@2Th 1:1-12. ADDRESS AND SALUTATION: INTRODUCTION: THANKSGIVING FOR THEIR GROWTH IN FAITH AND LOVE, AND FOR THEIR PATIENCE IN PERSECUTIONS, WHICH ARE A TOKEN FOR GOOD EVERLASTING TO THEM, AND FOR PERDITION TO THEIR ADVERSARIES AT CHRIST'S COMING: PRAYER FOR THEIR PERFECTION.
1. in God our Father--still more endearing than the address, @1Th 1:1 "in God THE Father."
2. from God our Father--So some oldest manuscripts read. Others omit "our."
3. We are bound--Greek, "We owe it as a debt" (@2Th 2:13). They
had prayed for the Thessalonians (@1Th 3:12) that they might
"increase and abound in love"; their prayer having been heard, it is a
small but a bounden return for them to make, to thank God for it. Thus,
Paul and his fellow missionaries practice what they preach (@1Th 5:18).
In @1Th 1:3, their thanksgiving was for the Thessalonians' faith,
love, and patience"; here, for their exceeding growth in faith, and for their charity abounding. "We are bound" expresses the duty
of thanksgiving from its subjective side as an inward conviction. "As it
is meet," from the objective: side as something answering to the
state of circumstances [ALFORD]. Observe the exact correspondence of the
prayer (@1Th 3:12, "The Lord make you to abound in love") and the
answer, "The love of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth"
(compare @1Th 4:10).
meet--right.
4. glory in you--make our boast of you, literally, "in your case."
"Ourselves" implies that not merely did they hear others speaking of the
Thessalonians' faith, but they, the missionaries themselves, boasted
of it. Compare @1Th 1:8, wherein the apostle said, their faith was
so well known in various places, that he and his fellow missionaries had
no need to speak of it; but here he says, so abounding is their love,
combined with faith and patience, that he and his fellow missionaries
themselves, make it a matter of glorying in the various churches
elsewhere (he was now at Corinth in Achaia, and boasted there of the
faith of the Macedonian churches, @2Co 10:15-17 8:1, at the same
time giving the glory to the Lord), not only looking forward to glorying
thereat at Christ's coming (@1Th 2:19), but doing so even now.
patience--in @1Th 1:3, "patience of hope." Here hope is
tacitly implied as the ground of their patience; @2Th 1:5,7 state the
object of their hope, namely, the kingdom for which they suffer.
tribulations--literally, "pressures." The Jews were the instigators
of the populace and of the magistrates against Christians (@Ac 17:6,8).
which ye endure--Greek, "are (now) enduring."
5. Which--Your enduring these tribulations is a "token of the
righteous judgment of God," manifested in your being enabled to endure
them, and in your adversaries thereby filling up the measure of their
guilt. The judgment is even now begun, but its consummation will be at
the Lord's coming. David (@Ps 73:1-14) and Jeremiah (@Jer 12:1-4)
were perplexed at the wicked prospering and the godly suffering. But
Paul, by the light of the New Testament, makes this fact a matter of
consolation. It is a proof (so the Greek) of the future
judgment, which will set to rights the anomalies of the present state,
by rewarding the now suffering saint, and by punishing the persecutor.
And even now "the Judge of all the earth does right" (@Ge 18:25);
for the godly are in themselves sinful and need chastisement to amend
them. What they suffer unjustly at the hands of cruel men they suffer
justly at the hands of God; and they have their evil things here that
they may escape condemnation with the world and have their good things
hereafter (@Lu 16:25 1Co 11:32) [EDMUNDS].
that ye may be counted worthy--expressing the purpose of God's
"righteous judgment" as regards you.
for which--Greek, "in behalf of which ye are also suffering"
(compare @Ac 5:41 9:16 Php 1:29). "Worthy" implies that, though men
are justified by faith, they shall be judged "according to their works"
(@Re 20:12; compare @1Th 2:12 1Pe 1:6,7 Re 20:4). The "also"
implies the connection between the suffering for the kingdom and
being counted worthy of it. Compare @Ro 8:17,18.
6. seeing it is a righteous thing--This justifies the assertion above
of there being a "righteous judgment" (@2Th 1:5), namely, "seeing
that it is (literally, 'if at least,' 'if at all events it is')
a righteous thing with (that is, in the estimation of) God"
(which, as we all feel, it certainly is). Our own innate feeling of what is
just, in this confirms what is revealed.
recompense--requite in kind, namely, tribulation to them that
trouble you (affliction to those that afflict you); and to you
who are troubled, rest from trouble.
7. rest--governed by "to recompense" (@2Th 1:6). The Greek is literally, "relaxation"; loosening of the tension which had
preceded; relaxing of the strings of endurance now so tightly drawn.
The Greek word for "rest," @Mt 11:28, is distinct, namely,
cessation from labor. Also, @Heb 4:9, "A keeping of sabbath."
with us--namely, Paul, Silas, and Timothy, the writers, who are
troubled like yourselves.
when--at the time when . . . ; not sooner, not later.
with his mighty angels--rather as the Greek, "with the angels of
His might," or "power," that is, the angels who are the ministers by
whom He makes His might to be recognized (@Mt 13:41,52). It is not
their might, but HIS might, which is the prominent thought.
8. In flaming fire--Greek, "In flame of fire"; or, as other oldest
manuscripts read, "in fire of flame." This flame of fire accompanied His manifestation in the bush (@Ex 3:2); also His giving
of the law at Sinai (@Ex 19:18). Also it shall accompany His
revelation at His advent (@Da 7:9,10), symbolizing His own bright
glory and His consuming vengeance against His foes
(@Heb 10:27 12:29 2Pe 3:7,10).
taking--literally, "giving" them, as their portion, "vengeance."
know not God--the Gentiles primarily (@Ps 79:6 Ga 4:8 1Th 4:5);
not of course those involuntarily not knowing God, but those
wilfully not knowing Him, as Pharaoh, who might have known God if he
would, but who boasted "I know not the Lord" (@Ex 5:2); and as the
heathen persecutors who might have known God by the preaching of those
whom they persecuted. Secondarily, all who "profess to know God but in
works deny Him" (@Tit 1:16).
obey not the gospel--primarily the unbelieving Jews (@Ro 10:3,16);
secondarily, all who obey not the truth (@Ro 2:8).
Christ--omitted by some of the oldest manuscripts, and retained by
others.
9. Who--Greek, "persons who," &c.
destruction from the presence of the Lord--driven far from His
presence [ALFORD]. The sentence emanating from Him in person,
sitting as Judge [BENGEL], and driving them far from Him
(@Mt 25:41 Re 6:16 12:14; compare @1Pe 3:12 Isa 2:10,19). "The
presence of the Lord" is the source whence the sentence goes forth; "the
glory of His power" is the instrument whereby the sentence is carried
into execution [EDMUNDS]. But
ALFORD better interprets the latter clause
(see @2Th 1:10), driven "from the manifestation of His power
in the glorification of His saints."
Cast out from the presence of the Lord is the idea at the root of
eternal death, the law of evil left to its unrestricted working,
without one counteracting influence of the presence of God, who is the
source of all light and holiness (@Isa 66:24 Mr 9:44).
10. "When He shall have come."
glorified in his saints--as the element and mirror IN which His glory
shall shine brightly (@Joh 17:10).
admired in all them that believe--Greek, "them that believed."
Once they believed, now they see: they had taken His word on
trust. Now His word is made good and they need faith no longer. With
wonder all celestial intelligences (@Eph 3:10) shall see and
admire the Redeemer on account of the excellencies which He has
wrought in them.
because, &c.--Supply for the sense, among whom (namely, those who
shall be found to have believed) you, too, shall be; "because our
testimony unto (so the Greek for 'among') you was believed"
(and was not rejected as by those "who obey not the Gospel,"
@2Th 1:8).
The early preaching of the Gospel was not abstract discussions, but a
testimony to facts and truths experimentally known
(@Lu 24:48 Ac 1:8). Faith is defined by
BISHOP
PEARSON as "an
assent unto truths, credible upon the testimony of God, delivered unto
us by the apostles and prophets" (originally delivering their testimony
orally, but now in their writings). "Glorified in His saints" reminds us
that holiness is glory in the bud;
glory is holiness manifested.
11. Wherefore--Greek, "With a view to which," namely, His
glorification in you as His saints.
also--We not only anticipate the coming glorification of our Lord
in His saints, but we also pray concerning (so the Greek)
YOU.
our God--whom we serve.
count you worthy--The prominent position of the "You" in the Greek makes it the emphatic word of the sentence. May you be found among
the saints whom God shall count worthy of their calling (@Eph 4:1)!
There is no dignity in us independent of God's calling of us
(@2Ti 1:9). The calling here is not merely the first actual
call, but the whole of God's electing act, originating in His "purpose
of grace given us in Christ before the world began," and having its
consummation in glory.
the good pleasure of, &c.--on the part of God [BENGEL].
faith--on your part. ALFORD refers the former clause, "good pleasure
of his goodness," also to man, arguing that the Greek for
"goodness" is never applied to God, and translates, "All
[that is, every possible] right purpose of goodness."
WAHL, "All sweetness of
goodness," that is, impart in full to you all the refreshing delights of
goodness. I think that, as in the previous and parallel clause,
"calling" refers to GOD'S purpose; and as the Greek for "good
pleasure" mostly is used of God, we ought to translate, "fulfil
(His) every gracious purpose of goodness (on your part)," that
is, fully perfect in you all goodness according to
His gracious purpose. Thus, "the grace of our God," @2Th 1:12,
corresponds to God's "good pleasure" here, which confirms the
English Version, just as "the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ" is
parallel to "work of faith," as Christ especially is the object of
faith. "The work of faith"; Greek, (no article; supply from the
previous clause all) work of faith"; faith manifested by
work, which is its perfected development (@Jas 1:4;
compare Note,
see on 1Th 1:3).
Working reality of faith.
with power--Greek, "in power," that is, "powerfully fulfil in
you" (@Col 1:11).
12. the name of our Lord Jesus--Our Lord Jesus
in His manifested personality as the God-man.
in you, and ye in him--reciprocal glorification; compare @Isa 28:5,
"The Lord of hosts shall be . . . a crown of glory and . . . a diadem
of beauty unto . . . His people," with @Isa 62:3, "Thou (Zion)
shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem,"
&c. (@Joh 21:10 Ga 1:24 1Pe 4:14). The believer's graces redound
to Christ's glory, and His glory, as their Head, reflects glory on them
as the members.
the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ--There is but one
Greek article to both, implying the inseparable unity of God and the
Lord Jesus.