June 17, 2016

Hebrews 13:2 NKJV - "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels."

Commentary:

What do Abraham, Lot, Gideon, Samson's parents, Zacharias, and Joseph and Mary have in common?  They all "entertained angels!"  Perhaps they didn't feed them as Abraham did, but they still conversed with them.  Some felt comfortable with the angels, some were "scared to death" that something bad might happen to them.  But in every instance God used His angels to convey messages to them.  (There are others in the Bible who had similar experiences).

The name "angel" means "messenger."  Though they are used to protect God's people, and sometimes to inflict punishment on some people, they were primarily God's way of communicating special knowledge to those to whom they were sent.  Consider the angels' warning to Lot and his wife in Genesis 19.  They were sent by God with a specific purpose of answering Abraham's prayers to God back at the end of chapter 18.  Interesting how God used angels to accomplish His will and fulfill the requests offered to God in prayer.

God can still use angels today.  And most of the people in our world today, including many of us, would have no clue that an angel "stopped by" to see us!  That's why our Daily Verse suggests that some have "unwittingly entertained angels."  I guess it's a good idea to treat the next "stranger" you meet with respect and courtesy.  Who knows, perhaps that "person" will report back to God how his visit went with you?!