me was just another confirmation that our hearts must be in the right place at every time and place of our walk; even in our search for Abba Father and His truths.

The Search Must Have an Ultimate End

The ultimate aim of a God-seeker (as well as a truth-seeker) is of course to find the one True God and Creator of the Universe. Regardless what many will say or insinuate or feel or think, there must be a conclusion at some point to that search. The search can not continue unresolved. And I’m afraid that we have a generation of sincere believers who have made it a part-time pre-occupation of theirs to seek after God and His Truths. They somehow satisfy themselves more with the idea of being on a perpetual search for God than the idea of actually finding Him and His truths. And I would venture to guess that this is so because, once you find that which you’ve sought after your entire life, you’ll have to actually do something with that which you’ve sought after. And I’m talking about having to actually do something with the object of the search: do something with God. Right? Upon finding Him and His eternal truths, then comes the moment when all the questions start to get answered. Then comes the moment when the life we once knew and loved and lived is brought into question. Then comes the moment when we decide if we are going to embrace the end-result of that search and never look back.

What Do We Do When We Find God?

So it will come down to the seeker having to give up their former lives to the One True God. The seeker must pick up their staff and follow Yeshua Messiah. The seeker must be willing to sell everything and follow Him. It will come down to the seeker giving up possession of His body, mind, soul and spirit to the Master and the Work of the Gospel. It will come down to the seeker being obedient: being a Torah Observer. The seeking must come to an end. Father stated through His great prophet Jeremiah:

“And ye shall seek me and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, says Yahovah: and I will turn away your captivity and I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places whither I have driven you, says Yahovah; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” (Jeremiah 29:13, 14; Cepher)

Many will say that this prophecy was fulfilled when Judah returned to the Land from their Babylonian captivity. Many will say that this prophecy was fulfilled when the Zionists established the state of Israel back in 1948. And indeed, maybe a portion of this prophecy was fulfilled during one or both of these historic events. But we know that Judah as it was in the days of the 2nd Temple and even today in the modern nation of Israel, have never truly sought after nor have they found Yahovah. If anything, these individuals sought after and found religion; they found secularism; they found paganism. They failed to find the one true God. And all indications are that many of us who have found the one true God and have become Netsarim and disciples of Yeshua HaMashiach, are probably part and parcel of the lost tribes of Israel, destined to return to the land at some point in time. The Jews currently living in Israel and throughout the world, assuming they are true Jews, remain blind to the truth about Yahovah and His Son. Most of them have not conducted a proper search for Yahovah.

If We Earnestly Seek Him We Shall Find Him–A Promise

Yet those who are truly seeking with the proper heart and spirit, Yahovah promises, they will ultimately find Him.

Folks, I don’t believe this Jeremiah prophecy has been completed. I believe we will see in the not too distant future, the true people—the true seekers-of Yahovah, will ultimately find Him. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that this will happen. Right now, it doesn’t look too promising, but the call of Hebrew Roots—the message of Hebrew Roots—is getting out there. People are heeding the call of Yeshua Messiah. One-by-one, the scales are falling from truth seekers’ eyes. More and more people are discovering that the God that they once thought they’d found is really not the One True God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The world has, for the most part, been sold a bill of goods. Most of the world has been introduced to and have accepted a knock-off/counterfeit version of the God of the Hebrews. But we Torah Observant Believers in Yeshua Messiah know that the original God is out there, waiting for seekers to find Him through the atoning sacrifice of His Son Yeshua Messiah, the revelation of Himself through the imparting of His Ruach HaKodesh and through washing by His Word.