What does Hebrews 13:5 mean?
It means you can be content without chasing money, because you already have what matters most: God has promised never to leave you or forsake you.
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
What it means
The verse starts with money: keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have. Then it gives the reason. Not that money doesn't matter, but that God has said He'll never leave you.
Forsake means to abandon, to walk away and leave someone on their own. God promises He won't. It's the promise He gave Israel and Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5), now given to every believer. If God is with you, you're not as poor as you feel, even when money is tight.
The verses around it
Verse 6 goes on: “So we say with confidence: The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.” The writer of Hebrews takes a promise God made in the Old Testament and hands it to Christians who were under pressure, some of whom had lost their property for their faith (Hebrews 10:34).
So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
The lies it answers
The thoughts this verse speaks to, in the words people use for them.
“We're not going to make it this month.”
Money may be tight. God's promise isn't money. It's Himself, and He won't leave.
Bible verses for when you're worried about money“I'm all by myself, and nobody cares.”
You can feel alone and still not be. God said never.
Bible verses for when you feel alone“I'm going to be alone forever.”
Whatever happens, God has promised His people He'll stay.
Bible verses for when you're afraid of being alone forever
Say it out loud
God has said He will never leave me or forsake me. The Lord is my helper, so I don't have to be afraid. I can be content with what I have.
More Bible declarations like this
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Questions people ask
Where does God say “Never will I leave you”?
Hebrews 13:5 quotes God's promise from the Old Testament, given to Israel and to Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:6 and Joshua 1:5). The writer gives it to every believer.
Why is Hebrews 13:5 about money?
Because the love of money often grows out of the fear of not having enough. The writer's answer to that fear is God's presence. If He is with you, you can be content with what you have.
Does Hebrews 13:5 promise I'll have enough money?
It promises God's presence, not a bank balance. Jesus does say your Father knows what you need (Matthew 6:32). Be careful with anyone who says a gift to them will make God give you money.
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