God's Pure, Piercing Word Penetrates Our Hearts to Heal Us
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Lasers and the Truth of God
I'm among the many millions who watched Star Wars when it came out in 1977. I’ve seen a few of the sequels (or prequels), but I'm not a fanatic fan. The story of good versus evil is great, but what intrigued me most was the lightsaber—the sword made of light—used by Luke Skywalker and others.
The lightsaber was a retractable, refined beam of light similar to what we know as a laser. It is a futuristic replacement for the broadsword used by warriors in days of old. Today, military officer’s sabers (or swords) are ceremonial. But a hundred years or more ago, they were still useful as weapons of war.
The concept of a laser goes back to Alfred Einstein but was undeveloped until the mid-1950s. Medical applications of the laser developed for surgery began in the mid-1960s. Surgical lasers are now refined for delicate and difficult surgeries. Lasers are also being developed as weapons.
The medical use of lasers is like using tiny lightsabers but with a better purpose. This illustrates a spiritual truth, as well as one known in physics—the penetrating power of light.
A scripture verse that intrigued me long ago reminds me of the penetrating power of lasers. Lasers illustrate the power of light in a physical sense, but this scripture speaks of the spiritual power of the truth of God. You can read it in the scripture text below.
Scripture Text
God’s word is living and active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword and cuts as deep as the place where soul and spirit meet, the place where joints and marrow meet.
God’s word judges a person’s thoughts and intentions.
No creature can hide from God. Everything is uncovered and exposed for him to see. We must answer to him.
(Hebrews 4:12-13 GW) [Context– Hebrews 4]
Key Phrase —
God’s word judges a person’s thoughts and intentions.
Dig Deeper Into the Text—
What are four specific things we are told about God's Word in this text?
How do you think God’s Word can be "living and active... sharper than any two-edged sword?"
In what way do you think God's Word judges the thoughts and feelings of the heart?
How does what we're told about God's Word help us understand, "Everything is uncovered and exposed..." to God?
Things to Consider—
In the Star Wars movie, Luke and the “good guys” had bluish-white lightsabers, while Darth Vader and the “bad guys” had lightsabers with a reddish beam. With God’s Kingdom, the distinction between light and darkness is a stark contrast rather than clashing colors.
The contrast between light and darkness in God’s Kingdom and the truth of God’s Word is like day and night. Light represents God and His Kingdom in contrast to the enemy of our souls (the devil) who personifies darkness in its most sinister sense.
John tells us Jesus is the Word made human (John 1:1, 14). He reminds us that God's Word isn't abstract theological words, but living and personal. He came as light and life into the darkness of this world (John 1:4-5).
Light pierces through and penetrates darkness, and light defuses and dissipates the darkness. The apostle John declares Jesus as light personified (John 1:5, 8:12; 1 John 1:5).
God's Word is spiritual in nature, beyond the words in print. Therefore, it can penetrate deep within us, beyond our conscious mind. This is called discernment. The Holy Spirit brings the truth of God's Word to life in a way that reveals what is in our inner heart, as well as our motives and thoughts.
We all need the surgical penetration of God’s Word in our lives. We may not want it and even try to avoid God’s conviction in our hearts, but we need the truth of God to pierce our hearts and minds. It’s necessary for our spiritual health.
Just as a medical, or surgical procedure may hurt us physically, requiring time to recover from it, the purpose is to improve our health. Whether it’s a cancerous tumor, or repairing a faulty heart valve, the intended result is to restore our health. Likewise, we need God’s surgical intervention in our lives for our spiritual health.
And remember, what we can hide from others is never hidden from God. His truth pierces our usual self-defense mechanisms to remind us how everything is open to God. We need not hide from God in shame or fear, as Adam and Eve did in the Garden (Genesis 3:7-10).
We need to open ourselves to God—to His pure, piercing, and powerful Word of truth—to bring healing, to restore us, and to set us free from what we cannot free ourselves from in our own power or efforts.
Answer These Questions to Apply God’s Word in Your Life—
Have you experienced the penetrating, piercing work of God's truth in your life?
Is it comforting or unsettling for you to know that nothing—in our hearts and minds—is hidden from God? Why or why not?
Can you see how God's Word is "sharper than" any physical sword?
What are some of the ways God revealed your truest inner thoughts and intentions?
Here’s a link to a free study guide for the book of Hebrews— Study Guide and Study Questions for Hebrews
