By J. C. Gibson (Scotland)
In our previous study we saw that the chapter falls into three main sections and we now continue in the first section reviewing the godly characteristics of Paul, Titus and Timothy.
They had been tested by God, v4. ‘But as we were allowed of God,’ dokimazo, meaning to prove or test. It declared their character, like coins that had been put to the test for genuineness or full weight and found to be so. This verb for testing is never used of Satan in the New Testament since he never proves in order to approve, or tests that he may accept. Satan only tests for destructive purposes but the Lord tests to make us useful for Himself. It is a Scriptural principle that we should spend a number of years in training before the Lord calls us to a particular work. There are some 13 years between Acts 9 and Acts 13: that is, Paul had been saved for 13 years and had diligently been serving the Lord in that time before the Holy Spirit separated him to become a missionary. Let us ever be wary of thrusting gifted young men forward into the limelight of public service before they are ready for it. Let us remember one of the warnings regarding local assembly elders; ‘not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil,’ 1Tim.3.6.
They were not grovelling sycophants, v4, ‘not as pleasing men, but God.’ They were not too concerned about what men thought of them because their chief ambition was to please God. There is constantly the possibility that a preacher might attempt to use his preaching ministry to build up public esteem for himself rather than simply convey God’s message to men.
Neither were they interested in public esteem; ‘nor of men sought we glory,’ v6. Surely this gave them perfect liberty in the preaching. In v2 the word used ‘to speak’ means ‘all speech,’ which involves a state of mind which is at peace with itself and so allows words to flow freely. ‘The fear of man bringeth a snare,’ Ps.29.25, but when that fear is lifted, we have perfect freedom to preach.
They were marked by humility, being ‘among you,’ v7, rather than ‘over you.’ In some cultures sadly the preachers are treated as super-humans, whom ordinary mortals should hold in reverence and awe. Paul and his companions, however, freely mingled with the believers and showed that they were men ‘subject to like passions as we are’ Jm.5.17. ‘We might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ,’ v6 is translated by Moffat as, ‘We had the power of claiming to be men of weight.’ Paul was not a man who threw his weight about, but was gentle.
They showed parental affection for their converts. This can be seen in v7, ‘But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children.’ The word for nurse is ‘trophos’ meaning a nursing mother. Cherisheth is the word thalpo which is used in the LXX of Deut.22.66 of a bird covering her young with feathers to warm and protect them. ‘Her’ would be better translated ‘her own’. That is to say, the missionaries saw their converts as their own spiritual children. Truly, young believers, like young children need loving attention and encouragement. Missionaries and evangelists are to show affection to their converts, because that is what they need. It is equally true that Christian mothers have a responsibility to care for their own children; which is far more important than earning enough money to have a foreign holiday or a larger car, 1Tim.5.14. Fatherly love is seen in v11, ‘as a father doth his children.’ This would suggest the sterner aspect of the same love.
They also showed an interest in individual believers, with them referring to having ‘exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you,’ v11. They realised the importance of working with and encouraging individuals. They would preach to the masses, but would draw alongside the individual. In this, they were following the example of the perfect evangelist whom we see at work in Jn.4 taking time to speak to a single, sinful Samaritan woman. From personal experience, I have found great encouragement in a spiritual Christian spending time alone with me.
They were sensitive to the spiritual condition of their converts. Paul saw them as ‘his children’. This not only tells us of his affection for them but also of their spiritual immaturity, for Paul saw them for what they were, spiritual infants. The godly servant will discern the degree of spiritual maturity in his converts and give them what they require. He longed to see them develop Christian virtues, ‘that ye would walk worthy,’ v12.
They taught them about things to come, ‘His kingdom and glory,’ v12, looks forward to millennial glory and the Thessalonians sharing that kingdom. Believers are never too young to learn prophetic truth, which is designed not just to satisfy our curiosity but stimulate us to godly living now. It was the prospect of future glory that was to energise them to ‘walk worthy of God.’
Firstly there is its reception, v13-14, which produces thanksgiving. ‘For this cause also thank we God without ceasing.’ When a person receives the gospel by faith the preacher will certainly render thanks to God, Lk.15.10. The prior necessity is preaching, ‘when ye received the Word of God, which ye heard of us,’ for, before anyone can receive the Gospel they must have heard it preached, Rom.10.14. It commences development, for ‘the Word of God … effectually … worketh in you that believe.’ ‘Worketh,’ energio, means to work in, is in the present continuous tense, because the receiving of the gospel is only the beginning of a life influenced by the word of God. Once we are saved God’s powerful word continues to do a work within us and therefore we must keep reading that word. It utilises faith, ‘in you that believe. It is by simple faith that the gospel is received into the heart. Receiving the Word of God provokes opposition, v14, but at the same time it works in us to enable us to endure the resulting suffering.
The rejection of the ministry spoken of here, v15-16, is by religious people and it was violent, stemming from those ‘who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us.’ Paul is here in effect gathering together as one every unbelieving Jew of all time. He places the guilt for the death of the Lord Jesus Christ squarely upon the Jews, even though they used Pilate as their instrument (compare 2Sam.12.9). We might be able to hide our sins from men but God knows! Rejection was persistent, ‘to fill up their sins always.’ They continued persistently and determinedly to rebel against God, His servants and His Son, and so kept adding to their cup of guilt. God allows the sin He sees in a man, or a nation, to develop until it becomes manifest to eyes other than His own, so that the righteousness of His judgments, when they do come, may be put beyond dispute, Gen.15.16.
Finally, this rejection was fatal, ‘for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.’ For the Jewish nation God’s longsuffering had reached its extreme limits and judgment could not now be averted. Their cup was full, hence the inevitability of the time of Jacob’s trouble.
There is firstly the heartache. ‘Being taken from you,’ v17, is the idea of a parent losing a child and the resultant sadness. The spiritual parents of the Thessalonian converts experienced the feelings of any natural father, v11 or mother, v7, at the loss of their children. They speak about how they ‘endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face,’ for they longed to be reunited.
In v18 we have brought before us the hindrance, ‘Satan hindered us,’ enekopsen, meaning ‘to cut into,’ is a military term picturing an enemy force cutting up or destroying a road so as to make it impassable. We learn that Satan is real, not a figment of our imagination. He is adversarial, that is, he is the great enemy of God, His people, and their service. Thirdly he is powerful, in that he can influence our physical environment so as to attempt the disruption of our service for the Lord.
It is worth noting that Paul did not indiscriminately attribute all hindrances to Satan. We too must be very careful in what we say for often believers are very quick to claim that ‘Satan hindered us.’ Notice please that in Acts 16.6,7 it was the Lord who prevented the preaching!
Then in v19,20 there is the happiness. These verses look forward to that blessed day when all that the writers hope concerning the Thessalonians will be realised as they stand before the Lord Jesus for His final review and reward. All that Paul and his co-workers did was in view of that future day, the ultimate reward of the ministry. When Paul sees his beloved converts, glorified in heaven, receiving their prizes from the Lord Jesus Christ for a life lived for Him, his joy will be ecstatic.
—to be continued (D.V.)