Hebrews 13:5

Hebrews 13:5

I. This word is sufficient, because God has spoken it. We say of some men, "Their word is their bond." Shall we say less of the living One, of whose eternity our life is but a spark?

II. This word is inspiring, because it pledges the personal fellowship of God. "I will never leave thee"; not, "Angels shall be sent to thee," etc. To the Church Jesus says, "I am with you alway."

III. This word is complete, because it embraces all time. The child becomes free of the parent; the apprentice is liberated from his bonds; the hireling fulfils his day; but union with God is perpetual, and its joy is an ever-augmenting sum.

IV. This word is condescending, because it is personal in its application. It is not a pledge given to the universe as a whole; it is spoken to the individual heart, and is to be applied by each heart according to special circumstances. The whole exists for the part as well as the part for the whole. Every flower may claim the sun.

V. This word is assuring, because it is redundant in its expression. "I will never leave thee" would have been enough for a merely technical bond; more is added: we have word upon word, so that the heart cannot escape the golden walls of protection and security. Love does not study terseness; it must be emphatic: it must be copious.

Parker, City Temple,vol. ii., p. 16.

References: Hebrews 13:5. W. C. Heaton, Church Sermons,vol. i., p. 73; C. Morris, Preacher's Lantern,vol. ii., p. 620; Spurgeon, Sermons,vol. viii., No. 477; vol. xxxii., No. 1880; Ibid., Morning by Morning,p. 52; Clergyman's Magazine,vol. ii., p. 269. Hebrews 13:7. A. Thomas, Christian World Pulpit,vol. xviii., p. 312.Hebrews 13:7. J. Oswald Dykes, Sermons,p. 369.