1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.†6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?†7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (ESV)
As we come into chapter 13, we are left with a number of curiosities. The first is the quick, short nature of the commands in this chapter. After developing his points throughout the lesson, the author of Hebrews gives seemingly random, scattered instructions. The writer is also drawing a sharp contrast that the chapter break obscures. Look at how chapter 12 ended, “Our God is a consuming fire.†Then look at verse 1 of chapter 13, “Let brotherly love continue.†Quite a contrast! So what is the author of Hebrews doing? I believe the author is giving exhortations to us to do these things because God is a consuming fire and because we are in God’s kingdom. These are some of the things that we need to do to remain in God’s unshakable kingdom. Don’t think that you are part of God’s unshakable kingdom if we are not doing these things.
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