That Stranger Could Be An Angel

From: Turning Point Ministries - Dr. David Jeremiah

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

One verse in the Bible has the potential to transform our daily life. Hebrews 13:2 says that some of the people we encounter in our daily life may look like humans but are, in fact, angels. Angels! That’s all it says—no instructions on how to tell when an angel appears and when a person is, in fact, just a person. But there it is: an admonition to hospitality to strangers since that stranger might just be an angel in disguise.

Angels appeared to various people in the Old Testament: Abraham (Genesis 18), Gideon (Judges 6), and Manoah (Judges 13). The angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel, but the text uses the word “man” to describe him (Daniel 8:15; 9:21). And in Daniel 10, “a certain man” appeared to Daniel with a message from heaven (verses 5-9). 

Because the primary function of an angel is to be a messenger, their appearance is likely to be suited to the occasion or the recipient of the message. The fact that angels are among us compels us to be hospitable (kind, loving) to everyone regardless of who we think they are.