An Encounter with the Word

We often approach the Word of God as if we are above it—as if we are the judge to determine what is significant and what is not. We do this unconsciously when we give Scripture a surface-level reading and think we have given it the consideration it deserves. We regularly sit as judges over the Word of God when we attend church and listen to sermons.

Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones once asked, “When did we last go to church and expect something to happen?” We usually expect church to be the same old routine it has always been because we have conformed to this world’s pattern. We listen to a sermon and then make our worldly declarations over it. We determine what is good and what is lacking. Did we like the pastor’s voice? Were his anecdotes funny? And on and on we go. When we do this, we fail to realize that if the pastor was faithful to the text he preached, we did not encounter a preacher; we had an encounter with the Word of God. Yet our hearts were unresponsive.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God is living and active. It can pierce to the division of soul and spirit. It can discern the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. In other words, as we read the Word of God, it also reads us—no wonder we prefer skimming the surface.

We often read this passage in Hebrews about the living word as a joyous proclamation of the power of Scripture, but in context, it is a warning. The author of Hebrews is warning the readers that if they have hardened hearts of unbelief, they will not enter the spiritual rest provided by Christ—neither in this life nor the life to come.

The warning continues. “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13). Our hearts are exposed before the Lord even if we never let the Scripture read us. Or more precisely, we are most exposed before the Lord if we never let Scripture judge our hearts and point us to Christ.

If we can read the Word of God or sit under its proclamation without it piercing our souls, the problem is not with the Word of God. The problem is that our hearts of unbelief lead us away from the living God and keep us from the rest the Word can provide when it disturbs us.

It is good when the Word of God troubles our souls. If the depth and majesty it reveals about the Lord of all creation does not produce the fear of Him in our hearts, then the blessings it pronounces do not belong to us either. Think through your most recent encounters with the Word. How did your heart respond to it?

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart. – Hebrews 4:7

-D. Eaton