Undermined
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
Two-edged sword – I grew up on one of the foothills of the Cascades in Washington State. In the generation before me, the area was rich in coal deposits. It still bears the name, “Coal Creek.” There was a two-lane asphalt road connecting Issaquah and Renton. My school bus traveled this road, turning up the gravel climb to the top of Cougar Mountain to pick up the few kids whose families chose to live on acreage rather than city blocks. One night there was a terrific rainstorm. All the roads were flooded or filled with huge puddles. A man who traveled this back road was driving home. He came upon one of these huge puddles crossing the road. He drove into it, expecting to plow through six or eight inches of water and continue on his way. Instead his car suddenly plunged forty feet down. The puddle was an old mine shaft that had opened with all the rain. He lived. The story became an urban legend. In a word, he was undermined. He never saw it coming. He expected things to be like they always were. It nearly killed him.
I think we’re experiencing the same puddle. On the surface our faith seems unperturbed. Yes, it’s been raining a bit. We’ve had to adjust the downspouts. A few of our less crucial shingles might have been dislodged by the storm and we’ve noticed a couple of leaks around the edges of our doctrines. We’ve taken up Jewish answers to Christian problems. We’ve adopted new rain-mitigation plans and patched some leaks by applying Torah glue. But by and large, we’re still expecting to drive down the road, through the puddle and emerge on the other side with most of our hopes and dreams intact. We’ll still go to Heaven when it’s over. Our loved ones are still waiting for us on the other side. The Bible is our official guidebook filled with sacred promises. We’ve learned how to participate in the Jewish experience of God (well, sort of). And if Yeshua really isn’t God, at least he’s as close to divine as we’re ever going to find so that’s good enough. We know that human history is filled with spiritual manipulation but it really doesn’t matter all that much because the Holy Spirit has confirmed our good standing with the Father. We still pray, and sometimes God answers.
So, we push the accelerator and drive into the puddle. Two seconds later the water is up over the windshield and we’re sinking. What happened?!
What happened is this: All the while we were rationalizing why it was still safe to drive through the puddle, we weren’t paying attention to the downpour. Some things got washed away, namely, the support under the road we were traveling. Those things include:
- a naïve view of religious history, both Christian and Jewish, that failed to account for ulterior motives of theologians, rabbis and religious officials
- the persistent belief that God wouldn’t allow real, serious mistakes to infect the prophets’ message
- a misunderstanding of the very nature of prophetic revelation
- a failure to account for the emotional subtext in the text
- a belief that somehow it will all make sense in the long run
- a deep and abiding need for certainty
Did you notice the metaphor in the Hebrews text? A two-edged sword cuts both ways. It doesn’t just slice away those things you thought you needed to remove. It bloodies in both directions. Things you thought you absolutely needed to hold on to also get cut. The backswing is dangerous. The Greek is actually δί-στομος (distŏmŏs), meaning “two mouths,” or “double-edged.” It’s an idiom for a sword designed to penetrate, not just slice. But the etymology is interesting. Do you suppose the word of God speaks with “two mouths,” one that appears easily understood, even facile; and the other that drives deep, upsetting everything in its path?
No wonder Heschel writes, “It is not safe to pray alone.”
Neither is puddle-jumping!
Topical Index: puddle, sword, distŏmŏs, Hebrews 4:12
