Ancient Words.

Living Prayer.

These companion notes are designed to help you continue the conversation with God beyond the episode.


These are some of the Scriptures we used to prepare and share in this episode. Click the triangle to see the passages.

 בָּקַשׁ – “to seek, to desire” pronounced bah-KASH

Exodus 33:7-11 – Moses and the Tent of Meeting

Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. 10 And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. 11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.19

English Standard Version (ESV), italics added, baqash is used here

2 Chronicles 7:11-14 – God’s answer to Solomon’s Prayer

11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your *prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and *pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

English Standard Version (ESV), italics added, * both are palal (tefillah as the noun)

Ezra 8:21-23 – Ezra leads fasting and prayer before they depart

21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened *to our entreaty.

English Standard Version (ESV), *awthar is used here, see episode 10

Psalm 27: 4,7-8 – God tells us to seek His face

4One thing have I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
    and to *inquire in his temple.

Hear, O Lord, when I **cry aloud;
    be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
    “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

English Standard Version (ESV), italics added, *baqar similar to baqash, **qara used (see episode 8)

 דָּרַשׁ- “to seek, to investigate” pronounced dah-RAHSH

Genesis 25:19-22 – Rebekah’s prayer to YHWH, and His answer

19 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. 21 And Isaac *prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his *prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,
    and two peoples from within you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
    the older shall serve the younger.”

English Standard Version (ESV), italics added, *awthar is used here (see episode 10)

Psalm 24:3-6 – Promise of God’s blessing on those who seek Him

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
    And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not lift up his soul to what is false
    and does not swear deceitfully.
He will receive blessing from the Lord
    and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who *seek the face of the God of Jacob.

English Standard Version (ESV), italics added, *baqash is used here (see above)

1 Chronicles 16:8-11 – David’s Psalm as the Ark was restored to Jerusalem

Oh give thanks to the Lord; *call upon his name;
    make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!
10 Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
11 **Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually!

English Standard Version (ESV), italics added *qara is used here (see episode 8), **darash is used here (see below)

2 Chronicles 7:11-14 – God’s answer to Solomon’s Prayer

11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house. All that Solomon had planned to do in the house of the Lord and in his own house he successfully accomplished. 12 Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your *prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and *pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

* both are palal (tefillah as the noun)

English Standard Version (ESV)

These are the books, articles, podcasts, and other resources referenced during this conversation.

Hebrew Alphabet Poster

This is a handy resource if you are wanting to see and understand the Hebrew alphabet, especially the appearance and meaning of the separate letters. This is a link to Amazon, but you can get them in a lot of other places.

Read slowly through the Scriptures and think back to the conversation. Don’t rush to the “right” answer. What draws your heart?

When you compare these two words, which is easier for you to understand? Is one more challenging to do?

How much time do you associate with the idea of seeking something? How does it feel the longer you seek? Harder or easier?

Notice how God also seeks. Take a minute to consider Ezekiel 34, as well as Jesus’s parables about seeking the lost coin, sheep and the prodigal son. How does this impact your desire to seek Him?


Consider

Consider the personal nature of seeking the face of God. What difference does that make in the posture of your seeking?

Psalm 139 tells us that God has already searched and known us. He has already fully sought our hearts, and yet the psalm ends with a prayer from David asking God to search his heart again and to lead him into the way everlasting. How does the searching of God help us to understand ourselves? How does it affect our approach to Him?


Respond

Think about any areas where you feel unseen. Are you able to show those areas to the Lord? Can you sit face to face with Him in those places?

Take a moment to ponder the promise of God, that you will be found by Him. Think truly what it means for you specifically to be found and to be face to face, as a man talks to his friend.


One simple invitation

Choose one of the two words for seek and take the journey of seeking.

For Darash, take the pathway of humility, allowing yourself to be seen by God, confessing and turning towards Him. This may require careful thought and consideration.

For Baqash, let the shell of your outer person fall away, and look to the inner place of your heart, so that you can be face to face with your God.

We would love to hear what God. is teaching you through these conversations. Come and share your story, your questions, your reflections, and even your ideas for future episodes.

Email us at unpolishedprayer@gmail.com

If this conversation encouraged you, consider sharing this episode with someone who may be encouraged as well.


A Note About Our Resources

The resources shared on this page are intended to support the conversations on Unpolished Prayer and encourage continued growth in prayer and a deeper understanding of Scripture. While we carefully select resources we believe are faithful and helpful, we encourage every listener to test what they read and hear against the truth of God’s Word.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.