Matt Parks on Hebrews 4:12-13

“Exposed before the Word”

(Hebrews 4:12-13, Preaching: Elder Matt Parks, May 16, 2010)

Hebrews 4:12-13 – 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Introduction
Most of Hebrews 3 and 4 is a meditation on several verses from Psalm 95. That Psalm begins with a boisterous call to worship the God is who above all gods, the ruler of all creation: “4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” Before abruptly transitioning to the warnings that are quoted by the author of Hebrews, David redoubles His call by describing God’s special care for His people: “For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand” (v. 7). Worship the King of all the earth! Worship the One who is your shepherd! When we answer this call and come together in covenant assembly – even as we are doing now – we do so with the expectation that not only will we speak words of praise to God, but that He will speak words of truth to us. There is nothing that we need more than to hear His voice. Today. There is no hope for peace, no hope for rest, no hope for salvation from the punishment that we have deserved if we harden our hearts against the Word of God. If, for some reason, we will foolishly insist that we will judge the Word of God, that we will decide if it (or He) is reliable or helpful, whether we ought to heed it (Him) or can safely ignore it (Him), we will find, instead, that it (He) judges us. The words of the Scriptures, recorded in Psalm 95, Hebrews 4, or anywhere else in the Bible, are powerful beyond our control. They are powerful, ultimately, because they are united to the One that they call the Word of God, Jesus Christ Himself, Lord of all the earth.

Living and active (12a)
The meditation on the power of the Word of God in our passage this morning follows the author’s instruction in verse 11 that we “strive” to enter God’s rest, “so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” The Israelites of the Exodus generation had disobeyed God by not believing His word. They refused to enter the Promised Land and therefore failed to enter God’s rest. Verses 12 and 13 give us good reasons not to make the same mistake – not to underestimate the word of God. Taken in all their fullness, they provide a frightening warning that God is not to be trifled with.

The most controversial interpretive question for this passage shows up in its first phrase: “the word of God.” The best minds of church history have divided over whether the primary reference is to the Scriptures or to Jesus Christ (for example, John Calvin believed the former; the eminent Puritan John Owen the latter) – and for good reasons. The immediate context has been the application of a passage from the OT Scriptures to the Hebrew church, but the book opens with a memorable passage on Christ as the final Word. The language of these two verses also seems most easily suited to the personal Christ. On the one hand, this has meaningful implications for how we think about what it means for the “word of God” to be “living and active” and all the rest of the attributes spoken of in this passage. On the other hand, it would be unwise for us to separate the word of the Scriptures from Jesus Christ in any meaningful way. As we’ve already said, the power of the Scriptures is the power of Christ, working through the Holy Spirit. It is important for us to consider how strong this identification is in the Bible. We perhaps remember the opening words of John’s Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Perhaps even more helpful is a passage from Revelation 19: “11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” It is striking that when Jesus Christ comes in judgment, sharp sword in His mouth, He is called by the name “The Word of God.” It was this passage that convinced John Owen that this phrase should always be translated in the New Testament in reference to Christ unless the immediate context obviously forbids it. Whether or not we are equally convinced, it is the clear testimony of the Bible that when we are confronted by God’s word we are confronted by God Himself.

Throughout this passage, the author chooses his words most carefully – there are at least four words that appear only here in the New Testament, including several of the key terms that are used to describe this Word: living, active, sharp(er), piercing, and discerning. He starts with the most fundamental – “living and active.”

We recall, once again, that the author of Hebrews repeatedly encourages the original recipients of this letter not to give up on their association with the church of Christ. If they were looking for an excuse to justify this, they might have “reasoned” this way: Jesus is no longer on the earth. We do not really know what has become of Him. Some say He rose from the dead, but perhaps He is just dead after all. Or, if He is alive – and now in heaven – perhaps He has nothing to do anymore with events on the earth. In either case, there is no need unnecessarily to offend the Jews who have rejected Him by making Jesus the focus of our worship and ministry. None of this should be in the least degree persuasive. It is all plainly contradicted over and over again in the New Testament (and the Old). But the heart is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9). And so the author of Hebrews again exposes the lie. Jesus is not dead: the Word of God is living. Jesus is not disengaged: the Word of God is active. How do we see that He is living? How do we see that He is active? Among other ways, we see both in the power of His word and Spirit to transform lives. Can a dead Word turn the Peter who denies Jesus three times into the Peter who preaches boldly less than two months later at Pentecost? Can an inactive Word confront a Pharisee raging against the church and turn him into the apostle Paul? What about our own lives? Why do the words recorded by shepherds, fig tree-dressers, and fishermen burn within us, while the best efforts of the world’s great novelists, playwrights, and philosophers are so comparatively weak?

Sharper and piercing (12b)
We could easily imagine the author’s testimony to the vitality and energy of God’s Word introducing a message of encouragement for those facing persecution. Whatever the apparent power of the forces arrayed against you, remember that the Word of God, the reigning King and coming Judge of the universe, is living and active. There is nothing wrong with this as an application of these words, but it is not the principal point the author is making here. Instead, as we’ve seen for two chapters, the author is intent on warning his readers about the dangers of unbelief – the dangers of ignoring the Word. This becomes all the more clear as he continues to describe the “Word of God” in the second part of verse 12.

In the first place, we are told that it is “sharper than any two-edged sword.” The word translated “sharper” is not the normal word used in the New Testament for cutting objects. Rather, it is a special word used only here that emphasizes the ability to cut with a single stroke. What can a sharp two-edged sword do? It can cut through the thickest, hardest object. It can pass through the most well-constructed armor. A two-edged (literally two-mouthed) sword is sharp. The Word of God is sharper. Jesus Christ, by His word and Spirit, can penetrate a heart of thickest, hardest stone. Whether in mercy or in judgment, He cuts through our every defense.
The cut of Christ cuts deeply and precisely: “piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow.” This passage has been used by some to suggest a more complicated picture of our human nature than a two-part combination of body and soul. It is evident, however, that the author’s point here is not to give a precise description of the mysteries of human life. Rather, he continues to extend his description of the power of the Word of God. Think of two things of that are carefully hidden and apparently inseparable. Who can even find them, much less divide them? The answer is the Word of God. He is able to get in between things that can’t really be separated. He is able to penetrate things that aren’t able to be seen – and go all the way through. Whether it is the spiritual – soul and spirit – or the physical – joints and marrow – Jesus Christ pierces all with His word and Spirit.

Discerning (12c)
This sharp and piercing Word is “living and active” in another way. It is “discerning” or “able-to-judge.” The ability to judge requires profound knowledge and wisdom. It is one of the tragedies of life under the sun that the human judge, no matter how careful and well-intentioned, will always make mistakes – judging some to be guilty who are truly innocent and others to be innocent who are truly guilty. The judgment of the Word makes no such mistakes. While the accuracy of the judgment in a courtroom relies so heavily on the quality of the witnesses and other evidence that is available, the apostle John testified concerning Jesus that He “needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:25) Jesus has the knowledge and wisdom necessary to judge the most important matters accurately every time – a person’s true spiritual condition. While we struggle to understand or explain the outward behavior of ourselves and others, He knows “the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
The fact that God is interested in the “thoughts and intentions of the heart” should not surprise us. As Jesus explains in the Sermon on the Mount, the law of God is not just about our actions, but also our thoughts and desires. But even then, this was nothing new. How many times in the Old Testament does God decry the hypocrisy of His people who offer the appointed sacrifices of Old Testament worship with hearts that are far from Him? We know this – but how seriously do we consider it? How often and how carefully do we confess the sins of our thoughts and intentions? How much is there remaining within us that worries only about the eyes of men, rather than the penetrating gaze of God? What causes me shame? Is it the knowledge that others have observed me in my sin? If so, then perhaps I have forgotten that God sees what no other man does.

We think that our thoughts are private. We rarely even consider the mixed quality of our intentions. Jesus knows all these things. And yet in another way, we are not surprised by this. We have felt the conviction that comes in reading His word as the Spirit searches and examines us. Perhaps we have tried to resist this or even run away from it, but it is all in vain. The Scriptures are able-to-judge; Jesus is able-to-judge.

The only other place in the New Testament that the word translated “discerning” is used is in 1 Peter 4. Peter begins that chapter with the command: “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” (v. 1-2). In order to escape sin, we need to think like Christ – we need to be discerning ourselves, our judgment guided by the Word and Spirit.

Naked and exposed (13)
If we have any remaining thought that our secret sins are truly secret, verse 13 should convince us otherwise. It begins with a plain statement: “no creature is hidden from his sight….” We are reminded that God is the maker of all things. He is the One Creator; the rest are His creatures. He sees all that is done by each creature. If this is true of His creatures in general, how much more so is it the case with those who are a part of His church, who are the objects of His special care and concern? The word translated “creature” was used by Jewish rabbis of this period as the name for pagans who had converted to Judaism. All those who, in Christ, are a “new creation” must be especially aware of the God’s power to see all that they do, think, and say.
How do we appear before the eyes of God? “Naked and exposed.” Both of these words emphasize our vulnerability before God – our lack of covering or protection and, as we will see, are frightening in their implications. We, however, recall that there was a time when being naked before God was not so frightening. In Genesis 2, Adam and Eve were naked but not ashamed. It was their sin in the next chapter that caused them to seek cover, to hide from God in the garden and to cover themselves physically before the one who knew their sin inside and out. In the Old Testament prophets, the exposure of nakedness is commonly used as picture of God’s judgment against proud and rebellious sinners. It emphasizes the loss of security for those who are being judged. The word translated “exposed” reinforces this and adds another dimension to the picture. It is a word used to describe the animal or enemy whose head has been pulled back in preparation for slaughter. It describes a person at the point of greatest weakness, completely in the hands of and at the mercy of the one whose sword has been bared and prepared to strike.
The language here is almost shocking. If we did not know it as the word of a merciful, covenant-keeping God, we might despair. We must take this warning seriously. We are without protection or defense in ourselves before God – and it is to Him that “we must give account.” The final phrase of this verse is very difficult to translate. Literally, it means something like: “to Him who is the Word to us.” The use of the word “Word” reminds us again of John 1 and Revelation 19 and the fact that Jesus is the One before whom we are “naked and exposed,” and to whom we must give an account for our lives. He sees all our sin in all its depth. There is no hope for us that He will not know. There is no idle thought or hidden intention that He has not searched and understood.

We must, by this point, be longing for Gospel hope and encouragement. And, of course, it is not far from us. It is perhaps because the author is so aware of how hard chapters 3 and 4 bite that he moves, beginning with the next verse, into an extended meditation on the excellence of Christ as our great High Priest, the One who can sympathize with us in our weakness. Of course, we can also look back a few verses and remind ourselves of the promised rest that remains for the people of God – a secure hope for deliverance from the trials of sin that we experience in this life. Even more, consider the suffering love of Christ on the cross in the context of this passage. He was naked and exposed before the world in His crucifixion. But it was not ultimately to Roman or Jewish authorities that He had to give an account. He was naked and exposed before the Father and HE WAS NOT ASHAMED. No matter how deeply the Father looked, there was no sin in Him, even in the thoughts and intentions of His heart, but only perfect purity and holiness. When His hands and side were pierced, when the judgment of the Father for our sin came upon Him, He suffered not for His sake, but for ours, so that in Him, He might judge us righteous. The perfect purity that we need is ours as soon as we give up on trying to supply it ourselves and recognize that Jesus alone is our righteousness. If we will submit to the piercing power of the Word, we will find more than the painful consciousness of sin – even the all-surpassing joy of true forgiveness.

Application
As we consider the implications of this passage, consider the experience of the Psalmist recorded in Psalm 32: “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. 5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” For a time, the Psalmist fought against confessing his sin, but it would not do. He could pretend it didn’t exist or try to rationalize or justify his actions. He could ignore the sleepless nights and the tension in his chest. But neither his consciousness of sin nor the physical effects of his guilt would go away – and, at some level, he knew that they never would. The Word of God, after all, is living and active. There was only one thing to do: surrender – give up on every attempt at self-righteousness, acknowledge his nakedness, and bare his neck before the sword of the Lord. And what happened? Because Christ was pierced with that sword in judgment, the Psalmist was cut to the heart for healing. Thus, the Psalmist knew the blessedness, in a most intimate and even physical way, of the one whose “transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” How did he respond? The rest of the Psalm is an appeal to others to pray to the Lord at a time when he may be found, to recognize His saving power for His people, and to reject the folly of the stubborn horse or mule that refuses to submit to its master. There is no reason for anyone to suffer what the Psalmist suffered when Jesus Christ has already suffered the full penalty for the sins of His people. The Psalmist then closes with a call to worship: “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” And so we are back to the message of Psalm 95 that the author of Hebrews has been pressing upon us so earnestly: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts….” Do not run away from the word of the Scriptures and the living Word and Spirit that empowers it. Rather, worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness. Praise Him boldly and confidently in Christ. Acknowledge your sin; rejoice in its forgiveness. Rest in the fact that, if you are in Christ, you will be acquitted in the day of judgment and then serve the Lord in His church with all the strength that our gracious God provides.

Sources: John Calvin, John Owen, Matthew Henry, Rick Phillips; consultation with Pastor Magee

Questions for reflection and discussion:

1. How do I see the power of God’s word in my life and over the history of the church?
2. How can I rejoice in God’s perfect knowledge and perfect judgment of all things?