Hebrews 4:13 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Hebrews 4:13

Comments

This is a warning which follows from the earlier exhortation: ‘Let us labour therefore, lest any man fall.’ This is the ground of fear. It is about being aware that God sees our hearts and our thoughts; he sees our inward state and condition: our selfishness, our pride, and our love of earthly things. As we read his word – and the subject has not changed – we realise there is a great God, and he sees me and knows all my deeds. ‘All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.’ There is a reason for the translators having ‘opened’. Some of the modern translations say, ‘all things are naked and open’ as though it just so happens that God always sees everything. That is true but what the writer is saying is that God has opened up, opened you up, so that he scrutinises everything. It is something he has done; he has laid bare your secrets as you read the word of God.

Application

When you teach the word sometimes people will say, ‘I am not preaching from the Bible right now; I am giving a series on doctrine. I am proceeding systematically and I am going through the great doctrines of the faith, consecutively, systematically; we are having a doctrinal series.’ Well, you might think that is well intended, and that it sounds a good idea, but it is not quite the thing to do, because what matters is the word of God, and that is not how the word of God does it. When we study doctrine and we read a book on doctrine or we teach it in a college, it is a good idea to arrange it systematically and learn it like that to some extent, but people need the word of God. The teaching of the word of God is a lot of things. It is not just doctrine. It is also intended to bring conviction; it is also to comfort the soul, to speak of Christ. Think of the different things we are trying to accomplish. We are trying to win souls; we are trying to teach doctrine, to exhort and move ourselves to better lives, to lift up Christ and encourage our hearts and gain greater views of him. All these things together are the food the soul needs. The preacher should not say, ‘I am sorry but most of that which is in the word of God, I'm going to put to one side and just evangelise, or just teach the doctrine, or just give encouragement. The word of God is a comprehensive diet for us.

Questions

The word translated ‘opened’ is a very interesting. It contains the Greek word we still use, ‘trachea’, for windpipe. It is a complex word, but it means that God has opened up, not your windpipe, but your throats. The idea is the word of God is like a two-edged sword. It is as though somebody has captured you and they want information from you and they have got their arm around your face and pulled back your head, and the sword is now at your throat. That is the picture behind the word: all things are opened and exposed as though you will be executed if you do not talk. You read the word of God, and it is as if God takes you and makes you see yourself and makes you confess, ‘I have done this Lord, and I have done that, and I am a wayward soul.’ Even seasoned Christians are convicted of their sin and acknowledge it. So our King James translators were quite right: we have been opened as a result of reading the word.

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

Hebrews 4:13 Commentary and Bible Study