I’ve been Sunday driving through Hebrews lately. And as I drive slowly past 4:12, I pulled over and took a walk around the neighborhood.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12 NASB

This is one of those verses we use all the time to talk about the power of the Bible, and that’s appropriate. But if you pull over and look at its surroundings, it becomes clear that’s not all it’s talking about.

Chapters 3 and 4 of Hebrews reference back to what we call the Old Testament or the Hebrew scriptures.

[This next bit is a rabbit trail. Feel free to jump down to the next bracket.]

I get a kick out of how the writer references the scriptures. Of course, I realize he didn’t have his own copy of the scriptures. He would have to go to a synagog, or the temple to hear it read, or possibly read it Himself.

In 3:7 he says “The Holy Spirit says….” But my favorite is in 4:4 the writer uses, “For He has also said somewhere….” The ‘He’ in this verse is God and the somewhere is His word.

So, those of us who are scripture address nerds need to get over it. It wasn’t written in chapter and verse. The writer of the book of Hebrews (the authorship remains uncertain 2,000 years later) is perfectly fine with vague references. So I’m determined to get over it when people can’t pinpoint a reference.

[Ok – back to the point.]

The scriptures he’s referencing here are about God’s cry to His people, “Today, harden not your heart.” He talks about how the call went out in Moses’ time and David reiterated it hundreds of years later. Then he draws this conclusion: If the word for Moses was “Today” and it was still “Today” for David, then it is “Today” today.

And why?

Because (or you could say “For…”)

…the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12 NASB

You see. The point of the verse is not “the Bible is awesome.” Rather it is saying Today means Today.

So I’ll join with the writer and exhort you.

TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS. – Hebrews 4:7 NASB

Thanks for stopping by,

Stay tuned…

Ben