Seeking the Kingdom

^{A new look at an old verse or two}

• And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Luke 12:29-31)
  

Many today preach all manner of sermons using this particular verse or ones similar but it seems most simply do not understand that Yeshua (Jesus) was a Jew who read and studied the only Bible that existed in His day, the wrongly titled (my opinion) 'Old Testament'. Here in this verse Yeshua is directly referencing a promise made by God to the children of Israel found in the book of Deuteronomy.

• And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently (this does not say listen if you feel like it) unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: (If God is your King then you will obey His every Commandment and thus you will be a subject of His Kingdom) And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.(Deuteronomy 28:1-14)
  

To seek the Kingdom of God is to simply repent of doing things your way (this is the definition of sin See 1st John 3:4) and to begin doing things God's way; in other words, to submit to and obey God's Holy and perfect Laws and Commandments. If we learn to love and obey God He will bless us with abundance sufficient to meet our needs. Yeshua did not come to die for our sins in vain. He did not come to atone for our sins so that we could continue in sin (God forbid!) No rather Yeshua came to save us from sin and death. If we have true faith in Him who is the Son/Word of God made flesh (Jn. 1:14) then we will trust and do what He says. We will keep His Commandments which are actually God's Commandments since Yeshua was and is God in the flesh. (1st Tim. 3:16)

Notice how Moses states in verses 14 how straying to the right or left  of following God's Word is equal to serving other gods? It is the same thing that always happens to unconverted man that does not have the Holy Spirit of God living inside his mind and body. In the garden man strayed to the left and the the right of God's simple Commandment not to eat from the tree of knowing good and evil. We listened unto the serpent Satan the devil/dragon. The dragon became our king and thus god when we followed his words over God's Words.

If you carefully look at all the Words of Yeshua (Jesus), His sayings and parables, you will find that He never once tells anyone following Him that one day some of God's Holy Laws and Commandments; such as the Sabbath day being on Sunday in place of Saturday or the dietary Laws, will be done away with. To do so would make Him like the devil and thus a false prophet/god. Most Jews when approached by Christian missionaries are basically told that certain of God's Laws were done away with when Jesus died on the cross for their sins. Jews know that God will test them from time to time with false prophets. (Deut. 13:1-5) It is because Jews are so wary of false prophets; all of whom have come from amongst their own brethren, that they will not listen to any Christian who does not understand that the true Messiah (Yeshua) would not and could not come to do away with the Laws but rather to once and for all establish the Law of God. In fact ALL of God's Holy prophets always preached only the Word of God. All of the Holy Prophets always called upon the children of Israel to repent from sining against God which is defined as breaking His Law's and Commandments. (See 1^st John 3:4) See what Yeshua has to say in Matthew 5:17-19 on the subject of the Law & Prophets. In fact reading on past verse 19 you will see that Yeshua makes the Law even more clear by giving the full meaning of the Laws. It is a fact that we are made holy or clean by the very words of Yeshua that abide in us. (See also 30:29 to understand the concept of holiness by contact)

• Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. (John 15:3) Who's Words were they?
• If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (John 15:7) Compare to Deut. 28:1-14
• If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. (John 15:10)
• He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. (John 12:48-50)
  

It's all pretty simple and laid out here for all to see and understand. Seeking the kingdom first is the same as seeking to make Yeshua your Lord and is the same as repenting from transgressing (breaking) the Laws of God. If by faith you receive the Son you also receive the Father and also the gift of the Holy Spirit which makes you continually clean or holy. (John 15:3) The Holy Spirit works to purge you of the sin nature (works of the devil 1^st John. 3:8) you were born with and over time you will begin to bear the fruit of righteousness. What is the fruit of righteousness? Simply put the fruit of righteousness is LOVE as defined by the observance of God's Holy Laws and Commandments. If you love God with all you are you will love all who are created in His Holy image... your fellow man. If you love your neighbor as yourself you will not murder, steal, slander or hate him. You will not seek his possessions. You will learn and obey God's royal Laws and loving Commandments and practice them during the rest of your born-again life because the Holy Spirit is inside you. Remember a tree is known by it's fruit. Faith is not true faith unless works of righteousness are seen as evidence. (James 2)


Peace be with you and may your needs be fully met by the grace found only in Messiah Yeshua!



Your brother in Messiah Yeshua,



Avi