1 For you yourselves know, brothers, our visit to you wasn't in vain, 2 but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi, we grew bold in our God to tell you the Good News of God in much conflict. 3 For our exhortation is not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in deception. 4 But even as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, who tests our hearts. 5 For neither were we at any time found using words of flattery, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness (God is witness), 6 nor seeking glory from men (neither from you nor from others), when we might have claimed authority as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children. 8 Even so, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you, not the Good News of God only, but also our own souls, because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and travail; for working night and day, that we might not burden any of you, we preached to you the Good News of God. 10 You are witnesses with God, how holy, righteously, and blamelessly we behaved ourselves toward you who believe. 11 As you know, we exhorted, comforted, and implored every one of you, as a father does his own children, 12 to the end that you should walk worthily of God, who calls you into his own Kingdom and glory. 13 For this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when you received from us the word of the message of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also works in you who believe. 14 For you, brothers, became imitators of the assemblies of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus; for you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews; 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out, and didn't please God, and are contrary to all men; 16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved; to fill up their sins always. But wrath has come on them to the uttermost. 17 But we, brothers, being bereaved of you for a short season, in presence, not in heart, tried even harder to see your face with great desire, 18 because we wanted to come to you - indeed, I, Paul, once and again - but Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Isn't it even you, before our Lord Jesus at his coming? 20 For you are our glory and our joy.
Analysis Of The Chapter
The principal subjects embraced in this chapter are the following:
I. A statement of the conduct of Paul and his fellow-laborers when they first preached the gospel at Thessalonica; 1-Thessalonians 2:1-12. In this statement, the apostle specifies particularly the following things:
(1) That he and his fellow-laborers had been shamefully treated at Philippi, and had been obliged to encounter much opposition at Thessalonica; 1-Thessalonians 2:1-2.
(2) that in their efforts to convert the Thessalonians they had used no deceit, corruption, or grille; 1-Thessalonians 2:3-4.
(3) that they had not sought the praise of people, and had not used the weight of authority which they might have done as the apostles of Christ; 1-Thessalonians 2:6.
(4) that they had been gentle and mild in all their conversation with them; 1-Thessalonians 2:7-8.
(5) that, in order not to be burdensome, or to subject themselves to the charge of selfishness, they had supported themselves by laboring night and day; 1-Thessalonians 2:9.
(6) that the Thessalonians themselves were witnesses in what a holy and pure manner they had lived when there, and how they had exhorted them to a holy life; 1-Thessalonians 2:10-12.
II. The apostle refers to the manner in which the Thessalonians had received the truth at first, as undoubtedly the word of God, and not as the word of people; 1-Thessalonians 2:13.
III. He reminds them of the fact that they had met with the same opposition from the Jews which the churches in Judea had, for that everywhere the Jews had made the same opposition to the messengers of God, killing the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and forbidding the apostles everywhere to speak to the Gentiles; 1-Thessalonians 2:14-16.
IV. In the conclusion of the chapter, the apostle expresses the earnest desire which he had to visit them, and the reason why he had not done it. It was because he had been prevented by causes beyond his control, and now his earnest and sincere wish was that he might be permitted to see them - for they were his hope, and joy, and crown; 1-Thessalonians 2:17-20.
It is reasonable to suppose that the statements in this chapter were designed to meet a certain condition of things in the church there, and if so, we may learn something of the difficulties which the Thessalonians had to encounter, and of the objections which were made to Paul and to the gospel. It is often in this way that we can get the best view of the internal condition of a church referred to in the New Testament - not by direct statement respecting difficulties and errors in it, but by the character of the Epistle sent to it. Judging by this rule, we should infer that there were those in Thessalonica who utterly denied the divine origin of the gospel. This general charge, the apostle meets in the first chapter, by showing that the power of the gospel evinced in their conversion, and its effects in their lives, demonstrated it to be of heavenly origin.
In reference to the state of things as referred to in this chapter, we should also infer the following things:
1. That it was represented by some that the apostle and his fellow-laborers sought influence and power; that they were dictatorial and authoritative; that they were indisposed to labor; and were, in fact, impostors. This charge Paul refutes abundantly by his appeal to what they knew of him, and what they had seen of him when he was there: 1-Thessalonians 2:1-12.
2. That the church at Thessalonica met with severe and violent opposition from the Jews who were there; 1-Thessalonians 2:14-17. This appears to have been a formidable opposition; compare Acts 17:5 ff. They would not only be likely to use violence, but it is not improbable that they employed the semblance of argument that might perplex the church. They might represent that they were from the same country as Paul and his fellow-laborers; that they, while pretending to great zeal for religion, were, in fact, apostates, and were engaged in overturning the revealed doctrines of God. It would be easy to represent them as people who, from this cause, were worthy of no confidence, and to urge the fact that those who thus acted in opposition to the religion of their own country, and to the sacred rites of the temple at Jerusalem, could be entitled to no regard. These charges, if they were made, the apostle meets, by assuring the Thessalonians that they were suffering precisely the same things which the churches in Judea did; that the Jews manifested the same spirit there which they did in Thessalonica; that they had killed alike the Lord Jesus and their own undoubted prophets, and that it was a characteristic of them that they were opposed to all other people. Their opposition, therefore, was not to be wondered at, nor was it to be regarded as any argument that the apostles, though Jews, were unworthy of confidence; 1-Thessalonians 2:15-16.
3. It was very probably represented by the enemies of Paul and his fellow-laborers, that they had fled from Thessalonica on the slightest danger, and had no regard for the church there, or they would have remained there in the time of peril, or, at least, that they would have returned to visit them. Their continued absence was probably urged as a proof that they had no concern for them. The apostle meets this by stating that they had been indeed "taken from them" for a little time, but that their hearts were still with them, and by assuring them that he had often endeavored to visit them again, but that "Satan had hindered" him; 1-Thessalonians 2:17-20. He had, however, given them the highest proof of interest and affection that he could, for when he was unable to go himself, he had, at great self-denial, sent Timothy to establish them in the faith, and to comfort their hearts; 1-Thessalonians 3:1-3. His absence, therefore, should not be urged as a proof that he had no regard for them.
The apostle sets forth how the Gospel was brought and preached to the Thessalonians, in consequence of his being persecuted at Philippi, 1-Thessalonians 2:1, 1-Thessalonians 2:2. The manner in which the apostles preached, the matter of their doctrine, and the tenor of their lives, 1-Thessalonians 2:3-11. He exhorts them to walk worthy of God, 1-Thessalonians 2:12. And commends them for the manner in which they received the Gospel, 1-Thessalonians 2:13. How they suffered from their own countrymen, as the first believers did from the Jews, who endeavored to prevent the apostles from preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, 1-Thessalonians 2:14-16. St. Paul's apology for his absence from them; and his earnest desire to see them, founded on his great affection for them, 1-Thessalonians 2:17-20.
INTRODUCTION TO 1 THESSALONIANS 2
The apostle in this chapter gives a further account of his ministry among the Thessalonians, of the nature, manner, and success of it, and of his regard to them, and conduct and conversation when with them; and commends their readiness in receiving the Gospel, and excuses his present absence from them. He appeals to them themselves for the truth of it, that his entrance to them, or preaching among them, was not in vain and without success, 1-Thessalonians 2:1 that it was with all boldness and intrepidity of mind, notwithstanding what he had suffered before for it, 1-Thessalonians 2:2 and with all integrity and faithfulness to the trust reposed in him by the Lord, without deceit and guile, or seeking to please men, but God the searcher of hearts, who had committed this trust unto him, 1-Thessalonians 2:3 and that neither then, nor at any other time, he had used flattery, or showed covetousness; which he calls God to witness, 1-Thessalonians 2:5 nor of them or others sought glory and honour, even that which was due unto him by virtue of his office, 1-Thessalonians 2:6 but had showed all gentleness, humanity, and, affection; which he illustrates by the simile of a nurse cherishing her children 1-Thessalonians 2:7 and by the willingness he showed not only to preach the Gospel to them, but to lay down his life for them, had it been necessary; so great was his affection for them, 1-Thessalonians 2:8 and, as a proof of this, he puts them in mind of his labours, both in preaching the word, and in working with his own hands; because he would not be burdensome and chargeable to them, 1-Thessalonians 2:9 and as for his conversation among them, he appeals both to God and them, how holy, just, and unblemished it was, 1-Thessalonians 2:10 and reminds them of his tenderness, diligence, and faithfulness, in exhorting, comforting, and charging them, particularly to walk worthy of God; since he had called them to his kingdom and glory, 1-Thessalonians 2:11 and then he expresses his thankfulness to God for their reception of the worth of the Gospel; not as an human invention, but as of God, which wrought effectually in them, 1-Thessalonians 2:13 the evidence of which were partly their imitation of the churches of Christ in Judea, in doctrine and practice; and partly their suffering the same things they did, of the Jews, 1-Thessalonians 2:14 who are described by their ill usage of, and cruelty to, Christ, their own prophets, and his apostles, by their not pleasing God, and by their opposition to men; an instance of which is given in prohibiting the apostles to preach to the Gentiles, whose end in so doing with respect to the Gentiles, was that they might not be saved; but God's end in suffering them so to do, was with respect to them that they might fill up their iniquity, and so entire wrath and ruin come upon them, as had been foretold, 1-Thessalonians 2:15 and then the apostle concludes the chapter, by expressing his affectionate concern in parting with them, which was not in heart but in body; by declaring his earnest desire and endeavour to see them again; and by observing to them the reason he had not and could not come unto them, because Satan hindered him, 1-Thessalonians 2:17 the cause of his being so desirous to see them, was their being his hope, joy, glory, and crown of rejoicing, both now and hereafter, 1-Thessalonians 2:19.
(1-Thessalonians 2:1-12) The apostle reminds the Thessalonians of his preaching and behaviour.
(1-Thessalonians 2:13-16) And of their receiving the gospel as the word of God.
(1-Thessalonians 2:17-20) His joy on their account.
SUMMARY.--How the Gospel was Brought to Thessalonica. The Manner of Paul's Preaching. His Manner of Life. His Exhortations. Their Persecutions. His Desire to Return to Comfort Them.
*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.