I Thessalonians 1
Opening of letterverse 1
Paul – Silvanus – Timothy
to the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father
and in the Lord Jesus Christ
Grace be to you – and peace – from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ
Paul prays for the members of the churchverses 2-4
We give thanks to God always for you all
making mention of you in our prayers
Remembering without ceasing your work of faith – and labor of love
and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ
in the sight of God and our Father
Knowing – brethren beloved – your ELECTION of God
Paul compliments the members of the churchverses 5-7
FOR our gospel came not to you in word only – BUT also in POWER
and in the Holy Ghost – and in much assurance
as ye know what manner of men
we were among you for your sake
AND you became followers of us – AND of the Lord
having received the word in much affliction
with joy of the Holy Ghost
so that you were examples to all that believe
in Macedonia and Achaia
Testimony of the church to othersverses 8-10
FOR from you sounded out the word of the Lord
not only in Macedonia and Achaia
but also in every place your faith
to God-ward is spread abroad
so that we need not to speak any thing
FOR they themselves show of us what manner of entering in
we had to you and how you turned to God from idols
to serve the living and true God
and to wait for HIS Son from heaven
WHOM HE raised from the dead
even Jesus
which delivered us from the WRATH to come
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, to the churches of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. (5485 “Grace” [charis] means goodwill freely disseminated by God, favor, good will, mercy, kindness, graciousness, attractiveness, gratification, agreeableness, or acceptance)
DEVOTION: When we see how letters were written back in the first century we might wonder why they said so much at the beginning.
They started right out with a declaration of the place they had in relation to their service to God the Father and God the Son. They wanted those who were reading this letter to know that they believed that God the Father and God the Son were two different persons but one God. They were serving the Godhead of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
They knew that the only way that believers could have grace and peace in their life was if God gave it to them. Grace is receiving from the LORD what we don’t deserve. Peace is what is necessary when we realize we are at war with the world because of Jesus Christ. They don’t love us but hate us because we are making them aware that they are not in a proper relationship with the Creator of the Universe because of their rejection of Jesus Christ.
So we have a church in a city filled with individuals who belong to the Godhead because of their repentance of sin. The repentance of sin brought new life to these individuals who are receiving this letter.
CHALLENGE: The letter is written to us as well. We have received grace and peace because of our personal relationship to God through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 4 Knowing, brethren beloved, you election of God. (1589 “election” [ekloge] means the act of deliberately selecting someone or something, chosen, selection, choice, the act of picking out, of act of God’s free will by which before the foundation of the world HE decreed HIS blessings to certain persons, or God’s elect)
DEVOTION: Believers are to know what they believe and why. Too often there are many believers who say “I think I am saved” or “I hope I am saved.” These are improper statements for those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
Paul wants them to know that they are part of the family of God. He calls them beloved brethren. That means that he knows that they LORD loves them. He knows that they are part of the fellowship of believers around the world. He is trying to relay to them a statement of assurance from his perspective, these individual are true believers and should understand that they are chosen of God.
The word “election” is a hard one to understand but it is taught that before the foundation of the world or before God created the world HE knew who would become a follower of HIM.
Does this mean we had no choice? No! But because God doesn’t live in time HE knows the beginning from the end. HE knows what choice we would have made and so records our name in the book of life accordingly.
These individuals are in the book of life which guarantees them a place in heave for eternity. It is important for us to remember this fact as sometimes we might think that God doesn’t love us.
Also remember that if you are a genuine believer who steps out of the right way HE will chasten you to get you back on the right path. That is a sign of HIS love. If you are presently living in sin and there is no correction from the LORD, then you need to ask yourself if you ever made a genuine commitment to the LORD.
CHALLENGE: At that point you need to meet with God until you have the assurance of a proper relationship with HIM.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 6 And you became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: (3402 “followers” [mimetes] means an imitator, one who is like another, copyist or model)
DEVOTION: The author of these words called himself the “chief of sinners.” He was responsible for the death of many Christians. He was zealous for the Jewish religion. He thought he was right.
Too often we are told to be an imitator of someone who some consider a hero. There are many sports “heroes.” There are many religious “heroes.” There are many political “heroes.”
The only individual who was ever perfect and sinless was Christ. Paul knew that he was a sinner. However, he could tell these individuals in the church of Thessalonica to model what he was doing as he was modeling Christ. He included the Lord with himself to imitate.
If he had just told them to imitate himself, he would be wrong. We should be able to say to those we lead to Christ that they can imitate what we do in service to Christ. As we imitate Christ, they can imitate us. It is quite a challenge.
We need to live a life that is pleasing to the LORD. We fail regularly in our walk with the LORD, and we need to share that with young Christians. Some have the mistaken opinion that once they mature in Christ they will never sin again. The second thought in this area is that if they are in tune with the LORD they will not have to suffer. That is also wrong! We need to tell them that even mature Christians fail and need to confess their sin and God will forgive them and then they can continue imitating Christ again. Also, that suffering is the only way that we grow in the LORD. HE wants us to be totally depend on HIM!
God is the one that has agape love for us. We can fail but HE will still love us. We need to ask forgiveness and HE has promised to forgive and restore fellowship. Are we living lives worth imitating? Can we live lives worthy of imitating with Christ’s help? The answer is YES to this question but it a constant battle.
CHALLENGE: Imitate Christ in your daily walk. Look for the good in those who are mature in the faith and copy them in those areas. Remember that even mature believers have bad days. Confession is necessary to live the Spirit filled life.
: 9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. (1398 “serve” [douleuo] means 1 to be a slave, serve, do service. 1a of a nation in subjection to other nations. 2 metaphorically to obey, submit to. 2a in a good sense, to yield obedience. 2b in a bad sense, of those who become slaves to some base power, to yield to, give one’s self up to. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship].)
DEVOTION: We are all called to serve God. But have you ever been around someone in your church who wants to serve God in their own way? To serve means to submit to the desires and wishes of the person whom we are serving. Jesus illustrated this by talking about the servant who desired to please his master in Luke 17 and did what he saw as his duty.
Servanthood is basic to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. We serve Him because He is worthy of all of our worship as the living and true God who has saved us. We serve others because God has given them His image and told us to love them. In this we follow the example of Jesus who came not to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:45).
The verb used here for “serve” is the same Greek word that talks about one being a slave. We have the ability to decide who we will be the slave of, whether it is to God or to our own sinful desires. Not only is that true in our coming to Christ, but it is also a day-to-day decision we must make as we seek to follow Him (Romans 12:1). Then we must be willing to be told how we might best serve Him in our church.
So who we serve is evident in our thoughts, words, and actions. We cannot simply say that we serve God and then proceed to do what we want to do anyway!
CHALLENGE: Examine yourself and see if there is any area where you are currently not serving Him. Then repent and share this with another believer who will help hold you accountable for the changes you are going to need to make.
: 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (362 “wait” [anemeno] means expect, tarry, endure, “ anameno (ἀναμένω, “to wait for” (ana, “up,” used intensively, and meno, “to abide”), is used in 1 Thess. 1:10, of “waiting” for the Son of God from heaven; the word carries with it the suggestion of “waiting” with patience and confident expectancy.”(Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words)
DEVOTION: The life of the believer is one of action and one of waiting on the LORD. We have to have both in our life. If we are just working for the LORD without taking time to wait on HIS instructions we can run ahead of God and cause all kinds of problems. HE has to correct us when we run ahead of HIM.
We sometimes think that our activity is what God wants from us all the time. Many pastors can be so busy doing the LORD’S work that they never take the time to listen to the LORD through a time of waiting on HIM in prayer.
Here Paul is encouraging the believers in Thessalonia to realize that they are expecting the return of the LORD from heaven at HIS second coming any day. We are still expecting the LORD to return at any time to take believers to be with HIM while HE seals the 144,000 witnesses to work during the time of the wrath to come.
This time is called the Tribulation in the New Testament. It is a time when the wrath of God is going to issue forth on the world that has rejected HIM. It will last seven years. Many will receive Christ as their Messiah during this time period. Most will not.
Believers have the hope that all New Testament saints will be taken from this earth before the seven years of Tribulation will take place. Paul tells them that there will be deliverance from this time period. They were concerned because some teachers had come to tell them that they were left behind.
CHALLENGE: We are to meditate on the Word of God to see what God has revealed to us regarding the end times. Our conclusions affect our outlook on service to the LORD.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Paul prays for churchverse 2
Paul prays without ceasing for themverse 3
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Gospelverse 5
Word of the Lordverses 6, 8
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Godverses 1-4, 8, 9
Fatherverses 1, 3
God the Fatherverse 1
God our Fatherverse 1
Sight of God and our Fatherverse 3
Election of Godverse 4
Faith to God-wardverse 8
Living and True Godverse 9
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Lordverses 1, 3, 6, 8
Jesusverses 1, 3, 10
Christverses 1, 3
Lord Jesus Christ verses 1, 3
Word of the Lordverse 8
Sonverse 10
Son from heavenverse 10
Raised from the deadverse 10
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Holy Ghostverses 5, 6
Power of the Holy Ghostverse 5
Joy of the Holy Ghostverse 6
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Macedoniaverses 7, 8
Achaiaverses 7, 8
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Idolsverse 9
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Graceverse 1
Peaceverse 1
Thanksverse 2
Prayersverse 2
Work of faithverse 3
Labor of Loveverse 3
Patience of Hopeverse 3
Belovedverse 4
Electionverse 4
Powerverse 5
Assuranceverse 5
Receive the Wordverse 6
Followersverse 6
Afflictionverse 6
Joyverse 6
Examplesverse 7
Believeverse 7
Faithverse 8
Turned to Godverse 9
Serveverse 9
Waitverse 10
Delivered from wrath to comeverse 10
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Paulverse 1
Silvanusverse 1
Timotheus (Timothy)verse 1
Church in Thessaloniaverse 1
Brethrenverse 4
Gospelverse 5
Followers of usverse 6
Sounded out the word of the LORDverse 8
Faith spread abroadverse 8
Last Things (Future Events)
Wait for Son from heavenverse 10
Wrath to comeverse 10
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QUOTES regarding passage
4. In these two epistles Paul uses the address brothers twenty-one times (and ‘brother’ another seven times); the tie that bound the proud Pharisee to despised Gentiles was a close one. Barriers insurmountable to men were done away in Christ. In the Greek loved is a perfect participle, combining the thoughts that love existed in the past and that it continues into the present in full force. The construction occurs only here in the New Testament (though 2 Thess. 2:13; Jude 1 are similar), and is richer in meaning than the usual expression (found for example in Rom. 1:7). In view of many loose modern ideas about ‘the brotherhood of man’ it is worth noticing that the New Testament concept of brotherhood is that of a brotherhood of believers. Here it is linked with being loved by God and with election. Both are significant.
Paul speaks of knowing that God has chosen them (literally, ‘your election’). In the Old Testament God’s choice is usually associated with the nation, in the New with individuals. The thought that God has chosen us is another reminder that our salvation is all of God, and not at all due to any effort of our own. In the face of those who hold that election is harsh and arbitrary Paul’s reminder that it proceeds from God’s love is timely. The reason he knows the Thessalonians to be elect appears to be given in verse 5. Poole comments, ‘We cannot know election as in God’s secret decree, but as made manifest in the fruits and effects of it’. (Morris, L. (1984). 1 and 2 Thessalonians: An introduction and commentary (Vol. 13, p. 45). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
4. Election of God. Incorrect. Const. of or by (ὑπὸ) God with beloved. Ἐκλογὴ election, in N. T., mostly by Paul. Elsewhere only Acts 9:15, and 2 Pet. 1:10. This, and the kindred words, ἐκλέγειν to choose, and ἐκλεκτὸς chosen or elect, are used of God’s selection of men or agencies for special missions or attainments; but neither here nor elsewhere in the N. T. is there any warrant for the revolting doctrine that God has predestined a definite number of mankind to eternal life, and the rest to eternal destruction.* The sense in this passage appears to be defined by the succeeding context. The Thessalonians had been chosen to be members of the Christian church, and their conduct had justified the choice. (Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 4, p. 16). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.)
Knowing (εἰδοτες [eidotes]). Second perfect active participle of οἰδα [oida] (εἰδον [eidon]), a so-called causal participle=since we know, the third participle with the principal verb εὐχαριστουμεν [eucharistoumen], the Greek being fond of the circumstantial participle and lengthening sentences thereby (Robertson, Grammar, p. 1128). Beloved by God (ἠγαπημενοι ὑπο [του] θεου [ēgapēmenoi hupo [tou] theou]). Perfect passive participle of ἀγαπαω [agapaō], the verb so common in the N. T. for the highest kind of love. Paul is not content with the use of ἀδελφοι [adelphoi] here (often in this Epistle as 2:1, 14, 17; 3:7; 4:1, 10), but adds this affectionate phrase nowhere else in the N. T. in this form (cf. Jude 1) though in Sirach 45:1 and on the Rosetta Stone. But in 2 Thess. 2:13 he quotes “beloved by the Lord” from Deut. 33:12. The use of ἀδελφοι [adelphoi] for members of the same brotherhood can be derived from the Jewish custom (Acts 2:29, 37) and the habit of Jesus (Matt. 12:48) and is amply illustrated in the papyri for burial clubs and other orders and guilds (Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary). Your election (την ἐκλογην ὑμων [tēn eklogēn humōn]). That is the election of you by God. It is an old word from ἐκλεγομαι [eklegomai] used by Jesus of his choice of the twelve disciples (John 15:16) and by Paul of God’s eternal selection (Eph. 1:4). The word ἐκλογη [eklogē] is not in the LXX and only seven times in the N. T. and always of God’s choice of men (Acts 9:15; 1 Thess. 1:4; Rom. 9:11; 11:5, 7; 2 Pet. 1:10). The divine ἐκλογη [eklogē] was manifested in the Christian qualities of verse 3 (Moffatt). (Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (1 Th 1:4). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press)
1:4. The Thessalonians’ response to the preaching of the gospel in their midst constituted indisputable proof of their salvation. Paul rehearsed their response in this verse as he expanded on the idea he had just introduced.
Characteristically Paul addressed his fellow Christians as brothers. He used this term (adelphoi) 15 times in this one brief epistle (1:4; 2:1, 9, 17; 3:7; 4:1, 10, 13; 5:1, 4, 12, 14, 25–27), and 7 times in 2 Thessalonians (1:3; 2:1, 13, 15; 3:1, 6, 13). He did not claim superiority over them but recognized the equality of all the redeemed in the sight of their heavenly Father, as he taught elsewhere (e.g., 1 Cor. 12:14–27) and as the Lord taught (Matt. 23:9; etc.). Paul had come a long way from being a proud Pharisee to the place where he could consider Gentiles his equals before God. He reminded his readers that they were beloved by God. Even Paul’s incidental statements throb with the warm realization of God’s presence (1 Thes. 1:3) and love.
The proof of God’s love for the Thessalonians was His choice of them unto salvation. From the word translated chosen (eklogēn) comes the English “election.” That God has chosen to bless some individuals with eternal life is clearly taught in many places in both the Old and New Testaments (e.g., Deut. 4:37; 7:6–7; Isa. 44:1–2; Rom. 9; Eph. 1:4–6, 11; Col. 3:12; 2 Thes. 2:13). Equally clear is the fact that God holds each individual personally responsible for his decision to trust or not to trust in Jesus Christ (cf. John 3; Rom. 5). The difficulty in putting divine election and human responsibility together is understanding how both can be true. That both are true is taught in the Bible. How both can be true is apparently incomprehensible to finite human minds; no one has ever been able to explain this antinomy satisfactorily. This task transcends human mental powers, much as seeing angels transcends human visual powers and hearing very high-pitched sounds transcends human auditory powers. The Thessalonians’ response to the gospel message proved that God had chosen them for salvation. (Constable, T. L. (1985). 1 Thessalonians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 691). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
A local church must be composed of elect people, those who have been saved by the grace of God. One problem today is the presence, in the church family, of unbelievers whose names may be on the church roll, but not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Every church member should examine his heart to determine whether he has truly been born again and belongs to God’s elect. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 161). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
1:4 His choice of you. The church is commonly called “the elect” (cf. Ro 8:33; Col 3:12; 2Ti 2:10; Tit 1:1). In salvation, the initiating will is God’s, not man’s (cf. Jn 1:13; Ac 13:46–48; Ro 9:15, 16; 1Co 1:30; Col 1:13; 2Th 2:13; 1Pe 1:1, 2; see notes on Eph 1:4, 5). Man’s will participates in response to God’s promptings as Paul makes clear when he says the Thessalonians received the Word (v. 6) and they turned to God from idols (v. 9). These two responses describe faith and repentance, which God repeatedly calls sinners to do throughout Scripture (e.g., Ac 20:21). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (1 Th 1:4). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 4. Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.] Which intends not an election to an office, for this epistle is written not to the officers of the church only, but to the whole church; nor to the Gospel, the outward means of grace, since this was common to them with others, and might be known without the evidence after given; nor does it design effectual vocation, sometimes so called, for this is expressed in the following verse as a fruit, effect, and evidence of the election here spoken of, which is no other than the eternal choice of them to everlasting life and happiness: this is of God, an act of God the father, made in Christ Jesus before the world began, and which springs from his sovereign will, and is the effect of his pure love and free favour; and therefore these persons who are the objects of it are said to be beloved of God; for so the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions read the words, and which agree with 2 Thess. 2:13 for this choice does not arise from the merits of men, or any conditions in them, or from the foresight of their faith, holiness, and good works, but from the free grace and good pleasure of God; and is the source and spring of all grace, and the blessings of it, and even of good works; and is a sure, immutable, and irreversible act of God, being founded on his own will, and not on the works of men; the knowledge they had of this was not what the Thessalonians themselves had, though they might have, and doubtless had the knowledge of this grace, and which may be concluded with certainty from effectual vocation; and is a privilege which many particular believers may, and do arrive unto the knowledge of, without any extraordinary revelation made unto them: but here it intends the knowledge which the apostle and his companions had of the election of the members of this church; not by inspiration of the spirit of God, but by the manner of the Gospel’s coming unto them, and the effects it had upon them, as expressed in the following verses; and from their faith, hope, and love, mentioned in the preceding verse; and which was the ground and foundation of their thanksgiving for them; see 2 Thess. 2:13. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 3, p. 215). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
: 4 Paul also thanks for their election, which was grounded in God’s love (brethren beloved by God; see Eph 2:4) and by His sovereignty (His choice; see 2 Pt 1:10, “His calling and choosing you”). Their election was obvious based on the Thessaloians’ positive response to the gospel (for 1 Th 1: 5a, 6, or better “because”: “I know you are among the elect because …). It was evident in their reception of the gospel (1:5c)
(p. 1879, The MOODY Bible Commentary by Michal Rydelnik & Michael Vanlaningham).
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
5. anameno (ἀναμένω, 362), “to wait for” (ana, “up,” used intensively, and meno, “to abide”), is used in 1 Thess. 1:10, of “waiting” for the Son of God from heaven; the word carries with it the suggestion of “waiting” with patience and confident expectancy. (Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vol. 2: Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (663). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.)
The result in that the ministry of the pastor becomes hamstrung as the board seeks to control the activities of the pastor and maintain the status quo rather than support the pastor in leading the church toward spiritual transformation. Consequently without the support of the board, the pastor becomes ineffective. (p. 30, Developing Leaders for the Small Church by Glenn C. Daman)
As Jesus expands His public ministry, He teaches extensively using parables.
INSIGHT
Faith does not come to us full-blown.
It must be cultivated and nurtured. Jesus cultivates the faith of His disciples. After an extensive time of teaching, Jesus goes out into the Sea of Galilee with the Twelve, knowing that a storm will come. He calms the storm and then asks, rhetorically, “How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). His disciples marvel and their faith grows. We, too, must go through times of testing to become strong. (Quiet Walk)
THE DEMAS WAY
Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. 2 Timothy 4:10
The world is opposed to Christians, and it shows its opposition by means of hatred. “Yea,” says Paul to Timothy, “and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). But the world has another way of showing its opposition. That is what I would call the Demas way: “Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.” The world does not care very much how it attacks Christ’s followers. If by throwing them into prison it can wrest them from Christ, it will do so; but if that does not work,it will try some other method.
“Demas hath forsaken me”—the love of ease, love of the things of the world, its wealth, its position,its so-called pomp and show, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. How many good men have been ruined by that! Prosperity can be very dangerous to the soul, and the world is prepared to use that. If direct opposition will not work, it will pamper us, it will dangle these things before us and thus try to wean us from Christ. So it is not surprising that He asked the Father to keep us in His name.
Another way in which the world does the same thing is by what may be described as the Barnabas method. We are told in Acts 15 that a dispute had taken place between Barnabas and Paul. Barnabas wanted to take his relative John Mark on their second missionary journey, but Paul said that he would not have him. Paul felt that John Mark had let them down and deserted them when they had taken him on their previous journey and that he was not therefore the man to accompany them. Here we have worldly relationships, such as family relationships, interfering in God’s work. It is the tendency not to judge things in a spiritual way.
A Thought to Ponder: The world does not care very much how it attacks Christ’s followers. (From Safe in the World, pp. 136-137, by Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
In Time of Trouble
“For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.” (Psalm 27:5)
In this psalm of praise, David expresses his confidence in the Lord, even though “the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh” (v. 2). In spite of the danger, he looks to God for safety. “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (v. 1). Why did God preserve David? The answer is at least twofold.
First, David had a heart for God. “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple” (v. 4). “Thy face, LORD, will I seek” (v. 8). “Teach me thy way, O LORD” (v. 11).
The second reason is the nature of God Himself. God, by His very nature, hates evil and extends grace toward His own. He is pictured here as a warrior conquering the evil enemies of David. His laws forbid their actions; His gospel robbed these evildoers of their grip; His final kingdom will be rid of them. Until God’s justice, His gospel, and His purpose all fail, we can be sure that He will act.
In our text, David is hidden in the Lord’s “pavilion.” The word, which literally means a protective covering, was used for the tent of the commander-in-chief. Here, with the commander-in-chief, is the most fortified, guarded, and safe area of the battleground. If the pavilion falls, the battle is lost and God has failed. Hidden in His pavilion, we are as safe as He. He sees to it that we are not frightened (v. 13) amid the din of battle, and we shall share in the ultimate victory.
In this world, we have tumultuous war; in the next, unbroken peace. Assured of the outcome, we can “wait on the LORD: [and] be of good courage” (v. 14).
(JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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