Aug 03 2008
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
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Introduction
The letter opens with a salutation (vss 1-2), followed by a thanksgiving (vss 3-4); after which Paul then speaks about the just judgments of God as a way to encourage the Thessalonians in their sufferings (vss5-10), he then concludes with a prayer for the continued progress of his converts (vss 11-12)
Salutation
2 Thess 1:1-2 This opening address is almost identical to that found in 1 Thess 1:1, concerning which, see here. In the address we are presently discussing, he includes the word our in reference to God, and notes that grace and peace come explicitly from God and Jesus.
Thanksgiving
2 Thess 1:3-4 We are bound to give thanks…as is fitting. Paul acknowledges his debt to God and gives the reason for it: because your faith grows exceedingly and the charity of every one of you towards each other abounds (see 1 Thess 3:12). The growth and abundance mentioned here are to be understood as qualitative, not quantitative. One of the result of this growth and abundance is stated in verse 4: So that (NAB, “Accordingly”. RSV, “Therefore”) we ourselves also glory (literally, “boast”) in you in the churches of God. The content of this glory/boast is then given in what follows: for your patience and faith, and in all your persecutions and tribulations which you endure. Concerning boasting, see 1 Thess 2:19. Concerning endurance see 1 Thess 1:3. Concerning persecutions/tribulations see 1 Thess 1:6, 2:14-16.
Encouragement
2 Thess 1:5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God (RSV). “To suffer persecution for the faith is a guarantee of a future reward, for God is a just judge (Phil 1:28; Rom 2:5-11; 2 Cor 4:16-18)” [Jerome Biblical Commentary 49:30). To these references from St Paul one could add the words of Jesus himself in Matt 5:11-12; Luke 6:22-23; ect. Bearing persecution with the endurance of hope is one way in which we conduct ourselves as worthy of God who call us into his Kingdom (see 1 Thess 1:3, 2:12).
2 Thess 1:6 Seeing (RSV , “Since indeed”) it is a just thing with God to repay tribulation to them that trouble you. The word tribulation and trouble are related, and the verse could be translated “…afflict those who are afflicting you.” See Psalm 7:2-18 where God is portrayed as a vindicator of the righteous sufferer (note especially verse 9-14). The word repay (antopodidomi) can have both positive (1 Thess 3:9; Rom 11:35) and negative (Rom 12:19) connotations. Here in verse 6 the negative aspect is obvious; the positive in verse 7
2 Thess 1:7 And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with the angels of his power. Verse 7 is obviously linked with verse 6. Just as God will “repay” with tribulation those who are oppressing the Thessalonians, so too, He will “repay” the Thessalonians with rest, along with all who suffer for the sake of the Gospel. Thlipsis- tribulation, trouble: means to be pressed down, crushed. In contrast, rest (aneis) refers to a release or a relaxing from a rigor such as oppression. Those who press down the faithful will themselves one day be pressed down, while the faithful will have release. This reversal will take place at the revelation (apokalypsis) of the Lord Jesus. The use of apokalypsis rather than parousia (presence, coming) highlights the mysterious, hidden nature of these happenings.
2 Thess 1:8 (The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with the angels of his power:) in a flame of fire, giving (didomi:paying) vengeance (ekdikesis) to them who know not God and who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The connection with the preceding is obvious. Paul is alluding here to the apocalyptic passage of Isaiah 66:15, according to the Greek Septuagint: “For, behold, the Lord will come as fire, and his chariots as a storm, to render (apodounai=pay out) his vengeance (ekdikesin) with wrath, and his rebuke with a flame of fire.”
2 Thess 1:9 Who shall suffer eternal punishment in destruction, from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his power. The wages received when God pays out his vengeance.
Eternal punishment in destruction. See 1 Thess 5:3. The phrase does not mean annihilation; see Isaiah 66:24; Mark 9:45.
From the face of the Lord. In the Bible, the term “face” often denotes personal presence, as in 1 Thess 2:17. In my note on that passage I wrote: “In face” is a translation of the Greek prosopon. To be present to someone is to see their face, for this reason the word came to denote personal presence.
And from the glory of his power. Paul may here be alluding to Isaiah 2:10, 19, 21, according to the Greek Septuagint (English Translation Here). The NAB translates these verses of Isaiah as “splendor of his majesty.” The RSV has “glory of his majesty.” Here the term appears to refer to his power to save, which is a manifestation of his kingly authority (see 2 Thess 1:7).
2 Thess 1:10 RSV translation: when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints , and to be marveled at in (NAB “among”) all who have believed , because our testimony to you was believed. The phrase on that day appears at the end of this sentence for emphasis. It is used repeatedly in Isaiah 2:11, 17, 20, “for the Lord will have his day”( Isaiah 2:12).
To be glorified in his saints. In the OT, the manifestation of God’s glory is often associated with acts of salvation, such as the end of the Babylonian exile (Isaiah 40:5). It will take place definitely at the revelation of Jesus Christ ( Titus 2:13; 1 Pt 4:13) through whom God chose to make known to us our hope of glory (Col 1:27). At his coming the faithful will appear in glory with him (Col 3:4), at which time we will fully understand that the sufferings of the present cannot compare with the glory which is revealed (Rom 8:18).
Prayer
2 Thess 1:11-12 Wherefore also we pray always for you: that our God would make you worthy of his vocation (call). Verse 11 picks up upon the second half of verse 5. The patience and faith of the Thessalonians in the midst of tribulation (vs 4) was seen as a example of the just judgment of God “that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God.” One can be counted worthy of the kingdom of God only by being worthy of one’s vocation/call. This worthiness is not from ourselves, God must make us worthy, only in this way can we fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith in power, (so) that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
So that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you. Recalls verse 10: “When he shall come to be glorified in all his saints.” The purpose of God graced human activity is oriented towards the establishment of the kingdom of God. Concerning the glorification of the name, see Isaiah 66:5.
