The Epilogue can be distinguished from the body of the epistle in that the latter contains only broad, general admonitions, while the Epilogue contains specific ones.[1] In some ways, these specific instructions suggest ways “to worship God acceptably” (cf. 12:28). The Epilogue also contains the writer’s personal comments and farewell to their readers.
Hebrews concludes with directions for Christian living. Love other Christians with special needs. Be morally pure, and keep a right attitude toward money. Offer to God sacrifices of praise. Follow joyfully those who lead your churches. Pray for one another. Listen carefully to the words of Scripture.
The first section of the Epilogue contains moral directions for the readers. Obeying these would instill personal kindness to brothers and sisters (v. 1), strangers (v. 2), and prisoners (v. 3). The writer then called for sexual purity in which marriage is held in high regard (v. 4). The readers were also to avoid monetary greed and to be content with what they have (v. 5; cf. Luke 12:15; Phil. 4:11; 1 Tim. 6:6–10). Even if they had little on the material level, they had the Lord (Heb. 13:5) and His help (v. 6).
Let love of the brothers and sisters continue. 2 Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are badly treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. 4 Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers. 5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,” 6 so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” (NASB)
Key Takeaways:
- Christians are to help the needy, practice purity in family life, and follow the faith of Jesus.
- One of the cures for covetousness is to be content in Christ recognizing His presence and all sufficiency
- We do not have to fear because the Lord is with us. Whatever happens to us in this world, the Lord is with us. Maybe the result is not what we want, but God will always be with us and has a greater plan
Closer Look
Verse 1: What is Christian love? It involves showing special regard for the needs of fellow believers without concern for their social, economic, or racial position. The fact that the writer of Hebrews urged their readers to continue loving each other suggests that some of them may have neglected this important response. Back in 10:33–34 suggest that some of the community members had already taken the lead in showing Christian love. Showing “brotherly” love demanded treating fellow believers as esteemed family members. Verses 2–3 give two ways of demonstrating this special love.
Verse 2: One practical demonstration of love involves meeting the needs of Christian workers on the move. Facilities for travelers were often not available. Whenever they were, they were usually dens of immorality and danger. In the Middle East, demonstrating hospitality in the home provided an important basis for friendship.[2] The practice of hospitality was a quality required in Christian leaders (1 Tim. 3:2). One example of entertaining angels is from Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18–19. Abraham entertained mysterious strangers who were in reality angels. At the end of this story, Abraham knew it was the Lord, but at the start, he did not seem to know. Also, did you ever notice that in Genesis 18 you have three angels? And the next chapter with Sodom and Gomorrah you have two angels. So some think that the one angel is the Son of God who is not involved in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, but the other two are angels who are involved in the punishment and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Anyways, the writer is looking upon hospitality and that is what we are supposed to do. The principle here teaches us that it is better to treat needy guests as messengers from God than to risk offending them by an inhospitable act. Messengers from God brought a greater blessing than they received. Whoever entertained a servant of the Lord entertained the Lord Himself (Matt. 25:44–45).
Notice that hospitality is never listed as a gift. Now it does not mean it is not a gift. You could have things that are not listed as a gift. In the earlier days when you went to meetings, you stayed in people’s homes, and usually, the people were gracious. They were able to make you feel right at home. Other people, you could tell it was a pain. You can tell that some people just have the gift of making you feel right at home. You just enjoy being there. But we are all supposed to express hospitality. It does not say it is a gift and you do not have to be hospitable, it is a responsibility that we as Christians have.
Verse 3: This verse changes the focus to those imprisoned and abused for their faith (cf. 10:34). Imprisoned believers could easily be forgotten and neglected. We need to identify and help those imprisoned and mistreated for their Christian commitment. Such help could involve bringing food, providing warm clothing for life in damp, moldy cells, and making personal visits of encouragement. One day we could face the same experiences of suffering. Thus, we need to focus on the sufferers as if we ourselves were the victims of suffering.
Verse 4: The question with verse 4 seems to be why is this injected here? Why the injunction of verse 4 is given may be due to either or both of two reasons: (1) Perhaps a wave of asceticism was sweeping over the church in reaction to the gross immorality of the culture. (1 Tim 4:3) (2) More likely, it may be the immorality of the environment was causing sexual sins to abound in the church. One principle we see from this and historically is: the sins of the culture always become the sins of the church. It happens over and over again. It does not matter what your culture is, the sins of the culture always become the sins of the church. If immorality is in the culture, it’s going to be in the church. Both Jewish and pagan marriages in the New Testament period were characterized by laxity and immorality. Christians have a different approach to marriage. Purity, contentment, and trust in God are ingredients needed for developing strong Christian families. Two pro-marriage ideas appear in this verse. First, marriage is to be honored by all. Even among believers today the stability of marriage faces strong challenges. Christians must honor marriage as divine in its origin and as right and good in its practice. This verse helps us to see that celibacy is not superior to marriage. Second, those who are married must maintain moral purity. The fact that God will judge sexual promiscuity provides motivation for a holy lifestyle among believers. Violators of this command may be celebrated by some human beings, but they will reap eternal divine displeasure (Eph. 5:6).
Notice at the end of verse four, the sexually immoral (or fornicators) and adulterers God will judge. Perhaps you know this already, but there is a distinction and difference between fornication and adultery. Fornication looks at every kind of sexual sin. It’s the broad sweep word. It was used in the Greek literature of prostitution, premarital sex, extra-marital sex, homosexuality, and bestiality. Whatever the sexual act, it came under the cover of the word pornea or fornication. The reason it becomes important is that in Matthew 5 and 18 it becomes a basis for divorce. Fornication becomes that basis. So we need to have an understanding of what fornication involves. The other word is adultery and that’s extra-marital. Only married people can commit this sin. It is breaking the marriage bonds. In either usage, I think the author is covering the whole spectrum by saying fornicators and adulterers will be judged by God.
Verse 5: Verses 5 and 6 speak on the sufficiency of God and remind the readers (and us) of God’s presence and help. Another threat to family stability is materialism. Obeying two features could control materialism. First, renounce the love of money. Do not make the possession of money an end in itself. Second, be content with what you have. The presence of God in all of life encourages such contentment. Knowing the Lord will not abandon us gives us the stability to enjoy what He gives us (Deut. 31:6, 8). Enjoying His unfailing presence is better than coveting glistening stacks of gold.
Verse 5 is a contrast of contentment or covetousness. One of the cures for contentment is to recognize the presence and sufficiency of Christ. He is with you and what more can you want? One of the cures for covetousness is to be content in Christ recognizing His presence. We are to be content because He has said, “I’ll never leave you nor forsake you.” By the way, that is very emphatic in the Greek. By no means will I ever abandon you or forsake you. It becomes the key to covetousness.
Verse 6: Another threat to family life is anxiety. Encouraging words from Psalm 118:6–7 remind us that God’s presence in life banishes anxiety about personal needs. This is the only New Testament verse describing God as a Helper. Hebrews 2:18 uses the verbal form of the word to picture Jesus as a Source of help for the tempted (cf. Mark 9:22; 2 Cor. 6:2). The question, What can man do to me? presumes the answer: “Nothing at all!” With God’s presence, no event in life can shake believers from their foundation. Anxiety about life’s needs or challenges has no place in the heart of the believer who has determined to make God their helper.
Also, notice that the author provides an antidote to fear similar to what they did for covetousness. Look again at what the author includes, “we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?’” So we can be content because we have the presence of God as seen in verse 5. And in verse 6, we see that we do not have to fear because God is with us. He will always be there and will never leave us. This is a tremendous, tremendous concept.
[1] Hodges, Zane C. 1985. “Hebrews.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, 2:811. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[2] Lea, Thomas D. 1999. Hebrews, James. Vol. 10. Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.