When kids go off to college or the military, the communication with the their parents is generally not as frequent or in-depth as it was when the child was at home. As time goes on, the communication between the parents and the child probably will decrease from three or four times a week down to once a week or once every two weeks. As parents, they may feel the need to offer a few reminders and appeals that they deem as important, meaningful, and necessary. It could be something simple as the child taking their studies more seriously, or to be more careful with their spending, or to make sure they are spending good quality time with God and going to church. While the child knows this, the parent(s) wants to “encourage” the child with some helpful reminders.
We see this principle reflected in the conclusion of Hebrews. The writer reminded their readers of the urgency of caring for needy believers, strengthening the family, and following the faith of church leaders. The writer appealed for commitment, praise, and unselfish service. The author requested prayer and prayed for God to perfect the readers. The author urged the readers to bear with the words and commended them to God’s grace. Through all of the author’s concluding words we see an emphasis on obeying and glorifying God and accomplishing His will. We find a passionate call encouraging us to produce what is pleasing to God in our lives. If we leave Hebrews with the emphasis that we must develop a passion and goal for pleasing God, we will be prepared to live out its teachings with commitment and character.[1]
Accomplishing God’s will demands that we choose to obey God. We must make the right choices between those lifestyles which follow the Lord and those which turn away from Him. We must accept the sovereign hand of God in our lives when we “face trials of many kinds” (Jas. 1:2). We cannot avoid our share of sickness, financial challenges, disappointing circumstances, and plain hardship. In these circumstances, we must demonstrate a heart of praise for God, trust in His sovereign leadership, and desire that He be glorified.
The writer of Hebrews has called us to follow God and be devoted to doing His will, not only in this chapter but throughout the entire letter. May the prayer of our life be that God may equip us “in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (v. 21).
As you read this last chapter in Hebrews, you get the impression that the writer had a great deal of miscellaneous matter to discuss and saved it till the end. In Hebrews 12, we were rejoicing on Mt. Zion; and now we are discussing such everyday topics as hospitality, marriage, church officers, and who was the last one to be released from jail.
But in the Bible, there is no division between doctrine and duty, revelation and responsibility. The two always go together. The emphasis in this last section of the book is on living by faith. The writer presented the great examples of faith in Hebrews 11, and the encouragements to faith in Hebrews 12. In Hebrews 13, the author presented the evidences of faith that should appear in our lives if we are really walking by faith and not by sight.
PRINCIPLES
- Be hospitable
- Marriage is something to be honored. God disapproves and judges all forms of sexual immorality.
- Love God first and foremost and above all. Be content with what we have and been given.
- God promises never to leave or forsake us.
- God is pleased with our obedience, praise, and unselfish service to others. Serve and live in the Spirit
- Only God is able to equip us with the needed attitudes and skills to accomplish His will.
- Prayer from and for others is an important element of the Christian life.
APPLICATIONS
- Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He bore reproach. We must be willing to bear reproach from this world to stand up for our beliefs
- Love other believers as family members.
- Christian leaders must lead a lifestyle worthy of imitation by their congregations.
- Rely on Jesus to guard, protect, and encourage you.
- Make bringing glory to God the supreme aim of your life. Let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise
- Follow your church leaders. Caveat: as long as your leaders are following application 2, follow and imitate. Do not follow blindly. Be willing to talk with them if something is not adding up. Weigh the teaching against Scripture
- Pray constantly for your leaders, and ask others to pray for you.
- We have been raised to life by the great Shepherd, through the blood of Jesus, who equips us to do God’s will, and is working in us to be pleasing in God’s sight.
Outline: One way this chapter can be broken down is as follows:
- A Right Response to Fellow Christians (vv. 1–9)
- To Christians with special needs (vv. 1–3)
- To the family (vv. 4–6)
- Within the church (vv. 7–9)
- A Right Response to God (vv. 10–16)
- A Right Response to Church Leaders (v. 17)
- Praying for one Another (vv. 18–21)
- Genuine Affection among Believers (vv. 22–25)
A few application topics:
Contentment: Contentment cannot come from material things, for they can never satisfy the heart. Only God can do that. “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15, niv). When we have God, we have all that we need. The material things of life can decay or be stolen, but God will never leave us or forsake us. This promise was made to Joshua when he succeeded Moses (Deut. 31:7–8; Josh. 1:5, 9); and it is fulfilled to us in Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:20; Acts 18:9–10).
The affirmation of faith in Hebrews 13:6 comes from Psalm 118:6. This is a messianic psalm and is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, so we may claim this promise for ourselves. It was a source of great peace to the early Christians to know that they were safe from the fear of other people, for no person could do anything to them apart from God’s will. People might take their goods, but God would meet their needs.
A woman said to evangelist D.L. Moody, “I have found a promise that helps me when I am afraid. It is Psalm 56:3—‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.’ ”
Mr. Moody replied, “I have a better promise than that! Isaiah 12:2—‘I will trust and not be afraid.’ ”
Both promises are true and each has its own application. The important thing is that we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Helper, and that we not put our trust in material things. Contented Christians are people with priorities, and material things are not high on their priority lists.
Worship: While it is true that a New Covenant Christian is not involved in the ceremonies and furnishings of an earthly tabernacle or temple, it is not true that we are deprived of the blessings that they typify. A Jew under the Old Covenant could point to the temple, but a Christian has a heavenly sanctuary that can never be destroyed. The Jews were proud of the city of Jerusalem; but a Christian has an eternal city, the New Jerusalem. For each of an Old Testament believer’s temporary earthly items, a New Covenant believer has a heavenly and eternal counterpart.
The readers of this epistle were looking for a way to continue as Christians while escaping the persecution that would come from unbelieving Jews. “It cannot be done,” the writer stated in so many words. “Jerusalem is doomed. Get out of the Jewish religious system and identify with the Savior who died for you.” There can be no room for compromise.
Jesus: This benediction seems to gather together the major themes of Hebrews: peace, the resurrected Christ, the blood, the covenant, spiritual perfection (maturity), God’s work in the believer. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ died for the sheep (John 10:11). As the Great Shepherd, He lives for the sheep in heaven today, working on their behalf. As the Chief Shepherd, He will come for the sheep at His return (1 Peter 5:4). Our Shepherd cares for His own in the past, present, and future. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! Our Great High Priest is also our Great Shepherd. When He was on earth, He worked for us when He completed the great work of redemption (John 17:4). Now that He is in heaven, He is working in us to mature us in His will and bring us to a place of spiritual perfection. We will never reach that place until He returns (1 John 2:28–3:3); but while we are waiting, we are told to continue to grow.
A closer look at certain topics
God of Peace verse 20
Paul used the phrase the God of peace several times in his writings (Rom. 15:33; 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:11; 1 Thess. 5:23). Here the term shows God as fully involved in the prosperity of the whole person. A life centered in God will be full of the experience of His peace and prosperity.
The term has significance in light of the persecution the readers of Hebrews faced. Such intense opposition tempted some to abandon Christianity. They may have wondered where they could find the strength and grace they needed for daily life. Hebrews points to God as the only source of real peace and prosperity. We will find no wholeness if we turn away from Christ.
Shepherd of the Sheep verse 20
Several times the New Testament applies the image of a shepherd to Christ. In John 10:11 Jesus called Himself “the good shepherd.” In 1 Peter 2:25 the apostle Peter described Jesus as “the Shepherd and Overseer” of our souls. In Mark 14:27 Jesus applied the shepherd imagery from Zechariah 13:7 to Himself. Each of these presentations emphasizes Jesus’ care for His own. The imagery also emphasizes the sovereign control of Christ as Shepherd over His own flock (see Rev. 2:27; 12:5).
The reference to Christ as Shepherd in Hebrews 13:20 relates to Christ as one who was raised from the dead. The idea seems to be that Christ experienced resurrection and is able to transfer the power of this resurrection to His own people.
[1] Lea, Thomas D. 1999. Hebrews, James. Vol. 10. Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.