Of Guests and Hosts in the Cities of Old
In the cities of old, from the gates of Jerusalem to the ports of Tyre and Sidon, there was a custom deeply rooted and honored among the people—a covenant between guest and host, held sacred by the law of hospitality. For in those days, the stranger and the traveler were often as the sojourner in a dry land, and their welfare depended not upon inns alone, but upon the hearts of men.
Thus it is written, “The stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself” (Leviticus 19:34). And so did the children of Abraham open their homes to those who passed by, offering water for the feet, bread for the belly, and peace for the soul.
In the days of the patriarchs, Abraham lifted up his eyes and beheld three men standing near. He ran to meet them from the tent door and bowed himself toward the ground, saying, “My lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away... let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree” (Genesis 18:3–4). And he prepared a feast for them with fine meal, butter, and milk, and they sat under the terebinth.
This was the way of righteousness among the people of the covenant—that they receive the guest not as a burden but as a blessing. To refuse a traveler was to dishonor the Lord, who Himself walked among men as a stranger. Yea, even when Lot dwelt in Sodom, he met the angels at the gate and insisted they come under his roof, lest evil befall them in the streets (Genesis 19:1–3).
In the cities built of stone and mortar, and in the humble villages of clay and reed, the guest was greeted with a kiss of peace, the oil of welcome was poured upon his head, and his feet were washed of the dust of the journey. He was given the chief seat in the house, and his words were heard with respect, for the guest could be a messenger, a prophet, or even an angel of the Lord.
Likewise, the host was bound to guard his guest as his own blood. To do less was shameful, and to do more was righteous. In the Book of Judges it is written how the old man of Gibeah took in the Levite and his concubine, saying, “Peace be with thee; howsoever let all thy wants lie upon me; only lodge not in the street” (Judges 19:20). Such was the burden and the honor of the host.
And in the days of the prophets, when Elisha passed by Shunem, a great woman constrained him to eat bread. She said to her husband, “Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God... let us make him a little chamber on the wall” (2 Kings 4:9–10). And there the prophet rested in peace.
But in the latter times, hearts waxed cold, and some did shut their doors to the poor and the wanderer. The prophet cried out, “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house?” (Isaiah 58:7). The Lord watched and judged the cities according to their treatment of the stranger.
Even our Lord Jesus, in the days of His flesh, knew both the welcome of the humble and the rejection of the proud. He sent out His disciples, saying, “Into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house... and in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give” (Luke 10:5–7).
Let every man remember: to open one’s door is to open one’s heart. For the Lord Himself was born in a town where there was no room at the inn. And He said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me” (Matthew 25:40).
Thus shall the ancient paths guide the hearts of hosts and guests in all generations. And blessed is the house where the stranger is received with joy, for the Lord shall dwell therein. Amen.