Letter to the Hebrews Volume 175

 Sacrifices Pleasing to God Part 2

Hebrews 12:2-3 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. KJV

In these next two verses, the writer of Hebrews details two sacrfices that we believers in our Lord Jesus Christ can and should do in order to be pleasing to Him and the first is to be hospitable to strangers, as it is written here, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." (Hebrews 13:2) (KJV). This word tells us that we are to be hospitable even to those persons that we do not know at all, that is, to be cordial and polite, and friendly to people that we do not even know and people we don't even know what their intentions towards us may be. The main reason why our Lord Jesus Christ wants to see each of His son's and daughters do this is that He may send angels (from heaven) in human form for our good and benifit, just as our Lord Jesus Himself appeared to brother Abraham, as it is written, "And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:" (Genesis 18:1-3) (KJV). The natural desire of each human being (even those of us who belong to Christ) is to be 😩 wary, that is, to be marked by keen caution and watchful prudence when we encounter or interact with strangers because we do not know their intentions towards us. We must be aware that just as our Lord Jesus Christ sends heavenly 😇 angels to us for our good, our enemy the 👿 devil will also send satanic demons in our path to harm or hurt us, therefore, we must be vigilante in prayer always that we may be able to stand against the enimies attacks while at the same time we honor the Lord Jesus Christ' will for us in this matter. Here is what the JFB Commentary had to say of Hebrews 13:2, "To obviate the natural distrust felt of strangers, Paul says, an unknown guest may be better than he looks: he may be unexpectedly found to be as much a messenger of God for good, as the angels (whose name means messenger) are; nay more, if a Christian, he represents Christ Himself. There is a play on the same Greek word, Be not forgetful and unaware; let not the duty of hospitality to strangers escape you; for, by entertaining strangers, it has escaped the entertainers that they were entertaining angels. Not unconscious and forgetful of the duty, they have unconsciously brought on themselves the blessing."

Next the writer of Hebrews reminds those Hebrew converts to Christ back then and we converts to Christ today and of every era and generation since His death, burial, and resurrection that we who are freely able to serve and worship our Lord Jesus Christ should always be praying for those brothers and sisters in Christ who are being fiercely, fervently, ferociously persecuted for their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, as it is written here, "Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body." (Hebrews 13:3) (KJV). As of today, those of us who live in the United States of America are not suffering under the same circumstances as or brothers and sisters who live in Algeria or Libya or China or Russia or Iraq or Iran or Kenya or Sudan or many other countries in the 🗺 world, therefore, we as members of Christ Body should do what we can to bring relief, release, and resolution to their sufferings (with our prayers and material goods) knowing that we too may someday suffer in our physical bodies for our faith in Christ Jesus our Lord (1 Corithians 12:26). This was particularly important for the writer of Hebrews to declare in his letter to the Hebrew Christians because he was bound and persecuted by the ⛮ enemies of the ➕ Cross of Christ and he had already thanked these believers for their help rendered to him back in Chapter 10 of this letter with these words remember, "But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance." (Hebrews 10:32-34) (KJV). Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of Hebrews 13:3, "The duty - to remember those that are in bonds and in adversity. (1.) God often orders it so that while some Christians and Churches are in adversity others enjoy peace and liberty. All are not called at the same time to resist unto blood. (2.) Those that are themselves at liberty must sympathize with those that are in bonds and adversity, as if they were bound with them in the same chain: they must fell the sufferings of their brethren. The reason of the duty: As being yourselves in the body; not only in the body natural, and so liable to the like sufferings, and you should sympathize with them now that others may sympathize with you when your time of trial comes; but in the same mystical body, under the same head, and if one member suffer all the rest suffer with it, 1 Corinthians 12:26. It would be unnatural in Christians not to bear each other's burdens."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…