Televisions were in wide use by the 1950s, and from Dragnet to Hawaii Five-O to Murder, She Wrote, criminal investigation shows have been one of the most popular genres, producing hundreds of programs and thousands of episodes. As of this writing, NCIS alone has aired 488 episodes and is still going. So spellbound is American culture by the art of investigation that it spawned the sub-genre of True Crime such as Cold Case Files, America’s Most Wanted and 48 Hours (1,484 episodes and counting).
Having worked in criminal investigations I can attest to the thrill of the hunt, but the reality is that the job is remarkably more tedious than you might believe. Driving across the city to find no one home, making dozens of phone calls that go unanswered and chasing down one dead end lead after another make up much of a detective’s time. It can be discouragingly unproductive.
That said, a good detective is not one with the ability to recall small details after entering a room, or that has uncanny insight into the criminal’s mind or that has perfected his ability to “trust his gut.” No, the best detectives are the most diligent ones. After driving across town to an empty house they drive to the next one. After making a dozen phone calls that go unanswered, they dial the next number. When the leads go nowhere, they continue the search for another until, at last, there is a break in the case. That is how crimes are solved and cases get closed.
In a similar way, “cases are closed” when God’s children doggedly pursue the truth. That is the explicit response in Deuteronomy 13 when others attempt to lead His people astray. “Then you shall inquire and make search and ask diligently.” He repeats the instruction in Deuteronomy 17:4 when people are abandoning the Lord. “[If] it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently….” Again, in Deuteronomy 19:18, judges that are struggling to determine the truth in a case are told to “inquire diligently.” This sentiment is expressed about the gospel in 1 Peter 1:12 where it refers to “things into which angels long to look.”
Not all truth contained in the Bible is equally clear, so how much more difficult, at times, is it to apply those to the complexities of life? The answer to your most challenging predicaments is to inquire diligently. Like a good detective, you need to industriously, purposefully and resolutely search for the answer. Go repeatedly to God in prayer for His guidance and wisdom. Dig consistently into His Word for solutions. Talk to others that are spiritually mature to gain greater perspective.
Diligent inquiry is not reserved for complicated situations, it should be a way of life. In fact, James connects the practice to action.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (Jas. 1:22–25)
The analogy highlights the relationship between looking intently at oneself and looking into the perfect law with perseverance. There is an enduring intensity to the examination, yet it is wasted if it is swiftly forgotten. Diligent inquiry is not a specialty tool to be pulled out when things are uniquely difficult. It is a commitment to consistently and conscientiously search for truth accompanied by a trust that the Lord will reveal it. It involves a pledge to act on the evidence.
So how good of a detective are you? Are you engaged in ongoing, careful investigation into the perfect law? Do you live out the facts of your discoveries? Asking the Lord for wisdom is a good start, but the road to becoming a biblical Sherlock Holmes requires diligent inquiry.
I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently find Me. (Prov. 8:17)