Recommending a Memory Verse

The argument that brings us to this quote is, don’t be distracted by money but be content with what you have because God has promised to always be with us and will never forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5). Then the writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 118:6, among the closing instructions of this letter to the early Christian believers.

I confess that I have questioned the way we sometimes use the Bible to make particular points, quoting a verse here and there in support of the argument we are making—even as I have done it regularly in writing and even throughout this book, highlighting the verses that fit the theme, skipping over others that do not fit quite so well.

So, it is interesting to note how the writers of the New Testament sometimes used the Hebrew scriptures in the same way. Jesus often quoted verses and referenced Bible stories in His teaching, as did the New Testament’s Gospel and letter writers.

This is what is happening in Hebrews 13. In quick succession, the author draws together a verse from Deuteronomy 31 and this verse from Psalm 118 to urge that God is always with the believers so they can live with confidence. In effect, the writer is recommending a couple of memory verses that will help the readers when tempted by the desire for more money and more things or with the pressing needs they might have from time to time and the fears that come in such circumstances. While it is important to read verses in their larger contexts, the Bible itself gives us a precedent for drawing on its promises and applying those “Do not be afraid” instructions—among many others—to our own lives and circumstances.

The writer of Hebrews saw the value in quoting a “Do not be afraid” from his people’s past, and so we can hear it again today.