Topical Bible: Seeking God: The Wicked: Sometimes Pretend To

◄ Seeking God: The Wicked: Sometimes Pretend To ►

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In the biblical narrative, the concept of seeking God is a central theme, often associated with righteousness, sincerity, and a genuine desire to know and follow the divine will. However, Scripture also acknowledges that not all who claim to seek God do so with pure intentions. The wicked, at times, may pretend to seek God, using religious language and actions as a facade to mask their true motives.

Biblical Instances and Descriptions

1. Hypocrisy in Worship: The Bible frequently addresses the issue of hypocrisy, where individuals outwardly perform religious duties but lack true devotion. In Isaiah 29:13 , the Lord says, "These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me, and their worship of Me is but rules taught by men." This verse highlights the disconnect between external religious expressions and internal sincerity, a characteristic of those who pretend to seek God.

2. False Prophets and Deceivers: The wicked may also pretend to seek God by assuming roles of spiritual leadership or prophecy, yet their intentions are deceitful. In Jeremiah 23:16 , the Lord warns, "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD." Such individuals may claim divine insight or guidance, but their ultimate aim is self-serving.

3. Pharisaical Pretense: In the New Testament, Jesus frequently confronts the Pharisees for their outward displays of piety that mask inner corruption. In Matthew 23:27-28 , Jesus declares, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness." This rebuke underscores the danger of religious pretense.

4. Self-Serving Motives: The wicked may also pretend to seek God for personal gain, using religion as a means to achieve power, wealth, or influence. In Acts 8:18-21 , Simon the Sorcerer offers money to the apostles to receive the Holy Spirit's power, revealing his ulterior motives. Peter responds, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in our ministry, because your heart is not right before God."

Theological Implications

The pretense of seeking God by the wicked serves as a cautionary tale within the biblical text. It underscores the importance of sincerity and authenticity in one's relationship with God. The Scriptures consistently call for a heart that genuinely seeks after God, as seen in passages like Psalm 51:17 , "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."

Moral and Ethical Considerations

From a moral and ethical standpoint, the pretense of seeking God is condemned as a form of deceit and hypocrisy. It is a violation of the command to love God with all one's heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). The Bible encourages believers to examine their motives and ensure that their pursuit of God is marked by integrity and truthfulness.

Practical Application

For believers, the awareness of the wicked's pretense in seeking God serves as a reminder to cultivate a genuine and heartfelt relationship with the Lord. It calls for introspection and a commitment to authenticity in worship, prayer, and daily living. The pursuit of God should be characterized by humility, repentance, and a sincere desire to align one's life with His will.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ezra 4:2
Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said to them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as you do; and we do sacrifice to him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up here.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Isaiah 58:2
Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Letter vi. Temptation.
... called destroyer; and is said to walk about, seeking whom he ... in prosperity, that
we forget not God; and in ... my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me ...
/.../a practical directory for young christian females/letter vi temptation.htm

Solitude, Silence, Submission
... know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me ... I recollect that, when
I first was seeking the Lord, I ... to a man, and not a penny in the pound to God? ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 42 1896/solitude silence submission.htm

Elijah's Appeal to the Undecided
... But I am now speaking to you who are seeking to serve ... but say at once, "Now God is
my God, and that ... or that mischief that brings joy to the wicked man's heart ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/elijahs appeal to the undecided.htm

The Two Guards, Praying and Watching
... Sometimes, when we have seen men plotting against God, seeking to ruin the souls
of ... we were as hearty and united in the service of God as wicked men are in ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 38 1892/the two guards praying and.htm

On Trusting in the Mercy of God.
... I have is that I have a desperately wicked heart ... of being an infinite tyrant, and
of seeking to crush ... that excuse self, and cavils that arraign God, stand alike ...
/.../finney/sermons on gospel themes/ii on trusting in the.htm

"The Carnal Mind is Enmity against God for it is not Subject to ...
... and jealous, and ye are not only weak, but wicked. ... wander abroad from hill to mountain,
seeking some inherent ... how will you submit to the righteousness of God? ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxi the carnal mind.htm

Election Confirmed by the Calling of God. The Reprobate Bring Upon ...
... They will in vain torment themselves in seeking for a ... shortly after shows that they
were elected by God. When the wicked hear these things, they complain that ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 24 election confirmed by.htm

Submit Yourselves Therefore to God. James 4:7.
... glorify him, is a very different thing from seeking supremely our ... and he must submit
to it; for God has taken ... he desires not the death of the wicked, but that ...
/.../finney/lectures to professing christians/submit yourselves therefore to god.htm

Accidents, not Punishments
... true that a pleasure-boat, in which men were seeking their own ... righteous man is poor
as well as the wicked, and that ... If there be a God, he must be just; and if ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/accidents not punishments.htm

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners Or, a Brief Relation of ...
... some, who though when they were under wounds of conscience, would cry and pray;
yet seeking rather present ... There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. ...
/.../bunyan/grace abounding to the chief of sinners/grace abounding to the chief.htm