Hebrews 12:12-17 (NKJV) Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
V12 “Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees…” Chastening from the Lord may have discouraged us, but, says the writer, “strengthen.” The Greek word for “strengthen” is (G461) ἀνορθόω anorthóō, which means lift up. Instead of our hands hanging at our side, we can stand straight because God’s assisting grace strengthens us. Not only our arms but also our knees have received strength to stand up erect also. See 2 Corinthians 12:9, Romans 8:28, and Psalm 138:3.
V13 “…and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.” Instead of wandering and not having a goal, we look forward, straight ahead, focusing on our Savior as in Hebrews 12:2 and Luke 24:26 (Jesus overcame and now prays for us). “Be healed” what blessed words for Jesus after chastening us give us blessings–strength, peace, and fellowship. Compare James 1:12.
V14 “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord…” Our approach to others must be with peace as much as possible. The important part is “as much as possible,” because there are some who do not want peace but conflict. See Romans 12:18. Holiness is living according to God’s standards in thoughts, desires, words, and deeds. If there is no holiness, one will not see the Lord’s welcoming. Those who are unholy will only see the Lord Jesus in judgment (Revelation 20:11-15. Those who have placed their faith and trust into Jesus alone have holiness (Romans 8:1), yet we must confess our sins daily, “Please, forgive my sins.”
V15 “…looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled…” The Greek word for “looking carefully” is (G1983) ἐπισκοπέω episkopéō, which means to focus intently. The Greek word for “fail” or “fall short of” is (G5302) ὑστερέω hysteréō, which means “to be behind or later.” It has the idea of getting diverted from the goal and wandering off instead of reaching the goal. There are no excuses like “well, I planned to do this on Thursday,” but the deadline was Wednesday. See 2 Samuel 20:4-5 (Amasa), 1 Samuel 13:8 (King Saul), and the generation 20 yo and older did not reach the Promised Land because of lack of faith. The only ones being Joshua and Caleb. The Greek word for “bitterness” is (G4088) πικρία pikría, which means bitter. Bitterness arises from experiencing a hurt or disappointment that occurs repeatedly. Bitterness is indeed a sad thing for it affects our motives and attitudes. Simon in Acts 8:23 was bitter because he was envious. Cursing God or our fellow humans is often associated with bitterness as in Romans 3:14. The solution is to “put it away” as in Ephesians 4:31. To put it away is to take it away from our lives. Ephesians 4:31-32 deals with our treatment of others. When we have bitterness affecting us, it affects others as well. Compare Deuteronomy 29:18. What is the solution? Finding contentment is important. It must be learned (Philippians 4:11). We must make up our mind to be thankful for what God has given, rather than longing for what we do not have. God is the teacher. To muse on our problem will make things worse to where it is nearly impossible to cure. If the cause is others (as in lack of love, kindness, support, etc.), then if possible one must leave. If that is possible then pursue peace with all. Then, when possible leave.
V16 “…lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.” Esau was very bitter, but it was his own actions that he rejected the birthright (Genesis 25:34). Sin has consequences. He became unclean from following his own desires instead of God’s. He was profane from his sin (he was not “clean” before God but blemished and rejected from God’s blessings of the birthright. The birthright included the promises of God to Abraham, passed down to Isaac, rejected by Esau to be given to Jacob. The birthright also gave family/tribe leadership and twice as much financial wealth.
V17 “For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.” When he thought about it later, he was sad and pled to have the birthright given to him. But, it was totally ineffective and rejected even in the midst of tears. Let us beware of impulsive decisions that could lead to disastrous results. God help us.
We learn:
- Peace is important
- Bitterness is not healthy
- Contentment must be learned and is good
- Impulsiveness is not good