IX.
An Exhortation to Perseverance (continued) ()
E.
A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken (continued) ()
4.
() The "kingdom" is not a frequent subject in this letter (cf. ; ). This is in contrast to the Synoptic (“see with”) Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) where the "kingdom" frequently occurs in the teaching of Jesus. But this passage shows that the author understood ultimate reality in terms of God's sovereignty, in contrast with earthly systems. They can be shaken and in due course will be shaken. Not so God's kingdom! The author does not simply say that it will not be shaken but that it cannot be shaken. The kingdom is something we "receive." It is not earned or created by believers; it is God's gift.
5.
() The God we are serving is a “consuming fire”. He extends intimacy and grace, but the other side of His personality enacts judgment and fire for that which does not please Him. With this rather severe thought, the writer to the Hebrews concludes this section of his exhortation and moves on into a random list of exhortations in chapter 13.
X.
Practical Points of Christianity ()
A.
Love in Action ()
The first twelve chapters of Hebrews form a closely knit argument. In chap. 13 we come to something of an appendix, dealing with a number of practical points. Christians are to be concerned for the needs of others. Christianity is faith in action and that means love in action. So, the writer draws attention to something of what it means to live in love.
1.
() "Let love of the brethren continue" is a most important virtue in the New Testament. Those who are linked in the common bond of having been saved by the death of Jesus cannot but have warm feelings toward one another (cf. ; ; ; ; see also ).
2.
() To brotherly love the author adds "entertaining strangers" (lit., "love of strangers"). Entertaining "angels without knowing it" reminds us of Abraham and Lot in Genesis 18 and 19. The writer is not advocating hospitality on the off chance that one might happen to receive an angel as a guest but rather because God is pleased when believers are hospitable. Sometimes unexpectedly happy results follow acts of hospitality. Hospitality was highly esteemed in the ancient world, and it was certainly important for Christians. Accommodation at inns was expensive and, in many cases, inns had a bad reputation. But as Christian preachers traveled around, believers gave them lodging and so facilitated their mission. Without that, the spread of the faith would have been much more difficult.
3.
() The writer turns his attention to prisoners. Guests may come unbidden, but prisoners must be actively sought out (see ). Some people withheld help from prisoners for fear of suffering a similar punishment. But Christians should have compassion on those in prison "as though in prison with them." "If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it," wrote Paul (); there is something of the same thought here. Believers should feel so much for their friends in prison and for "those who are ill-treated" that they become one with them. Compassion is an essential part of Christian living.
4.
() From love for the badly treated the author turns to love within the marriage bond. The opening expression implies an imperative: "Let marriage be held in honor. "Among all" probably means "in all circumstances." Some ascetics held marriage in low esteem, but the author of Hebrews rejects this position. "The marriage bed" is a euphemism for marriage sex. He considers the physical side of marriage important and "undefiled." Contrary to the views of some thinkers in the ancient world, there is nothing defiling about it. Over against honorable marriage he sets the "sexually immoral" and the "adulterer" (a word used for a violation of the marriage bond). All forms of sexual sin come under the judgment of God. This was a novel view to many in the first century. For them chastity was an unreasonable demand to make. It is one of the unrecognized miracles that Christians were able not only to make this demand but to make it stick. Sexual sinners are likely to go their way, careless of all others. But in the end, they will be judged by none the less than God.
5.
() Sins of impurity and "love of money" are linked elsewhere in the New Testament (e.g., ; ; ; ). A covetous person pursues selfish aims, whether sexual or financial, without regard to the rights of others. So, the writer warns against this sin and urges contentment with what one has. Covetousness is needless, for believers have the promise that God will never leave them nor forsake them. The origin of this quotation is not clear; the words do not correspond exactly to any Old Testament passage, though there are several statements that are rather like it (e.g., ; ; ; ; ). The words point to the complete reliability of God and His promises. God's people are secure no matter what comes, because He is with them.
6.
() Despondency is foreign to Christians. They can speak "with confidence", i.e., with an attitude of courage and trust. "We" once more links the writer with his readers; he sees his lot as bound up with theirs. The quotation from has three points in this confidence. (1) The Lord is the psalmist's (and our) "helper." This carries on the argument of the previous verse, sharpening a little the thought of the assistance that the believer may count on. (2) There is the ringing declaration of confidence as the psalmist renounces fear. With the Helper at his side, there is no reason to "be afraid." (3) The rhetorical question underlies one's insignificance. The question is "What will man do to me?" not "What can man do to me?" The psalmist is not thinking theoretically but of what will happen. No one will succeed in what he or she attempts to do against one who trusts in God. Does this mean we are free of persecution? No, it means the unbeliever will not succeed in persecution in getting the true believer to recant his or her faith.
B.
Christian Leadership ()
1.
() The concluding section of the letter contains a number of small, disconnected units. From love the writer passes to a few thoughts about Christian leaders. "Those who led" ([optional reading] cf. also vss. , ) is a general term, used of leaders of religious bodies as well as of princes, military commanders, etc. This makes it difficult to say precisely who these leaders were. They may have been "elders," but that word is not used of them elsewhere. Yet, what is mentioned in this verse fits the responsibility of elders and pastors. They "spoke the word of God," so that one of their principal functions was preaching or teaching. The specific tense used may point to the original proclamation of the Gospel to these readers (). "The word of God" is the totality of the Christian message, and the expression reminds the readers that this word is no human invention but one of divine origin.
a.
The word translated "result" may mean death, and thus it seems as though past leaders were in mind. They are held up as examples to be imitated; specifically, their faith is singled out. Faith is the important thing, and the readers were being tempted to unbelief in falling back from the Christian way. They should instead follow these good examples of faith.
2.
() In this profound and wonderfully succinct verse, the writer's thoughts turn again to Christ. Earthly leaders come and go, but one is always there. The full name "Jesus Christ" (cf. ; ) adds solemnity to this pronouncement. "Yesterday" refers not to Christ's preexistence or the Incarnation, but to the past as a whole; it is part of an expression taking up past, present, and future into an impressive statement of Christ's unchanging nature. The readers need not fear that Christ is different now or will ever be different from what he has been in the past. "Forever" takes the continuity as far into the future as it will go. No matter what ages lie ahead, Christ will be unchanged through them. Christian conduct is based on this certainty.
C.
Christian Sacrifice ()
The divine author has put strong emphasis on the centrality of Christ's sacrifice and keeps this steadily in view as he approaches the end of his letter. He has some erroneous teaching in mind, but we cannot define it with precision. He and his readers both knew what it was; so, there was no need for him to be specific. Whatever it was, the unchangeability of Christ should inspire them to refuse its curious diversities and novel teaching. Also, the writer again uses the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement as the basis for his argument. Some may have thought the Christian way impoverished, lacking the sacrifices that were central to religion in the ancient world. But Christians do have sacrifices — real ones, though they are spiritual and not material (Christ sacrificed His life, and we are privileged to make sacrifices in serving our precious Lord).
1.
() The writer warns against being carried away by "varied and of strange teachings." "Strange" means foreign to the Gospel. The readers should know better than to go after such teachings, for they have known the "grace" of God. The heart, as often, stands for the whole of the inner life; and this is sustained, not by anything material, such as food, but by grace. God is the source of a believer's strength as he or she lives out the Christian life.
2.
() The divine writer is saying that the cross is distinctive to the Christian way. It was on a cross that the Christian sacrifice was offered. Thus, it may not improperly be spoken of as an "altar." In a Christian context, the sacrifice must be on the cross, as the author has made abundantly clear often. "Those who serve the tabernacle" are Jewish worshipers in general. Such people have no rights in the altar of the cross; the crucified Savior means nothing to them. The writer is again pointing his readers to the privilege Christians have and warning them against losing it.
3.
() The author moves from the general idea of serving the altar to a specific example, one most likely taken from the Day of Atonement ceremonies. () On that Day, the high priest brought the blood of the victims into the Most Holy Place, but the bodies of the animals were totally burned outside the Israelite camp (). "For" introduces an inference. The Day of Atonement typologically foreshadowed the atoning work of Jesus. The author apparently is reasoning that because the type (the sacrificial victim in ) involved an activity "outside the camp" (), there will be an equivalent with the antitype (Jesus). But the parallel is not complete, because in the case of the sin offerings the animal was actually killed inside the camp and only the carcass disposed of outside the camp. The human name "Jesus" () brings before us the picture of the Man, suffering for us. His suffering was not aimless but was designed "that He might sanctify the people". This verb means "to set aside for God"; and it is applied both to things used for ritual purposes and to people who are thus taken out of the circle of the merely worldly and brought into the number of the people of God.
a.
This process was effected "through His own blood." This expression puts some emphasis on the fact that Christ did not need an external victim (as did the high priests) but brought about the sanctification in question by the sacrifice of Himself. "Blood" clearly signifies "death," as is commonly the case in the Bible. "People" can mean people in general; but more characteristically it means "the people of God," a meaning that suits this passage. To make people holy, then, Jesus suffered "outside the gate." Though not stated elsewhere in the New Testament, this is implied in ; and, anyway, crucifixions normally took place outside cities.
4.
() This leads to an appeal to the readers to "go to Him outside the camp." Christ is outside the camp of Judaism, and the readers are encouraged to go to Him where He is. To remain within the camp of Judaism would be to be separated from Him. () Here there may be an allusion to Moses' pitching "the tent of meeting" outside the camp and to the people's going out to it. But in the case of Christ, there was a price to pay--that of sharing in the rejection He had undergone, "bearing the disgrace He bore."