MAKE SURE THAT YOUR CHARACTER IS FREE FROM LOVE OF MONEY: Aphilarguros o tropos:

Reputation is what others think you are.
Character is what God knows you are!

Character (5158) (tropos from trépo = turn or guide towards a thing, turn one’s self, direct one’s attention to a thing, be occupied with it) originally referred to a turn or direction. In this context it speaks of the manner in which something is done or one's manner of life, with focus upon customary acts.

Free from the love of money (866) (aphilarguros from a = negates + philarguros = avaricious from phílos = friend or loving + árguros = silver, money) is literally "free from affection for silver"

Notice the target that "love of money" takes aim at! Our character!

Loving money as a dear friend must particularly be avoided as it becomes a substitute for faith in God’s loving care and induces a false trust in an unreliable supply. (Eccl 5:10, Lu 12:15, Ps 62:10, Job 31:24,25, 28, Mt 6:8)

The more you get the more you want. When we focus on material things, our having will never catch up with our wanting! It is one of God’s unbreakable laws.  Greed is not a trifling sin before God. It has kept many unbelievers out of the kingdom, and it has caused many believers to lose the joy of the kingdom, or worse. Trust in money equates with distrust in God.  Whatever form love of money may take, the spiritual result is the same. It displeases God and separates us from Him. Nicer clothes, a bigger house, another car, a better vacation tempt all of us. But God tells us to be satisfied.

Pr 23:5 says “wealth certainly makes itself wings.”

Study the following Scriptural examples of "love of money" and what it "cost of loving money" -- Achan (Joshua 7:1, 5, 25).  Gehazi, Elisha’s servant (2Ki 5:15-27), Judas (Mt 26:14,15). Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-10).

Wealth has its disadvantages. It is difficult to have it and not trust in it. Material possessions tend to focus one’s thoughts and interests on this world alone. It can enslave so that one becomes possessed by possessions, comforts, and recreations. The writer of Hebrews would exhort "Lay aside these temporal, worldly encumbrances." Jesus said, “the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Mk4:19). Do not even entertain the tiniest thought of church leadership if you are a lover of money. (1Ti 3:2-3).

BEING CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE: arkoumenoi (PPPMPN) tois parousin (PAPNPD):

Being content (714)

Being satisfied with...Why? because of His "faithful Word" that the writer quotes below...The truth is that when you come to the point in a particular circumstance or relationship where you realize that ALL YOU HAVE LEFT IS JESUS, THEN YOU COME TO experientially know THAT JESUS IS ALL YOU NEED. (cp 2Co 12:9,10)

The basis for such contentment is God’s promise of His presence & His power, of His ability to supply the necessities of life (Mt6:25-34). It refers to the ability of the Christian dependent upon the Spirit of Christ, to be independent of outward circumstances.

Discontentment is one of man’s greatest sins.

Contentment is one of God’s greatest blessings.

FOR HE HIMSELF HAS SAID: autos gar eireken (3SRAI):

Perf. tense = God's statement has been made and the truth & assurance has not been retracted but is still in effect. His Word is a faithful (trustworthy) Word (Titus 1:9).

The context of Dt 31:6,8 (cp Jos 1:5) is a promise by the Lord to all Israel first & then specifically to Joshua as he prepared to lead the Israelites across the Jordan and into the promised land (of "rest" Jos 1:13). The writer exhorts his Jewish readers with this well-known OT promise, the promise of God’s presence going with before them & with them. Jesus has made the same promise for us to claim as well (Mt 28:20). And He has also entered in as a Forerunner for us into the very presence of God, our Source of eternal Rest (Heb 6:19,20).

IF you really believe this promise, if you believe it is true, and your heart is satisfied with the God Who promises to be there for you and help you, THEN you will not crave money, you will keep your marriage vows, you care for prisoners, welcome strangers and love each other.

Faith in the promises of God is the power to live a radical, normal Christian life.

I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU: ou me se ano oud ou me se egkatalipo (1SAAS):

Never (3756)

In the Greek, the promise is very emphatic

I will never, never, never leave thee.

Desert (447) "desert" = ANIEMI used in [Acts 16:26; 27:40] = to loosen & in [Eph 6:9] = give up or forbear. Somewhat in this last sense here in Hebrews, so that one might translate this phrase -- “I will in no way let you go.” I will not relax my hold on you. This is God's good medicine for our anxious doubting souls (Mt 6:25,30, 32.) This PROMISE is of HIS PRESENCE & the next OT PROMISE quoted is for HIS POWER! Now this Truth should be cause for contentment irregardless of circumstances!

Forsake (1459)

The promise to never leave was made to Joshua when he succeeded Moses : [Dt 1:7-8, Jos 1:5,9] and is fulfilled in Jesus [Mt 28:20, Acts 18:9-10 1Ch 28:20]

The two quotations, one from Dt 31:6 and the other from Ps 118:6, reveal that the answer to any kind of fear, including the fear of poverty, is found in the commitment of God to ever be with us. There are many warnings in Scripture against loving money. Jesus said it was impossible to serve both God and money, and Paul had written young Timothy in 1Ti 6:9.

Though credit cards were unknown in the first century, they often constitute a trap today that results in financial ruin and destruction. The point of danger is the love of money which cancels out the sense of God’s love and promised supply, and launches the believer into worldly schemes for financial security that belie all trust in God. This is not to set aside the recognition that God can and often does supply methods of financial support using banks, insurance, securities and other means. But all these must be seen as coming from his hand. It is always spiritually dangerous to grow financially discontent. Remember Paul’s words in 1Ti6:10.

C. H. Spurgeon said

I’ve been in a lot of testimony meetings, and I’ve heard a lot of people share how they’ve sinned, and I’ve had people come to me and make confession of sin. But in all my life I’ve never had one person confess the sin of covetousness to me.

Spurgeon adds that...

It is not possible to satisfy the greedy. If God gave them one whole world to themselves they would cry for another; and if it were possible for them to possess heaven as they now are, they would feel themselves in hell, because others were in heaven too, for their greed is such that they must have everything or else they have nothing.

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The King & the Contented Man: A story received from ancient times tells of a king who was suffering from a certain malady and was advised by his wise men that he would be cured if the shirt of a contented man were brought to him to wear. The search began for a contented man, but none could be found. So emissaries were sent to the edge of the realm, and after a long search a man was found who was truly content. But he had no shirt! The consensus of enduring wisdom is that contentment comes from a Source other than things or possessions.

The soul that on Jesus hath lean’d for repose,
I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
That soul, tho' all hell should endeavour to shake,
I will never, no never, no never forsake!

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Ps118:6: Lxx: kurios emoi boethos ou phobethesomai (1SFPI) ti poiesei (3SFAI) moi anthropos

Ps56:11: Lxx: ti poiesei (3SFAI) moi anthropos (what can man do to me)

SO THAT WE CONFIDENTLY (continually) SAY: hoste tharrountas (PAPMPA) hemas legein (PAN):

See Heb 4:16,10:19; Eph 3:12

God has said he will never leave us nor forsake us. This should evoke the bold statement -- “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

THE LORD...MY HELPER: kurios emoi boethos:

Note: No "is" in the Greek, so it's almost like its God's name = "My Helper"! Awesome! Ps 19:14 is translates David's affirmation of "O LORD, my rock" in the Lxx with "kurie boethe mou" or literally "Lord my Helper", very similar to Heb 13:6.

Practically how would you come to know God as your Helper even as David had come to know Him in such an intimate way? We have to remember to cry out to Him for help in the midst of the testing circumstances, when the waters are rising & all we can see is disaster & doom. As we learn to do this as a lifestyle, we will grow (like David did as he learned to depend on God while fleeing from Saul) in our experiential knowledge that He is indeed our Rock, our Helper in times of temptation & like Paul we will come to know that Jesus is our ever present Friend Who sticks closer than a brother and Who will come to our cry for help. (Php 4:11,12,13, 2Co 12:9,10, Heb 2:18).

Ps 118:6= Messianic psalm, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, so we can claim it for ourselves. Contented Christians are people w. priorities, and material things are not high on their priority list. They have begun to more & more lay aside those things that weigh us down & impede fruitful, focused ministry (cp 12:1 "encumbrances").

I WILL NOT BE AFRAID OF WHAT SHALL MAN DO TO ME: (kai) ou phobethesomai (1SFPI) ti poiesei (3SFAI) moi anthropos: Da 3:17,18; Mt 10:28; Lu 12:4,v5; Isa 41:10:

Fear God (offer service with reverence & awe bc God is a consuming fire) not men.

Ps 56:4,11 See Ro 8:31,39 This is the mind-set that will ride the waves no matter what—just as Chrysostom did when he was brought before the Roman emperor and was threatened with banishment:

“Thou canst not banish me for this world is my father’s house.” “But I will slay thee,” said the Emperor. “Nay, thou canst not,” said the noble champion of the faith, “for my life is hid with Christ in God.” “I will take away thy treasures.” “Nay, but thou canst not for my treasure is in heaven and my heart is there.” “But I will drive thee away from man and thou shalt have no friend left.” “Nay, thou canst not, for I have a friend in heaven from whom thou canst not separate me. I defy thee; for there is nothing that thou canst do to hurt me.”

REMEMBER THOSE WHO LED YOU: Mnemoneuete (2PPAM) ton hegoumenon (PMPMPG) humon:

John Piper in his message on this section of Hebrews said...

Some of you may wonder why for 11 years at our pastors' conference I have given biographical lectures on people in church history - Luther, Calvin, Edwards, Brainerd, Spurgeon, Machen, Lloyd-Jones, etc. It's not just because they're interesting. It's because God said, "Remember those who led you and spoke the word of God to you. (Read Piper's message "Be Strengthened by Grace")

WHO SPOKE THE WORD OF GOD TO YOU: hoitines elalesan (3PAAI) humin ton logon tou theou: cp Heb2:3; see Heb6:12 "imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

Who (hoitines)  whoever they were...no one specific in mind here.

AND CONSIDERING THE RESULT OF THEIR CONDUCT: anatheorountes (PAPMPN) ten ekbasin tes anastrophes:

It's not just: Look at their conduct. It's: Look closely at the outcome, literally, the exit of their way of life. Piper thinks it means: Look at the whole course of their life, esp the end of it. How did they run? Did they hold fast till the end? Did they finish well? (cp Heb3:6,14, 4:14, 10:23, 12:1) Did they do what this whole letter of Hebrews is written to help us do - persevere to the end and be saved?

Dead heroes are more important than living heroes. Living heroes are important, but they might cease to be heroes before they die. They might let you down. Rather, he says, "remember" - that's a word that reaches into the past. Remember those whose conduct you can survey from beginning to end, and consider all of it - especially how it ended.

IMITATE THEIR FAITH: mimeisthe (2PPMM) ten pistin:

mimos = mimic; in N.T. only here and 2Th 3:7,9; 3Jn 1:11

So ''Keep on imitating the faith of the leaders.''

Not those who have an external "form of godliness". If you try to imitate these men's conduct, you become a religious fake, deceived just as they are. This is a frightening reality when you see it - people who have learned the form of godliness and know nothing of the power that comes from genuine faith (2Ti3:5). Instead the author says: look at the whole course of their conduct and how they finished their course, and get the same motor that made them what they were: their faith.

The memorial marker to John Wesley in Westminster Abbey bears the inscription:

God buries his workmen, but he carries on his work.

Memories of godly lives help best when they turn us to the One who never needs to be replaced and who is permanently available to his people.

Faith (4102)(pistis) is synonymous with trust or belief and is the conviction of the truth of anything, but in Scripture usually speaks of belief  respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it.

See related studies on the specific phrases (1) "the faith" and (2) the "obedience of faith". See also study on pistos

Faith is manifest by not believing in spite of evidence but obeying in spite of consequence. John uses the related verb pisteuo to demonstrate the relationship between genuine faith and obedience writing...

When missionary John Paton  was translating the Scripture for the South Sea islanders, he was unable to find a word in their vocabulary for the concept of believing, trusting, or having faith. He had no idea how he would convey that to them. One day while he was in his hut translating, a native came running up the stairs into Paton's study and flopped in a chair, exhausted. He said to Paton,

Without “confidence” in God - in his fidelity, his truth, his wisdom, his promises. The essence of faith consists in believing and receiving what God has revealed, and may be defined as that trust in the God of the Scriptures and in Jesus Christ whom He has sent, which receives Him as Lord and Savior and impels to loving obedience and good works (Jn 1:12; Ja 2:14 - 26).