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NOVEMBER 20
DAY 19: Did the writer of Hebrews actually think Christians might entertain angels (13:2)?
The last chapter of the epistle focuses on some of the essential practical ethics of Christian liv-
ing.These ethics help portray the true gospel to the world,encourage others to believe in Christ,and
bring glory to God.The first of these is love for fellow believers (John 13:35).Although the primary ref-
erence would be to Christians,the writer must have had emotions similar to those of the apostle Paul
when it came to considering his fellow Hebrews (see Rom.9:3,4).
“Do not forget to entertain strangers,for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels”
(v.2).The second grace needing development was the extension of love to those who were strangers
(Rom.12:3;1 Tim.3:2).Hospitality in the ancient world often included putting up a guest overnight or
longer.This is hardest to do when experiencing a time of persecution.The Hebrews would not know
whether a guest would prove to be a spy or a fellow believer being pursued.To bring up “angels”was not
given as the ultimate motivation for hospitality but to reveal that one never knows how far-reaching an
act of kindness might be (Matt.25:40,45).This is exactly what happened to Abraham and Sarah (Gen.
18:1–3),Lot (Gen.19:1,2),Gideon (Judg.6:11–24),and Manoah (Judg.13:6–20).

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The cedars in the garden of God could
not hide it;
November 20 The fir trees were not like its boughs,
And the chestnut trees were not like its
branches;
Ezekiel 31:1–32:32 No tree in the garden of God was like it
in beauty.
Now it came to pass in the eleventh year,
9 I made it beautiful with a multitude of
31 in the third month, on the first day of the
month, that the word of the LORD came to me, branches,
saying, “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of So that all the trees of Eden envied it,
2
Egypt and to his multitude: That were in the garden of God.’
10 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Be-
‘Whom are you like in your greatness?
Indeed Assyria was a cedar
3 cause you have increased in height, and it set
in Lebanon, its top among the thick boughs, and its heart
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With fine branches that shaded the was lifted up in its height, therefore I will
forest, deliver it into the hand of the mighty one of
And of high stature; the nations, and he shall surely deal with it; I
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And its top was among the thick boughs. have driven it out for its wickedness. And
4 The waters made it grow; aliens, the most terrible of the nations, have
Underground waters gave it height, cut it down and left it; its branches have fallen
With their rivers running around the on the mountains and in all the valleys; its
place where it was planted, boughs lie broken by all the rivers of the land;
And sent out rivulets to all the trees and all the peoples of the earth have gone
of the field. from under its shadow and left it.
13
5 ‘Therefore its height was exalted above ‘On its ruin will remain all the birds of
all the trees of the field; the heavens,
Its boughs were multiplied,
And its branches became long because
of the abundance of water,
As it sent them out.
6 All the birds of the heavens made their 31:2–18 Whom are you like…? Ezekiel filled
nests in its boughs; this chapter with a metaphor/analogy com-
Under its branches all the beasts of the paring Egypt to a huge tree that dominates a
field brought forth their young; forest to a king/nation that dominates the
And in its shadow all great nations world (17:22–24; Dan. 4:1–12,19–27). He rea-
made their home. soned that just as a strong tree like Assyria (v.
3) fell (ca. 609 B.C.), so will Egypt (ca. 568 B.C.). If
7 ‘Thus it was beautiful in greatness and the Egyptians tend to be proud and feel invin-
in the length of its branches, cible, let them remember how powerful
Because its roots reached to abundant Assyria had fallen already.
waters.

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