Here’s a continuation of my series on the Topical Guide in which I try to find scriptures with unusual meanings. I came across an interesting verse in Hebrews 13:2.
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Usually when we think of angels, we think of spectacular visitations (Angel Moroni, Gabriel visits Mary, angel strikes John the Baptist’s father speechless, etc.) On the other hand, there are some encounters where people did not perceive angels (angels visit Sodom and Gomorrah, the story of Jacob’s ladder.) What is the purpose of God sending angels to us where we are unaware of them? Have you any stories of “angels unawares”?
Wheat & Tares 
I’ve always seen this scripture as proverbial, in that it expresses the virtue of generosity, referencing the rewards that Abraham received for his own generosity in providing for the strangers who later revealed themselves as angels. Kinda cute I always think.
I don’t know about how cute their visits are, but they can be thought provoking.
Lot and his family were thrown out of Sodom and the rest of the city was destroyed. When I read that story, Sodom was definitely destroyed because of violence. If those creeps that tried to break into Lots house and have sex with the angels, would even have just said to Lot, ‘Lot, we want to have sex with the angels, but we don’t want to disturb your visit.’, Sodom would not have been destroyed – at least not then.
I believe that Lot knew they were from God whether he knew they were angels or not, because of his spirituality. This saved his life and his family’s. Lot’s wife ended up dead, later on anyway. I blame her for slowing up with the moving and slowing up Lot because I think that she didn’t want to move back out into the country.
Paul knew that the ship was going to sink, but he also knew that no one had to worry about their lives. That was because of an angel visit.
Joseph Smith knew about the Book of Mormon from the angel Moroni.
We now have the priesthood from the angels John, the Baptist and Peter, James and John.
What ever the reasons are that the angels come it is to teach a message or to give a commandment. I understand that an angel came to Joseph Smith with a drawn sword in his hand and when he left, Joseph went out to find an additional wife. Is that right?
If an angel came to me, I think I would do what he said whether I liked it or not.
Being rewarded for showing hospitality is a recurrent theme in the scriptures. The widow at Zarephath was not aware that Elijah was a prophet when he requested food. The Shunammite woman welcomed Elisha as a holy man into her home with no expectation of reward, yet she was blessed with a son (who Elisha later raised from the dead). Christ introduced himself as the Messiah in a conversation that began with him requesting water from the Samaritan woman. Add in Abraham with the angels/holy men bit and you have good motivation to encourage the then-heavily respected virtue of hospitality to strangers.