Reflectionary on Hebrews 4:12-16

Hebrews 4:12-16 - My Paraphrase

12 For indeed, the word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing until it divides the soul from the breath and the joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 Before God no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must give a reckoning.

14 Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our profession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable have compassion for our weaknesses, but we have one who in every was has been tested as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may take hold of mercy and obtain grace to aid us in our time of need.

Reflection

As the spiritual states, “Or arms are too short to box with God,” and neither can we hide from the all-seeing eyes of God. Nothing is hidden from God. This is a scary thought for those of us who are less than perfect. In addition to this, the word, the logos of God is a living and powerful thing - it is powerful enough to separate the soul from the body (the breath - pneuma, in Greek), and it knows what are true intentions and thoughts are. That too is frightening.

The terror we naturally feel from such a powerful and omniscient God is mitigated only by the fact that we a “high priest” who knows what it is like to be human. This priest has compassion for us. He has been through the same tests and trials and temptations we experience. And because of this we can confidently approach the throne of grace (the image of the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat is valuable here) and we can take hold of it, grasp it and obtain the mercy and grace we so desperately need at times in our lives.

Concerning the Mercy Seat, Wikipedia states:

In Jewish tradition the Mercy Seat (Hebrew kapporeth or Greek hilasterion) was the golden covering on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant, kept in the Holy of Holies of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem. It is described (Leviticus 16:2; Numbers 7:89) as flanked by two cherubim with their faces turned toward each other - the sole exceptions to the ban against graven images. The Mercy seat represented the throne of God. The wings of the cherubim outspread over the top of the ark are described as forming the throne of God, while the ark itself is his footstool (Exodus 25:10-22; 37:1-9).

The late, great Johnny Cash covered Nick Cave’s signature song The Mercy Seat before he died. The song is about a prisoner facing death in the electric chair. The video is below for those who are interested.

[youtube=watch?v=ZGGSTiDOjKU]

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