Conditional Security – Hebrews 4:13

Hebrews 4:13
13 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.

While working in a book study a few months back, I found that Paul/Apollos/Barnabas – whoever wrote that book, was dead serious about the condition the Hebrews found themselves in.

Is it Desirable to be “Naked and Opened”?

I had been looking at the words in 4:13 and stumbled across the phrase “naked and opened…”. The word “naked” held no surprise, but “opened” revealed the authors seriousness.

You see, it seems that the word “opened” is the word trachēlizō (Strong’s 5136) (I think the medical term for throat is trachea).

Thayer’s definition is below

1) to seize and twist the neck or throat
1a) of combatants who handle thus their antagonist
2) to bend back the neck of a victim to be slain, to lay bare or expose by bending back
3) to lay bare, uncover, expose
4) laid bare, laid open, made manifest to one

Keep me from being “Opened”

I find it amazing that in the verse previous to this “exposing of the neck”, the author uses a picture of the Word of God as being a SWORD! Consider the 2nd definition under Thayer’s, and the possible implications. Since this book was written just before the Roman’s came to “visit” Jerusalem, the verse seems to hold a completely different meaning to me now.

Of course this understanding only intensifies the original impression of a threat, but now it also brings to mind a visual that is hard to forget.

Oh to be rescued from being a “stiff-necked people!”