Hebrews: Make Straight Paths and Pursue Peace
Hebrews 12:12-17; Isaiah 35:3-4; Matthew 27:3-10 - Do not succumb to bitterness and cynicism, but steer clear of the dark paths of this world.
“Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.
Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.”
Hebrews 12:12-17 NASB1995
The first part of this passage has more exhortations to the wobbly believers to strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble. They are also to make straight paths for their feet so that the limb that is lame may not be put out of line but would be healed. Some translations use the modifier “your” in front of “strengthen the hands” and the “knees that are feeble”, but the NASB is more accurate by intending this to mean anyone’s hands and knees.
This exhortation hearkens back to Isaiah 35:
“Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.
Say to those with anxious heart,
“Take courage, fear not.
Behold, your God will come with vengeance;
The recompense of God will come,
But He will save you.””
Isaiah 35:3-4 NASB1995
The late John MacArthur is quoted in Precept Austin about verses 12 & 13 in Hebrews 12:
“The writer of Hebrews got his metaphor from Isaiah. The faithful in Israel had been through a lot. They had many evil kings, some false prophets, generally disobedient and stubborn fellow Israelites, powerful enemies who threatened them, and seemingly no prospect of ever living in their own land in peace. They were discouraged and despondent, ready to give up. So the prophet reminds them of the coming kingdom, when "the wilderness and the desert will be glad" and "they will see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God" (Isa. 35:1-2). Then he counsels them to counsel each other: "Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, "Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; the recompense of God will come, but He will save you'" (Isa 35:3-4). In other words, "Don't give up now. A better day is coming. Look to that and you will have the encouragement and strength you need. Victory is ahead!" The emphasis of Hebrews 12:12 is the same as that of Isaiah 35:3-4. We are not told to strengthen our hands or our weak and feeble knees, but the hands and the knees, regardless of whose they are. In other words, we are not to concentrate on our own weaknesses but to help strengthen other Christians in theirs. One of the surest ways to be encouraged ourselves is to give encouragement to someone else, "encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near" (Heb. 10:25). One of the best ways to keep continuing is to encourage others to continue.”
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MacArthur says the idea of the command to make straight paths is "staying in your own lane in the race. When you get out of your lane, you not only disqualify yourself but often interfere with other runners. A runner never intentionally gets out of his lane; he only does so when he is distracted or careless, when he loses his concentration on the goal, or when fatigue robs him of the will to win."Let your eyes look directly ahead, and let your gaze he fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left; turn your foot from evil," we are told in Proverbs 4:25-27. When we set out in the race of faith, nothing should distract us or cause us to waver or change course. If we do, we will not only stumble ourselves but cause others to stumble as well.”
(MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Hebrews)
When you have a problem walking physically as I do (having joint issues and back issues and I require a cane or walking sticks), it is best to walk on a trail or path that is flat and straight, perhaps like the one in the photo above across a field (it would even be better if it was smoothly paved). I love traveling in Europe, but cobblestones and uneven pathways are very challenging and my hiking days in the Colorado mountains are over. Spiritually, this straight path, with your eyes fixed towards heaven, is also the best path for you as a believer, as you may be a trailblazer for other believers behind you. As C.S. Lewis said, there is only one way home through Jesus and the rest of the roads lead into the wilderness:
Charles Spurgeon has this to say about the straight paths, quoted in Precept Austin:
We are to make straight paths because of lame people. You cannot heal the man’s bad foot, but you can pick all the stones out of the path that he has to pass over. You cannot give him a new leg, but you can make the road as smooth as possible. Let there be no unnecessary stumbling blocks to cause him pain. The Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, evidently cares for the lame ones. The charge he gives is a proof of the concern He feels. He bids us to be considerate of them, because He Himself takes a warm interest in their welfare.
In Pilgrim’s Progress, when Mr. Greatheart went with Miss Much-afraid and Mr. Feeble-mind on the road to the Celestial City, he had his hands full. He says of poor Mr. Feeble-mind that, when he came to the lions, he said, “Oh, the lions will have me!” And he was afraid of the giants, and afraid of everything on the road. It caused Greatheart much trouble to get him on the road. It is so with you. You must know that you are very troublesome and hard to manage. But then our Lord Jesus is very patient; He does not mind taking trouble. He has laid down His life for you, and He is prepared to exercise all His divine power and wisdom to bring you home to His Father’s house. (Spurgeon's Sermons - Lame Sheep).
Love the insights from Charles Spurgeon!
The second part of this passage has more exhortations: We are to pursue peace with all men and pursue sanctification or holiness, without which we will not see the Lord. Does this mean that we are not saved unless we do these things? Are these works-based requirements for salvation? Of course not! But if you are a true believer, then you are put on the right path and the rest of your life after you repent and believe is spent in ever-increasing “course corrections” from the Holy Spirit that lead to your sanctification.
Pursuing peace is a wonderful idea, isn’t it? Peace is not the natural state of humanity. However, since Steve and I started on our path of sanctification it has become less imperative to be “correct” and to broadcast our opinions on everything under the sun. I find myself hesitating more and more when it comes to interacting on social media. The constant barrage of opinions and supposed “bad news” (even when most of the news is good and we are so blessed) can lead to bitterness and hatred and a lack of peace, which is decidedly not Christian.
A state of bitterness about things of this world is definitely falling short of the grace of God. Bitterness comes from cynicism and doubt and from suffering without understanding the reasons or going to God for help. These early believers were in danger of lapsing into a permanent state of bitterness because of the persecution they had endured by believing. This passage uses the example of Esau from the OT, who sold his birthright for a single meal. Peace and sanctification require us to remove ourselves from godless and immoral persons, lest we become defiled and also turn to bitterness. Move your eyes away from the world that is filled with untrustworthy, immoral, and cynical people and focus on the glorious distance of the heavenly truth.
Enduring Word has excellent commentary on the second part of this passage, relying on Charles Spurgeon for some insight:
a. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness: This means to walk right with both men (pursue peace with all men) and to walk right with God (and holiness). Discouragement makes us sloppy and unconcerned with holiness and personal relationships.
i. Regarding holiness, we are told without which no one will see the Lord. A lack of holiness is a critical obstacle to a close relationship with God.
ii. “Unholy Christians are the plague of the church. They are spots in our feasts of charity. Like hidden rocks, they are the terror of navigators. It is hard to steer clear of them: and there is no telling what wrecks they may cause.” (Spurgeon)
iii. At the same time “This holiness is a thing of growth. It may be in the soul as the grain of mustard-seed, and yet not developed; it may be in the heart as a wish and a desire, rather than anything that has been fully realized, — a groaning, a panting, a longing, a striving.” (Spurgeon)
iv. Spurgeon described four types of people who try to get on without holiness:
· The Pharisee: Confident in outward ceremonies instead of true holiness.
· The moralist: Feels no need for holiness because his life is so good.
· The experimentalist: Their entire Christian life is lived inward, never looking to outward conduct but only to feelings.
· The opinionist: Their Christian life is all about believing the right doctrines and is unconcerned about the way one lives.
b. Lest anyone fall short of the grace of God: We must live right in regard to the grace of God. This means to diligently keep both our self and others from a return to legalism in either outward form or inward attitude that falls short of God’s grace, lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble.
i. “A bitter root is a root that bears bitter fruit… So it is possible for the seed of bitterness to be sown in a community and, though nothing is immediately apparent, in due time the inevitable fruit appears.” (Morris)
ii. Bitterness corrupts many, rooted in a sense of personal hurt, and many hold on to the bitterness with amazing stubbornness. What they must do is remember the grace of God extended to them, and start extending that grace towards others – loving the undeserving.
iii. William Barclay wrote that the phrase fall short of the grace of God might also be translated failing to keep up with the grace of God. The idea is that the grace of God is moving on, past the pain and hurt of the past. We should move on also.
c. Lest there be any fornicator or profane person: We must get right in regard to our moral conduct. Remember that there are blessings reserved only for the pure in heart: they shall see God (Matthew 5:8).
i. Thomas on profane: “It comes from the Latin words pro-fanum. Outside every fane or temple there was an area of land open to every one, where people gathered, an open place without enclosure. In contrast with this was the sacred enclosure of the temple or ‘fane’ itself. Esau had not such sacred enclosure in his life, and in this sense was a purely secular man.”
d. Like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright: Many Christians today sell a birthright of intimacy with God as cheaply as Esau sold his birthright (Genesis 25:29-34 and 27:30-40).
i. For he found no place for repentance: “It is not a question of forgiveness. God’s forgiveness is always open to the penitent. Esau could have come back to God. But he could not undo his act.” (Morris)
ii. Though he sought it diligently with tears: When Esau later sought the blessing he was rejected by his father Isaac and found no place for repentance before Isaac. Esau’s birthright wasn’t restored simply because he wished it back. It could never be regained because he despised it.
There’s another person in Biblical history who sold his “birthright” for a few coins. Let’s revisit the story of Judas:
“Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.” And they conferred together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; and they gave them for the Potter’s Field, as the Lord directed me.””
Matthew 27:3-10 NASB1995
Judas likely harbored bitterness towards Jesus and thought that He was not conducting the ministry in an effective way. Scholars think that Judas wanted Jesus to act more aggressively against the Roman Empire. Judas threw away his position as one of the twelve disciples, as Esau threw away his rights as the oldest son of Isaac.
This passage in Hebrews has several cautionary notes:
Stay on the straight path to strengthen and heal “limbs” and be a trailblazer.
Pursue peace with all people. Sometimes this is best pursued by not speaking at all even when you are bursting inside at something you heard or read. Even if you are “right”, by trampling the spirit of the other person in your hubris you are not pursuing peace. That political argument that would rage today is old news tomorrow.
Pursue sanctification - obey God’s commands and the Holy Spirit’s guidance!
Remove yourself from bitterness and cynicism. Trust in God and His purposes, not in people. If cynicism strays into your thinking, shut it out by listing blessings.
Avoid being a Pharisee, a moralist, an experimentalist or an opinionist about your faith (see Spurgeon’s definitions above).
Stay away from the profane, immoral and godless things of this world and never go down those paths.
Respect your “birthright” as a believer and treat it like the most valuable thing in the world.
My next devotional examines Hebrews 12:18-24 - A contrast between Sinai and Zion.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Please help me stay on the straight path, pursue peace with others, pursue sanctification and never fall into bitterness. Amen.
Credits and Citations:
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.
Precept Austin was accessed on 02/17/2026 to review commentary for Hebrews 12:12-17.
Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. WI thin the Enduring Word commentary:
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon The New Park Street Pulpit, Volumes 1-6and The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990)
Barclay, William The Letter to the Hebrews (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975)
Morris, Leon “Hebrews” The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Volume 12 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981)