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7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. ~ Matthew 7:7-12
Today, we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. In this sermon the Lord Jesus describes the journey involved in our lives as God changes our hearts. This change of heart takes us from being hard-hearted and non-responsive to God to being broken and obedient to Him. This journey began when we realized that needed Him due to our spiritually bankrupt state before Him. This journey will continue daily until He calls us to be with Him for eternity.
In v.7 of today's passage we read, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."
These words are logically connected to the previous thought of the Lord Jesus about being careful with whom we share the truth. Before that He spoke about not judging, but that didn’t mean not judging at all. Rather, it is to be based on the attitude in which one judges. This is obvious because He then told His disciples how and when to make judgments. These words in today's passage were given in the sense of asking for His wisdom and discernment as we judge between that which is right and wrong.
The words "ask," "seek," and "knock" are all present, active, imperatives which means we never come to the place where we no longer pursue fellowship with God. When we persistently ask God for His wisdom, God promises to inject us with that which we will need to do His will. The word translated "knock" here implies a request for permission to enter. The words "seek" and "ask" reveal there is more involved than just getting God's attention. These words reveal that a proper search must be involved. The path to obtaining God's wisdom in how to deal with others and how to make right judgments is something that has to be conducted through a proper search. In response, the Lord Jesus promises He will open the door. It doesn’t say the one praying opens the door for himself. God promises that when we ask, seek, and knock, the door will be opened.
In v.8 of today's passage we read, "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
This conditional promise from the Lord must be in accord with His word and His will. When we acknowledge through prayer that we need God's involvement, God promises an answer. But, these words of the Lord Jesus must not be taken as a carte blanche approval by God of getting everything we want. When we pray according to God's will it means we will trust in His guidance and we will desire that which He wants for us.
In v.9-10 of today's passage we read, "9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?"
Here, the Lord Jesus used the most intimate and selfless human relationship, a father's care and love for his child, to get His point across. No father would give his son a stone when he has requested bread or a shake if he has asked for a fish. No father could be trusted if he responded this way. The point here is if God is God and the knowledge of what and how He has done things is attainable by us, then we need to be persistent in asking, seeking, and knocking according to His will. To ask not in accordance with His will is a waste of time and reveals our arrogance which is what put us in our sinful dilemma in the first place.
In v.11-12 of today's passage we read, "11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
The Lord Jesus reminded us that the Father gives good things to those who ask him. It is not about getting stuff, though, it is about a burgeoning relationship with God. He doesn't just drop stuff into our lives without us asking because that does not deepen our relationship with Him. He yearns for us to know Him because we are damned on our own otherwise. I love what happened right after the Lord Jesus died on the cross. The curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn from top to bottom. That event reveals there no longer is a separation between God and sinful man. This is due to the satisfying sacrifice of the Lord Jesus which bridged the gap between sinful man and God. Since His death paid the penalty for that which separated us from God in the first place, we can now go directly to God and enjoy relationship and fellowship with Him.
In the final verse of today's passage we are given the Golden Rule. It is the Golden Rule that sets Christianity apart from the philosophies and the religious systems of this world. Many believe the Golden Rule is found in other philosophies or religions but this is not the case. The religious leaders of Israel said, "Whatever is not helpful, don't do that to other people." Confucius said, "Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you." The Greek philosophers said, "Whatever you want people not to do to you, don't do that to anyone else." The emphasis in all of those statements are negative. Their quotes focus on self-preservation. Their statements are a far cry from, "Do unto others what you would have them do unto you." In the final analysis, the evidence that we have been the recipients of God's goodness is discovered in how we treat others.
