The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12,
"In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and
sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive
and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For
you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not
idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food without
paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and
toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this,
not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to
offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. For even when we were
with you, we gave you this rule: 'The one who is unwilling to work
shall not eat.' We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive.
They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and
urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they
eat."
The church in Thessalonica had heard the rumor, that the day of the
Lord had come upon them. While Paul disabused them of the notion,
nevertheless, the outlook prevailed that the return of the Lord was
imminent. You can sense it in Paul's first letter to this church. In 1
Thessalonians 5:1-11, there is a distinct note of immediacy while
considering the Lord's return. In Romans 13:11 we read, "Do this,
understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to
wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than
when we first believed." Paul clearly anticipated a near term return
of the Lord. Possibly this gave rise to the thought for folks in
Thessalonica that earning their keep was not in keeping with an
expectant, "the Lord is going to show up any day now" kind of outlook.
Why keep working, since this age is at an end? Why not just live off
our savings till the Lord returns (or, someone else's savings...).
Whatever it was, something prompted these Thessalonian believers from
earning their own keep and caused them to become dependent upon
others. While idle, they also drifted into becoming disruptive - a
natural course of events. Recall the present day proverb, "Idle hands
are the devils tools." Whatever the cause, believers in Thessalonica
needed a scolding - and got it from Paul - to start earning their own
keep and to stop contributing to others who refused to do so. "The one
who is unwilling to work shall not eat." How uncompassionate of Paul!
I suspect Paul was familiar with Proverbs 16:26, "The appetite of
laborers works for them; their hunger drives them on." The best way to
encourage those around us to become productive is to allow the truth
of this proverb to become operational. Conversely, the best way to
thwart God's command concerning work, is to manifest a misplaced
compassion for those who need to be working:
"By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return." Genesis 3:19.
Paul was not an uncompassionate man, but he was driven by truth and
reality. When it came to loving others by helping them in a time of
need, consider the instructions he gave to Timothy regarding the help
for widows in the fellowship:
"Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But
if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of
all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family
and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing
to God. The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her
hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for
help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she
lives. Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open
to blame. Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and
especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse
than an unbeliever." 1 Timothy 5:3-8. It was Paul's position that the
church needed to help those who truly needed it. Those who did not
really need the help tended to slip into sin, "Besides, they [younger
widows who shouldn't be on the church's "welfare" list] get into the
habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only
do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying
things they ought not to." 1 Timothy 5:13.
Extending a misplaced compassion can lead the recipients of that
supposed "compassion" into sin. We are to love one another, look out
for one another, and help one another when truly needed. We are not to
participate in those things that provide for others to go astray. God
has directed us to work. Enabling others from God's command leads them
and us astray. Caring for those who are really in need is another
issue. May we not confuse the two!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send
me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are
receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just
respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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