Hebrews 13:5 Living Contentedly
Hebrews 13:5 (KJV) Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
This first principle is taught in verse 5a, “Let your conversation be without covetousness.” Note two words in this phrase — “conversation” and “covetousness”. Conversation simply means “lifestyle” or “manner of living”. “Without covetousness” is one word in the original that literally means “free from the love of money”. Thus, “live not covetously” means our lifestyle must be free from the love of money.
In other words, living contentedly is about a person who is not living for money. The Bible says the love of money is the root of all evil, the mother of all sin. This same word “covetousness” is translated “the love of money” in 1 Timothy 6:10. “For the love of money is the root of all evil,” said the Apostle Paul.
King Solomon, the man who experienced this earthly, materialistic “life under the sun” to the fullest, concluded that such a life was all vanity of vanities, empty and did not satisfy. He wrote, “Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven” (Proverbs 23:4-5). Security that is based on the riches of this world is very fleeting, temporal and transient. They come easily and go just as quickly. This is the snare of the covetous mindset. Covetousness is sin.
The second principle in verse 5b — “and be content with such things as ye have” or “live within your means”. Living within our means is rooted in the doctrine of biblical contentment. To be content is to be truly satisfied, acknowledging sufficiency in whatever we have. Contentment is one of the most distinguishing traits of a godly person, because such a man has his heart focused on God rather than on possessions. The contented person experiences the sufficiency of God’s provision for his needs and the sufficiency of God’s grace for his circumstances. That is why Paul said, “Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6).
The third principle is taken from v5c, “for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” or “live by faith”. The word translated “never” consists of two negatives put side by side. It is the strongest negation in the Greek language to forbid the occurrence of a situation, that there is no possibility that such an event will take place. God will neither leave nor forsake His children. This phrase speaks of God’s power and God’s promise. It speaks of His infinite ability to care for us and His enduring perseverance with us until he conducts us all the way to heaven!
David testified in Psalm 37:25-26, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.”
Dear friends, how do we live contentedly? It is to “live not covetously” and to “live within your means” and to “live by faith”. It is faith in Jesus Christ, our All-Sufficiency! This is the thesis of the book of Hebrews. Amen.