A
Christian hymn, advising the listener, "seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and its
righteousness." It is based on a line from
Jesus'
sermon on the mount:
25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
- Matthew 6:25-33, New International Version
In the
King James bible, the last verse is rendered "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
When I was an
angry teenage atheist, I was exposed to
Episcopalian worship services a lot and I always had trouble not liking this piece of music. Now I'm a calm young adult
atheist, and I still find the idea moving. Not to mention useful. It ties in with the concept that we succeed by letting go, not of skill or intelligence, but of constant scrutiny and desire. Compare the
Daoist concept of
original mind, the psychological construct of
flow, and even the
Wiccan Charge of the Goddess:
And thou who thinkest to seek Me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not unless thou knowest the mystery; that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, then thou wilt never find it without thee. For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.
- "The Charge of the Goddess", Doreen Valentine
On the other hand, if one is in a bad mood it can also be compared to the
Puritan idea of an "
elect" whose wealth and worldly success are an outward sign of
salvation. I would resolve this tension by suggesting that the reader pay less attention to authorial intent and instead focus on what the words
can mean as part of one's personal
spirituality.
The hymn was written by Karen Lafferty in 1971 and is copyright 1972, Maranatha! Music. The lyrics are:
Seek ye first the kingdom of God,
And his righteousness,
And all these things shall be added unto you;
Allelu-, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Ask, and it shall be given unto you;
Seek, and ye shall find;
Knock, and the door shall be opened unto you;
Allelu-, alleluia:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Man shall not live by bread alone,
But by every word
That proceeds from the mouth of the Lord;
Allelu-, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Some sources reverse the second and third verses.