As Paul finishes his Epistle to the Hebrews, he isn’t writing down a bunch of disconnected phrases thrown together as though they were his final commands, which he wants the Jewish believers to read before he ends his letter. No! Paul is still compiling his argument to rally behind Jesus, as the believing Jews face their enemies who persecute them. Just as their ancient fathers before them, they had been in a wilderness[1] for close to forty years, and Paul and others were now encouraging them to remain faithful, as the Lord prepared them to enter the Promised Land. The New Covenant is a new worldview that wasn’t conceived prior to the first century AD. It is a worldview in which God accepts both Jew and gentile alike. If he doesn’t discriminate between the two, neither should men, and this is the point of Hebrews 13:1-4. Even positions of authority have been granted to gentiles, and they needed the support of their Jewish brethren.
In Hebrews 13:5 Paul refers his readers to Deuteronomy 31:1-6, where Moses was encouraging Israel to take courage, as they prepared to enter and take the Promised Land. Paul quotes Deuteronomy 31:6, where Moses says of the Lord: “He will not fail you nor forsake you.” Moses encouraged Israel by saying the Lord went over into the Promised Land before them, and he would destroy their enemies (Deuteronomy 31:3). No one, even the powerful authorities, would be able to stand before them, because the Lord had given them up, and the faithful could do as they pleased with them (Deuteronomy 31:4-5). This should encourage Paul’s readers, because as Moses said: “be strong and take courage, neither be afraid of the battle nor of their appearance, because the Lord your God goes with you, and he will not fail you nor forsake you, therefore, fear not nor be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Of course, Paul wasn’t trying to tell believers they were actually going into a literal war in which they would take up physical weapons to use in battle. No! this wasn’t what Paul was saying. Notice:
(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 KJV)
Paul claimed that our battle is not with flesh and blood but with spiritual authority; it is against spiritual power, the rulers of darkness (the rulers of the wilderness of people, if you will – see my footnote below). He encouraged believing Jews to put on the whole armor of God, so that they might be enabled to stand before him in the day of battle, girt about with the truth, with the breastplate of righteousness, having their walk protected with the Gospel of peace, and taking the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and their only offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word! (cp. Ephesians 6:12-17). Speak the word of God, for he is the believer’s helper, and no one would be able to stand before the faithful. His enemies may abuse the believer’s outer frame, steal or destroy what he has in this world, but the enemies of the Gospel will never be able to stand with the believer before God (Hebrews 13:12-13). The Lord will judge (Hebrews 13:4; cp. Matthew 16:27-28).
Nevertheless, the believer cannot legitimately claim the Lord as his helper, if he denies the New Covenant worldview, wherein the stranger / gentile is accepted by the Lord and co-equal before him as the Jewish people have always been (Hebrews 13:6; cp. verses-2 & 3). Therefore, in Hebrews 13:7 Paul points to the recent passing of the Jewish believers’ leaders, men like James (called “the brother of the Lord”), who was slain with other leading men by Ananias, the high priest and son of Annas[2] who, together with Caiaphas, had crucified the Lord. Paul encouraged his Jewish readers to imitate their courage and stand firmly against the spiritual evil that surrounded them, because Jesus is “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Here, Paul refers his readers to Psalm 90:1-4, where the Lord is seen as our dwelling place throughout our generations, and he is the same God from everlasting to everlasting, and he calls upon his people to return to him, and he will destroy their enemies.
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[1] The wilderness in which believers were in during the first century AD was a ‘wilderness of people’ (Ezekiel 20:25), which was a wilderness (people) of darkness (cp. Jeremiah 2:31), a wilderness (people) which was dangerous and treacherous, a ‘land’ in which godly people had no rest (Jeremiah 9:2). See an earlier study of mine: Led Into the Wilderness.
[2] See Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews; 20.9.1 (197 to 203).
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