Exegetica
Jim Nance
e have now reached the beginning
of the end of this epistle. In these verses the author exhorts
his readers to fulfill their duties concerning brotherly love,
hospitality, visitation, marriage, and contentment – duties
which may appear to be somewhat disconnected. But if we recall
the purpose of this letter and the situation of the original readers,
we should find a common theme upon which all these duties rest.
Hebrews is a New Testament Deuteronomy. The book of Deuteronomy
was written on the eve of the conquest of Canaan to remind God’s
covenant people of what He had done for them by setting them free
from Egypt, and to prepare them for the
imminent invasion of the promised land. Similarly, the book of
Hebrews was written on the eve of the destruction of Jerusalem
to remind the members of this better covenant of what God had
done by setting them free from sin, and to prepare them for the
imminent conquest of the world, a conquest to be accomplished
through the preaching of the word once the old covenant had faded
away.
“Let brotherly love continue” (Heb. 13:1). The evangelization
of the world, the final commission given by our Supreme Commander
(Mt. 28:18-20), must be carried out through Christians working
in cooperation. Broken fellowship among brothers hinders us from
fully obeying this command. How many battles have been lost because
allied forces did not work together effectively? In the same way,
how often do efforts in evangelization fail because missionaries
do not continue in brotherly love? How can the world know the
love of Christ, if it does not see that love among those who are
called by His name? This is why Jesus prayed “that they may
be one just as We are one: I in them and You in Me; that they
may be perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have
sent Me” (John 17:22-23). We have been taught by God to love
one another; let such love continue.
This love is not to be reserved only for those whom we know.
We must also be ready to help those we do not know, but who are
fighting the battle with us. “Do
not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly
entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if chained with
them, and those who are mistreated, since you yourselves are in
the body also” (Heb. 13:2-3). Great saints of the past have
been honored for their hospitality: Abraham entertained not only
two angels but the Lord Himself (Gen. 18:1-5); his nephew Lot
showed the same fervor (Gen. 19:1-3). When Paul was in chains
for the gospel, he commended the Philippians who shared in his
distress (Phil. 4:14-19), and prayed that God would show mercy
to Onesiphorus, who sought him out and ministered to him, for
he was not ashamed of Paul’s chains (2 Tim. 1:16-18). And
though the Lord may not bring angels to our door, when we take
strangers into our homes and visit those who are imprisoned for
the name of Christ, He has given us this greater promise: “Assuredly,
I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these
my brethren, you did it to Me” (Matt. 25:40). If
one member of the body suffers, all the members suffer with it.
As we are in the body, then, let us bless others as we have been
blessed, looking to the promise.
“Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled;
but fornicators and adulterers God will judge” (Heb. 13:4).
Sin hinders our effectiveness in
spiritual warfare, and sexual sin is chief among all. We serve
in the world, and fall prey to the lusts of the world. How many
ministers of the gospel fall in this way! But from the arms of
the adulteress, God has provided a way of escape in the embrace
of a godly wife. Marriage is to be honored, for the covenant
between man and wife is a picture of the Lord's covenant with
His bride, the church. Those who sin sexually by seeking pleasure
outside the covenant of
marriage will be judged not only for their disobedience, but also
for the lies they tell about this glorious union between God and
His people.
Contentment within marriage is a specific application of this
more general rule: “Let your conduct be without covetousness,
and be content with such things
as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave
you nor forsake you’” (Heb. 13:5). Soldiers in a foreign
land must not lust after their delicacies, but must trust in God,
lest they be defeated. Would Henry have conquered at Agincourt
had not Bardolph been hanged as a thief? And do not the Scriptures
say the same? For surely the conquering army under Joshua was
defeated at Ai because of Achan’s lust for the devoted things.
There the Lord warned them, “Neither will I be with you anymore,
unless you destroy the accursed from among you (Josh. 7:12). This
is indeed the context of the verse quoted by our author, for God
told Joshua before he crossed the Jordan, “No man shall be
able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with
Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake
you” (Josh. 1:5). In the same way, the Lord Jesus has promised
His presence among us as we disciple the nations (Matt. 28:20).
Let us not forsake the good things of our God, but be content.
“So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will
not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Heb. 13:6). The
Hebrew Christians were facing persecution in the last days, so
the author here reminded them of King David’s faith in the
face of his enemies (Ps. 118:6). Confident that the Lord is with
us, we can boldy go into the world, and with David in this psalm
say, “All nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord
I will destroy them. . . . The Lord is my strength and my
song, and He has become my salvation.”