I Thessalonians 2:1-20
A correction… In the second paragraph from my second set of comments in the links below I wrote that “Jews from Philippi had come to Thessalonica to create havoc for Paul, driving him out of town…”. I don’t know where I got that information; I looked back and forth in Scripture and could not find support for that statement. It was true that in Galatia Jews from one town (Antioch) had followed Paul to other towns (Lystra, Derbe) and created havoc, but I don’t see that in Thessalonica. Acts 17:5 says that “…the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob…”. Nothing about Jews from Philippi. Sorry to have misinformed you!
But since we were torn away from you, brothers … we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you … again and again—but Satan hindered us. (vv. 17-18) Many Bible scholars agree that Paul wrote this letter from Corinth where he lived for 18 months. Since they agree that he also wrote II Thessalonians from Corinth it must have been sometime in that first half of his stay that he wrote this first letter. That is, his time in Thessalonica was fresh in his mind – his three Sabbaths of preaching, then being run out of town. He left there with unfinished work and wanted to complete that work, but Satan hindered us. It sounds to me like Paul was making plans to return, but something came up one time, something else a second time, something else a third time… In the end he ascribed these failed trip plans to Satan – and that very possibly could have been the case. Why did God not defeat Satan’s interventions? We don’t know. What we do know is that Paul left Corinth with Priscilla and Aquila and sailed to Ephesus, leaving them behind, where they were much needed as we saw at the end of Acts 18.
There have been times when I have made plans in my life – specifically academic appointments at the University of Tennessee and the University of Delaware where I went in as the favored candidate and did not get the job. But with it all we end up in Richmond/Versailles. How does the saying go – “Man proposes, but God disposes.” Still we use our “wisdom” to make plans, but we also seek the Lord and His wisdom – “…not my will, but your will be done…”.
See also: April 4 / I Thess. 2:1-12; April 5 / I Thess. 2:13-20
Good point about the twists and turns of life, Fred. Whenever a plan doesn’t turn out the way we hoped, how do we know whether it is Satan’s disruption or God’s intervention?
I guess we can’t always know. But we certainly can take confidence in the fact that God will use the outcome for his purposes if we stay focused on serving him.
One thing I noticed in today’s reading is the manner in which Paul preached and LIVED the gospel: with sincerity, humility, gentleness, compassion, and love—always with a heart to please God.
“…encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory” (verse 12).
May I follow his example!
I was struck by the word “courage” in v 2:2. Paul says he had courage in God. I don’t think of courage in something; faith in something, yes, but courage? Definitely, we/I need courage in God, not ourselves, to live the Christian life – to accept, believe, serve, imitate, and face persecution. Persecution of being harmed or killed for who I am, a follower of Christ.