But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
Where the Command Falls
The command to seek first does not arrive in a quiet room. It lands in the middle of talk about food and clothes. One writer asks us to notice that:
The Lord Jesus said, "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." What had He been speaking of just before? Of what we shall eat and what we shall wear — the things we need for daily life. We do need them. But it is exactly because we need them that our Lord says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." Are we listening to this word? What is first in our souls?
The Meaning of "First"
"First" is easily misread as a timetable — deal with God, then get on with life. One commentator cuts that reading off directly:
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." We are not to seek first the kingdom of God and then seek these things. We seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all the rest will come.
The issue is not how much time something takes. It is which claim comes first. One writer wrote this to a man deciding whether to take up a job alongside his preaching:
The thing that I fear is not seeking FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It is not the time only that a similar occupation takes, but its having the prior claim, which is important. It alters the whole tone of the mind.
What the Kingdom Is
One writer sums the kingdom up in two words — God's interests — and draws a conclusion about worry:
Seek the kingdom of God, that is, God's interests, and all these things will be added to you. So, dear friends, not one of us needs to be troubled by a single care. We will not be troubled if we only take this into our hearts: God loves us, He cares for us, and He watches over us because He cares for us. So He will never let one of His children go without, if that child seeks first the kingdom of God.
What "His Righteousness" Adds
The verse names two things, not one, and the second is not decoration. One writer explains what makes this second thing hard:
"His righteousness" is added to this. Everything in the world is stained by man's unrighteousness. So it takes real purpose of heart to seek the purity of God's righteousness in surroundings that pull the other way. This does take time and thought.
Another writer asks where this seeking shows itself day by day:
Do we make our decisions, small or great, in dependence on Him — praying and waiting on Him? Do we let Him rule our lives in this way? This is the only way to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The righteousness of God here is not the same as the righteousness spoken of in Romans. It is practical conduct. It answers to the authority and rule of God through the Lord Jesus in our lives.
The Promise, and How to Ruin It
The promise is real. But one writer warns that it collapses the moment it becomes the reason we seek:
We are to make the things of God our main aim, and He promises to take care of all our needs. But note this. We are not to seek "the kingdom of God" so that "all these things may be added." That would be a fatal mistake. If I give myself to the Lord's work so that my everyday needs will be met, I will soon come to ruin. But if I make the Lord's work my first aim, God will fully meet my needs.
One writer points out who does the adding:
Before all else, consider the rights of God. Our habit is to seek food and clothing first, along with everything else we count as a need or comfort in this life. But the Lord puts all of that well outside the range of our worry. "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." The promise is that all these things will be added — that is, that God will add them.
The Condition Attached
One writer ties the promise back to what it rests on:
If we make God's kingdom and righteousness our first concern, we can expect Him to add all the good things we need. Our God and Father never overlooks our needs. If faithful in the greatest and deepest things, He loves that we should trust Him as to our least things. Do we believe the Lord, that "all these things" — the ones unbelief worries about — "will be added to us"? Let us not forget the condition: "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness."
Summary
- First — not a sequence, but a ranking. Seek the kingdom and everything else follows. Let another claim take first place and it changes the whole tone of the mind.
- Kingdom — God's interests. Seeking it means making His concerns our own.
- Righteousness — doing what is right under His rule, in dependence on Him, in decisions small and great.
- Added — God does the adding. The moment the promise becomes the motive, the seeking is ruined. Make the Lord's work your first aim, and every need is met.
- Condition — the promise does not stand alone. Faithful in the greatest things, we are invited to trust Him with the least.