“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, both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:12-13).
In a day and age that spends a lot of effort guarding one’s privacy, the above verses are the invasion of all invasions, totally trashing our fourth amendment constitutional rights.
The writer reminds us, much as is revealed in Psalm 139, that there is indeed an all-seeing eye from which no creature can hide and to whom the actions and thoughts of all are laid bare. “Where can I go from Your presence?” (Psalm 139:7). “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the good and the evil” (Proverbs 15:3). Sometimes those verses are of great comfort to us, sometimes we would just as soon not think about them.
These verses also identify God’s Word as the great searchlight of the heart. When I place the thoughts and intentions of my heart under the scrutiny of the Word of God, the Word itself will help me to identify whether my intentions and desires are of my own making or if they truly come from God. The Psalmist wrote, “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm37:4).
Contrary to some contemporary theology this verse has nothing to do with the getting of material stuff. What we are being told here is that when God is our chief delight in life, that when we are seeking first His kingdom and righteousness, God Himself begins to plant desires in our hearts that had their conception and birth in His heart first. God’s Word is the keenly sharpened tool that is sharp enough to slice a line right down the middle of the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, revealing their true source.
I thank God that His eyes are ever upon me and that there is no place on earth that I can flee from His presence. I also thank Him that He has made a way by which I can sort out the desires of my heart and know whether or not His desires and my desires are one.
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