Against the impregnable fortress and the redoubtable enemy, the Word of God may work like a powerful sledgehammer, breaking, crushing, destroying all in its path.  But there are other times when profound discretion and subtlety are required, and for those occasions the Word of God is equally effective, working with more precision than the most skilled neurosurgeon performing delicate brain surgery with the aid of a microscope and computer-directed movements.  The writer of Hebrews tells us that “the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (4:12).

            Much wiser men and men far more skillful than I have debated the meaning of this verse so that I am aware of the presumption of attempting any comment on it.  But, I believe we may safely suggest several things about what this verse teaches concerning the nature of Scripture.  Though some swords, such as the huge broadsword of Medieval Europe, were designed to be wielded more like a hammer that happens to have a sharp edge, that is with absolute abandon in the certainty that great damage would befall an opponent however or wherever hit, the “two-edged sword” is a more delicate and precise weapon.  It is not designed to inflict damage  just anywhere, but rather at a precise and specific target, the neck or the heart, for example.

            So it is with the Word of God, it seeks out particular and specific targets.  You and I have specific weaknesses and sins that must be dealt with.  The Word of God does not strike general blows at our shins or our torsos, when a hand needs to be severed.  It is not like a boxer, who sometimes wears out an opponent with blows to the body with the hope of eventually finding an opening to deliver a knockout punch to the jaw.  The two-edged sword is designed to precisely target the area where attack is needed.

            Perhaps even more to the point, the Word of God can divide between the otherwise indivisible.  Debate rages about the nature of soul and spirit—whether they are separate elements of human nature or one; and if separate, where one ends and the other begins.  No matter.  The Word of God penetrates between the two, easily making a distinction between the soul—that which is merely human in the rational, volitional, and emotional part of man—and the spirit—that which can know, understand, and fellowship with God.  What is precisely the nature of the two and how they operate independently or in conjunction who can say?  For now, it is enough to know that the sword of the Word can penetrate and somehow defeat the human will,  mind, and emotions with all their inherent sin and unconquerable depravity and impart eternal life, righteousness, an understanding of truth, and the ability to know and to fellowship with God.

            Though we sometimes may be confused or even self-deceived, even after we have been born again, like a sharp sword, the Word of God is able to “discern” the “thoughts and intents of the heart.”  In other words, the Word of God judges us, whether the issue arises from the desires of our hearts or the thoughts of our minds.  We may not know from where that thought or desire issues, but the Word of God quickly pierces through our clouded minds and reveals that a certain desire is wrong or that a particular thought is right.  What a marvelous gift.  We need not rely on our own faculties, but we may look to the Word to penetrate the otherwise impregnable recesses of our being with the truth of the eternal Word of God so that we may live in accord with His will and so honor Him and enjoy His blessing.