The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Thessalonians — Section 32

Ver. !!.-For; a proof or c-onfirmAtion of ' ought. tn h<>, as in the R.V .. tu ye knotD 1l0tD 1Iii• de"r"':,"" of th<> Thess11.lonin11s tn the "'e drall rn,'/.h ra~I• one of yon, a, n .falhM ,nit/1 "l''"'tle. Ye remember, brethren; recnlling his°"'" ,·l,;/drr11, ,,.,ho,-ting yoti, and encotirnf1• '" tht>ir r,:,enllcetinn his conduct wh,·n he ing !,'.0", and te,sti'fying. Pan! here ohnngc, ",is ";th them. Onr 111.bonr and travail. the tmRge from that of a nursing mothei Th,•se two tertn8 freqn<>ntly ooour together to thRt of a father; beCA.use th<>n ho wa• (2 Cor. xi. 27: 2 Thess. iii. S), and oan spe11.king nf hi• tender care for his oonvrrta. 1,.!"Hy be distinguished:" labour," or" toil," whereas here he speaks of the instructiom 1, Hctive, denoting ,·xertion; "travail" is and admonitions which he gave them; as e p1.Mslve, dPnnting- wt:R.riness or fRtigue, the mother he nourished their spirituA.l life, and ,•tfe,·t of the ex<"Ttion. For le.bonri.lg; in its as a father he superintended their spiritual strict mPa11ingchiefly usedofm11.nnA.l labour. education. "Exhorting and comforting and PRul her<' ref,·r,; to his working for his own charging ; " representing three modes of ~upport ru- n tPnt-me.ker. Night and day. the apostle's instructions : "exhorting" de- Night prcced,•s acl'nrcling to the Jewish notes also encouraging and consoling; "com- mcvie of reckoning. It doP.s not denote th:Lt forting•• denotes supporting o.nd sustRining the tLpnstle made up by Jabour A.t night the (" Comfort the feeble-minded," eh. v. 14); and 1<'8llof time during th,· day which his higher " charging " denotes testifying or protesting c!uti.es as a preacher of the gospel, occa- -a solemn pressing home of the exhortation sior.f'l<l that he \\Tought at his trade at to the hearers. uighL and preached during tbe day; but the Ver.12.-That(or, ro Oie end thn.t) ye would phrase, "night and day," denotes incee- walk worthy of God; so as to adorn the gospel ""':itlv. c,,ntir.uullv. Beoanse we would not of God. So in the Epistle to the Colossi,rns: bt cha.rgeablt to any of yon. Not a proof of "That ye would walk worthy of the Lord foe poverty of the Church of Thessalouica; unto all pleasing" (Col. i. 10). Who hath bt:.1 thE reason of this unselfish conduct of the oalled you ; or, as the best attested manu- apostle was that no hindrance should arise scripts read, "'ho calleth yn,i. To his kingdom or; hia part to the spread of the gospel ; and glory. Not to be weakened as if it were the-t n< impulntion of ,elfishness or cove- a Hebraism for " his glorious kingdom," or 1<1t•Jme88 should be laid to his charge. As "the kingdom of his glory:" but the kingdom )., had done at Thessalonica so the apostle and glory are to be viewed as two different ac•.e,I in nther plat'.es Thus at the time objects. "God called you to his kingdom," L wat writing this Epistle he was working namely, the Messianic kingdom which he fc,: hi8 support at CorinLh (l Cor. iv. 12; has established on earth : and which will· 9. Co, xi 9) Ar,.il such was also his practice be completely realized at the advent. And i;,: EpbC£P,, • for in his farewell address to "God called you to his glory," namely, the ti1-, Ephesian elders he could appeal to glory which is in reserve for all the members then. . "Yea, )'e yourselves know, that these of his kingdom.. l.&1:.:is have ministered unto my necessities, Ver. 13.-For thia oause. Not beca11Se or>d t<• them that were with me " (Acts XL . God he.s called yon to his ki'llgdom and 34) We preached Ullto yon the gospel of glory, but, referring to what follows, because God Thus freely, without charge. of your reception of the gospel. We thank Ver. 10.-Ye u.re witnesses, and God also: Gild. Although the reception of the gospel ve of the outward conduct, and God of the was in one sense the free and voluntary act ;.,ot,ves which actuated us. Rowholily and on the part of the ThessaloniA.ns: yet in ,iustly and Ullblamably; "hohi:,"denoting the another sense it was the e.ct of God who apostle's conduct to God, "j11Stly" his con- ordained them to accept the gospel ; the;, duct toma11, and" unhlaruably" the negative belief was an operation of God in them. ~ide of both particulars. We behaved our- Without oeasing, because, when ye received selves among yon that bE.lieve. The apostle the Word of God which ye heard of us ; iiere refers to his own personal demeanour literally, becawe when ye 'received from U8 the 11.nd to tuat of Silas and Timothy among Word of hearing, which ia of God. '.rhe gospel them, in order thal tbE. Thessalonians might is called " the Word of hearing," because it realiz.e the purity of their conduct, and so came bv hearing ; I1ence "the Word heo.r, l," wight continue steadfast in their attachment or" the Word of the me"""ge" (R. V.). It is to tl,r. gospel which they taught. He men- further designated "of God "-the Word Li ..11e specially "them that believe," not that whose Author is God. Ye received it not as h,· ad, J ot,J,erwise e.mong those that did not the word of men-as if it were of human Ld1e,•e, Lut Lecause believers were cognizant origin-but as it is in truth, the Word of uf 1.ii; c 1 ,11<luct God-of Divine origin-which effeotnally Ver. 11.-As ye know how we exhorted worketh. The pronoun may refer to God, "who and comforted and charged every one of you, effectually worketh," or better to the Word 1u111, father Joth his children. The tnrnsla- of God, as the pri11cipal subject of the aen- 1.,oi. of thi• n,roc i.< somewhat faulty ; it t.ence. Alao in you that believe. The gospel on. 11. 1-20.J 'l'l-lJ,; .FIRST EI'I8TLE TO THE 'I HK,:-iALONIANS. 29