Getting Biblical in Daily Life
For a book of the Bible, Hebrews doesn't have a ton of moralizing. Weird, right? The author spends way more time talking about the things Christians should believe rather than the things they should do. Of course, in the end, he can't resist passing out a little advice.
Good Housekeeping
The author is Hebrews would probably be a pretty big fan of Martha Stewart because he just loves entertaining. He tells his fellow Christians:
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. (13:2)
You meet someone you don't know? Invite them in for dinner! The idea comes from the Hebrew Bible: Abraham played host to three angels without knowing it and was majorly rewarded (Genesis 18:2).
But to modern eyes, this also seems a tiny bit questionable. Invite random strangers into your home? We definitely learned not to do that in like…kindergarten.
It's just one of the many differences between our culture and the lifestyle of people in the 1st century. Back then, travel took a whole lot more time. You couldn't book five-star hotels in advance, either, so folks on the road would often be dependent on the kindness of strangers for their survival.
Paul the Apostle traveled far and wide and generally shacked up with people he had just met, and here we're told that Christians are supposed to return the favor. Plus, opening your home to a stranger is a great way to show off Christian kindness and maybe even get in a little plug for Jesus.
The early Christians were always thinking.
Sexy Times
Our author is also in favor of folks tying the knot. Just make sure you do it before you hop into bed:
Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. (13:4)
This pretty much jibes with other advice in the New Testament. Sex outside of marriage is a very big no-no. If you like it, then you'd better put a ring on it, because God is not pleased with extra-marital sexy times.
Okay, so sex is a no-go, and everyone thinks that marriage is awesome, right?
Not quite. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul isn't really holding marriage "in honor." Sure, he says, marriage is okay, but it's way better to stay single (you know, like Paul). The only reason to marry? You can't keep it in your pants. Yup. If you can't stop yourselves from getting your freak on, you might as well just go ahead and say, "I do" (1 Corinthians 7:8-9).
Greed Is Good—Er, Bad
Okay, but how about money? It's fine to be rich and successful, right? Well, we have bad news for the one-percenters out there:
Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." (13:5)
Now might be a good time to empty out your swimming pools full of gold coins.
This sentiment works well with what Jesus said: "you cannot serve God and wealth" (Luke 16:13). It's also in line with other New Testament advice like "love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10).
Okay, so money is evil?
Not quite. We should point out that the author of Hebrews isn't saying that money, by itself, is bad. It's when we fall in love with our money that we're in trouble. Being overly obsessed with earning Benjamins just isn't healthy. He thinks that folks need to be satisfied with less. After all, he says, if you trust in God, he'll provide what you need…as long as what you need isn't a garage full of Ferraris.