I Thessalonians 5:1-11
Instead of triads today, I saw two interesting duets. Here’s the first: …the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night … and …sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman. (vv. 2-3) The thief and the pregnant woman… The former comes completely unexpectedly, the latter at some unknown but relatively predictable time. [Naturally, there are exceptions – our grandson Matt came three months early!] However, for both the thief and the pregnant lady there is some sense of preparation – locking up the house at night against the thief and preparing the nursery for the upcoming birth. For both the warnings are there: be prepared!
The second duet is an intriguing pair – sleeping and drinking! Paul uses these two activities to highlight the contrast between night and day: So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. (vv. 6-7) My Study Bible suggests that Paul’s reference to sleep is meant to reflect “spiritual insensitivity”. So he is telling the Thessalonian Christians not to be spiritually insensitive or drunk, but instead that they are to be …children of light, children of the day… (v. 5), people who seek the Lord and stay sober!
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him. (vv. 9-10) A bit of a clarification on the word “asleep” in verse 10 – Paul is mixing his metaphors. Here the word “asleep” refers to our physical death. So, whether we are alive or dead (awake or asleep) we live with Him! I think too many Christians focus on salvation as a means to escape the fires of hell and are not living their full “alive life” in Christ. But it’s not just a matter of escaping hell. We can be with Jesus NOW, in our earthly life, then eternally when we leave this earth. NOW!! That’s a GLORY shout!!
Slava Bohu!
I also noted a link to the armor of God in how we are to be always ready: put on the breastplate of love and faith, and the helmet of hope of salvation. Paul mixes the spiritual armor and the three greatest spiritual gifts, faith, hope, and love.
Good thought, Debbie. Love those triads! Ephesians 6:10-17 is where Paul does a longer “armor of God”.