Sermon Tone Analysis

Pray without ceasing- Spiritual battle

various exhortations

Pray without ceasing (ch.

1:3; 2:13; ).

Already CHRYSOSTOM and THEOPHYLACT recognize the connection: τὴν ὁδὸν ἔδειξε.

Without ceasing; this does not mean, with a continual, indolent folding of the hands; as Paul prayed night and day (ch.

3:10), so likewise he labored night and day (ch.

2:9); and yet he had also intervals of sleep!

The next thing is therefore obvious: Never omit the practice of prayer; be as regularly diligent therein as in labor.

This then infers a constant spirit of prayer, breathing through the whole life.

But in order to the stirring up () of this, and so to the quickening of joy, he exhorts further: in everything give thanks; BENGEL: even in what seems adverse.

Give thanks for the great grace already received (comp.

; ).

In the last place we find in like manner ἐν παντί.

This is not the same thing as πάντοτε (which stands with it at ), for καιρῷ should not have been wanting; but it means, in every point, every matter or situation, equivalent to κατὰ πάντα, περὶ παντός, ὑπὲρ πάντων ().—For this is God’s will, &c.

(ch.

4:3); not the will, since that of course includes more than this one point.

The subject is τοῦτο, this, the giving thanks in everything; GROTIUS [SCHOTT]: prayer and thanksgiving; but in that case we should have to go still a step further, and, with VON GERLACH [CORN.

A. LAPIDE, JOWETT, ALFORD, MÖLLER] bring in also the rejoicing; not quite everything from v. 14, for that is not so homogeneous that it could well be embraced in τοῦτο as one topic.

In consideration also of the fact that ἑν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖτε is added by asyndeton, it may well seem more advisable to refer the τοῦτο, with BENGEL, only to the giving of thanks, which indeed is the means of quickening prayer and joy.

HOFMANN

Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Auberlen, C. A., Riggenbach, C. J., & Lillie, J. (2008).

A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: 1 & 2 Thessalonians (p.

92).

Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

VER. 8. Be sober, be vigilant.—That

freedom from care must not degenerate into apathy, for we are still in the Church militant, not yet in the Church triumphant.

To the care which troubles from within must be added the temptations which come from the kingdom of darkness.

Hence the Apostle exhorts them anew to sobriety and vigilance, ch.

4:8, 1:13.

“Let this be your care.”

Bengel.—νήψατε,

γρηγορήσατε, go inseparably together, hence no copulative.

γρηγοσήσατε cf.

Lke.

21:34, 36.

This watching consists, says Calov, in the prudence by which we avoid the lying in wait of Satan, in the shunning of false security and of sins and in the throwing out of sentinels, Eph.

6:11; Matt.

24:42; 25:13; 1 Cor.

16:13.

The exhortation based upon the words of our Lord, springs simultaneously from the Apostle’s own experience, Matt.

26:40, 41; Luke 22:45; cf. 1 Thess.

5:6.

[Augustine: “Corde vigila, fide vigila, spe vigila, caritate vigila, operibus vigila.”—M.]

Your adversary.—The

exposition which sees in “adversary” human slanderers, (Hensler and others) needs no refutation.

Satan is called absolutely the adversary of believers, who stands up as the champion of law when he opposes them, their enemy, Matt.

13:39; John 8:44; Rev. 12:10; the prince of this world, Eph.

2:2; 2 Cor.

4:4; John 16:11; 12:31; 14:30; Acts 26:18; 2 Thess.

2:9; 1 John 3:8.

He is the declared opponent, both of Christ and of His members.

He is the accuser of the brethren, Rev. 12:10; cf.

Job 1:6, etc.

Walketh about.—As in Job 1:7, he is said to go to and fro in the earth, so here he is said to walk about, which applies not to visible appearings, but to his operations by his instruments.

Scripture indeed teaches that the evil spirits are confined in hell, 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Luke 8:31; but they are bound only in respect of their visible appearing, while they rule invisibly in the regions of the air, Eph.

2:2; 6:12; in darkness, they roam over desert places, Matt.

12:43, 44; Luke 11:24; and influence man mediately and immediately, Luke 22:23; John 13:27.

As a roaring lion.—The

lion, according to Pliny, roars most violently, when he is hungry.

Elsewhere Satan is compared with a serpent, on account of his cunning, 2 Cor.

11:3; Rev. 12:9; 20:2; here, with a lion on account of his cruelty and boldness, his power and strength, and his lust of injury.

“When furious Jews and mad heathens began a persecution of the Christians, or attacked individual Christians, or simply threatened them, it was the devil’s work, who then showed himself as a roaring lion.

But since such things happened here and there, he is described as a roaring lion who walketh about.

His object is to terrify and to tear, but especially to tear.

His terrifying consisted of old in menacings, threatening edicts and anathemas, his tearing in executions.”—Roos.

[Gerhard: “Comparatur diabolus leoni famelico et præ impatientia famis rugienti, quia perniciem nostram inexplebiliter appetit, nec ulla præda ei sufficit.”—M.]

Seeking whom he may devour.—Cf.

Matt.

23:34; 1 Cor.

15:32; Heb.

11:36.

The comparison relates to both.—καταπίνειν, to drink greedily, to gulp or swallow down.

He cannot devour every body, move them to fall away from Christ into sin, but only those who are not sober and vigilant.

“The enemy and opponent of the Church despises those who are already in his power, whom he has estranged from the Church and led away captive and conquered.

He passes them over, and continues to tempt those of whom he knows that Christ dwells in them.”—Cyprian.

VER. 9. Whom resist firm in the faith.—How

shall we offer resistance to this powerful enemy? 1.

In firm faith.

2. In the thought that such suffering is not peculiar, but the universal lot of Christians.—ἀντίστητε.

James 4:7, cites the same passage; Prov.

3:34, has the same exhortation, “Submit yourselves therefore to God;” cf.

ver. 10, and the charge: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

This circumstance renders the reference of the one Epistle to the other very probable.—”Resist

him, in order to drive him back when he attacks us.

The Lion of the tribe of Judah is more mighty by far than the lion of hell.

His victory and His might become our own through faith.”

Calov.

Eph.

3:16; John 15:4; 1 Cor.

6:17.—“Unbelievers

fear the devil as a lion, the strong in faith despise him as a worm.”

Isidor.

“Victory over Satan lies in faith, because faith unites us to Christ, the victor.

By faith the devil is driven to flight as is the lion by fire.”

Gerhard.—στερεοί,

firm, immovable in faith, in faithful cleaving to Christ and His word; cf.

Acts 16:5; Rom.

4:20; Col. 2:5, 7; Eph.

6:16; 4:14.

Knowing that the self-same sufferings—in the world.—εἰδότες,

cf.

ch.

1:18; 3:9.—τὰ αὐτὰ, the same kind of sufferings of trial.

The thought that these sufferings are common to all the brethren, is designed to warn against the conceit that they are rejected by God and man, that they are either extraordinary sinners or uncommon saints; cf. 1 Cor.

10:13.—ἀδελφότητι,

ch.

2:13.—ἐν

κόσμῳ, to indicate the reason of their sufferings.

You live in an imperfect world, among transitory things, and with the children of unbelief, John 9:5.—ἐπιτελεῖσθαι, used of the payment and discharge of taxes and debts; of the discharge and completion of some business or combat.

The ideas of payment of debt and completion may be combined; they are endured by your brethren with a view to their completion (perfecting, so German) by the appointment of God.—τῇ ἀδελφότητι.