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1 Thessalonians 2:13-16: Not Ordinary Words

Read 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

What makes the Bible worth paying any attention to? Why would anyone be willing to suffer ridicule, persecution, or death for its sake? What makes the Bible so special that we would change the way we live to reflect its teachings? What causes men and women to stand up to powerful rulers, to mobs, or to crazed individuals?

The answer is that the Bible’s words are not ordinary words. This is not some made up position which Christians invented one day, but an important teaching of the Bible itself. The Bible is the Word of God at work in believers’ lives, giving them strength to endure suffering and persecution. No wonder that those who oppose the message seek to silence it. But for any believer undergoing suffering, there is comfort that God will judge those who oppose him.

Paul also expressed his thanks to God that the Thessalonians, “when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers” (v.13).

The word of God was proclaimed by men. It was written by men too, inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:15-16). It did not fall down from the sky, or dug up from the ground on golden tablets. God moved ordinary, sinful men to write God-inspired words down over the course of 1500 years, to reveal his will to us. The words were written at the hand of men, and express their emotions and experiences, but they did so at the inspiration and the compelling of God.

It is because God is the source of the words that they are without error. Because of that, the words of Scripture are not as the word of men like any other book, but the word of God. They are not merely the political, philosophical, or practical preferences of people, but God revealing the way things really are to us, that we might properly honour and worship him.

And those words are not dead words but words which work in the lives of believers. Isaiah described the work of God’s word in our lives as being like rain falling to the ground causing seed to grow (Isaiah 55:10-11). God’s words do not just rattle around inside our brains like brainworm lyrics from today’s latest manufactured pop icon, they cause seeds of faith to sprout in our lives, bringing obedience and faith, and leading to a harvest of righteousness.

The power of God’s word displayed itself in the Thessalonian church because they “became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea” (v.14). Their imitation was that they “suffered the same things from your own countrymen as [the Judean churches] did from the Jews” (v.14).

Paul knew a little about this. After all, he was one of the original henchmen behind that very persecution. After Jesus himself called him to faith on the Damascus Road, Paul enjoyed the very same persecution he once had offered. What could cause such a change and such endurance? Not ordinary words, but God’s word revealed into his life.

That same word caused Paul to join the Judean church in its suffering at his former fellows, the unbelieving Jews led astray by their religious leadership “who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out” (v.15). All in God’s Plan, spreading the Gospel message as God’s Jewish remnant (Isaiah 6:13) were joined by God’s remnant from the Nations.

The act of that unbelieving group led to God’s displeasure, especially as they effectively opposed the rest of the Nations benefiting from God’s grace “by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!” (vv.16-17).

Yet that opposition, expressed in persecution of Christ’s church, would not go unpunished. God’s wrath would come upon them in such certainty that Paul spoke of it as a present reality. God’s word is powerful not just to save, but to commit to condemnation those who reject its message.

That is why we make so much of the Bible in our congregations. They are not just nice poetry or stories, but powerful words that call us to salvation or condemn us, through rejecting those words, to judgement.

God’s Word works in you everyday, to make you more like Christ through the Spirit’s power. To prepare you to withstand opposition, if it comes, and to yield harvests of righteousness.

Take up God’s Word, and read.




1 Thessalonians 2:9-12: Eyes on the Goal

Read 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12

Lots of us have goals in life. Things we would like to reach or attain. An achievement we would like to accomplish. Depending on how big the goal is, it can have a large impact on the way we live from day to day. We may also seek the views of mentors on how to help us achieve those goals, especially if they have accomplished it themselves.

For the Thessalonians, Paul and his comrades were mentors on their spiritual walk to the goal of glory with God. In previous verses, Paul has encouraged the church to love, care, and gentleness, following his own example in the Thessalonians’ midst. In these verses, Paul continues to encourage the church to pattern their life and outreach towards the end goal of the eternal kingdom and glory of the age to come.

In verses seven and eight, Paul described himself as being like a spiritual mother to the Thessalonian church, taking care of them, and showing them gentleness, love, and care. Paul had not taken advantage of the Thessalonian church as some wandering religious gurus did, but persisted in his message even though it came at a personal financial and bodily cost.

The Thessalonians had seen this with their own eyes. “For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God” (v.9). 

Paul had commonly worked for a living while on his missionary journeys, sometimes receiving financial support from other churches. It appears that in Thessalonica Paul had resumed his tentmaker trade, toiling away for many hours in a relatively lowly paid profession. Given the long hours, much of his teaching and outreach may have been done in the shop while sewing together leather skins. 

The Thessalonians literally saw Paul working to avoid taking a wage from them; a wage that he was fully entitled to (1 Cor 9:8-14). They saw Paul’s hard work for them, and for the Gospel. It might have involved sewing leather, but it was still work for the kingdom.

The Thessalonians could also attest to Paul’s personal holiness. “You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers” (v.10). Paul did not mistreat the Thessalonian church but was blameless in the way he behaved with and to them. And as his labours showed, his whole life was holy or set apart for the service of God, whatever he put his hand to.

These two examples were ways in which Paul was a kind of spiritual mentor to the Thessalonians, showing them how they should live in a way which reflected the realities revealed to them and believed by them. His actions backed up his words.

Paul described this as similar to how “like a father with his children” he “exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God” (vv.11-12).

In the ancient world, children usually took their father’s career, and so fathers were responsible for teaching the child the ropes of the trade. In the same way, Paul through commands and encouragement called the Thessalonians to live in a way which would please God.

That is, while there was plenty of good news, there were also plenty of reminders about how to live as a result of that good news (not to earn it but to say thanks). The purpose of this was to encourage perseverance and persistence towards the end goal, which was entering into God’s “kingdom and glory” into which he called each of them (v.12). Paul was training them up for a career, so to speak, as servants of God in his kingdom.

So too the work starts now for us. We are also called, as the Thessalonians did, to live in a way which pleases God who is calling us into his kingdom and glory. We have the end goal in sight – eternity with God. In the meantime, we need to learn the ropes to ensure we are fit to serve God in his kingdom.

More than just words, actions must match rhetoric. Paul’s long hours of work, his blameless lifestyle towards his fellow believers, and how his whole life demonstrated he was set apart for God’s service showed that he had his eye on the goal. The Thessalonians could do well to follow his example. We would do well, too.

It does not matter what we are called to with our work. Whether in the pulpit (as Paul was), in the mines, at the office, in the home, or in a store, these are all opportunities to work unto the Lord. If your work is focused on enabling you to serve God in some way, whether in your example or your activities in spare hours, it is work for the kingdom.

Paul’s example reminds us to keep our eyes firmly on the end goal of eternity with Jesus, and live lives of thankfulness which are pleasing to God.




1 Thessalonians 2:1-8: Traits of Effective Ministry

Read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

One of the more common complaints about churches as charities that you can hear today is how supposedly they are led by fat cats who fleece their flock to live a lavish lifestyle, and avoid paying taxes to boot! Sadly, the actions of televangelists and “prosperity gospel” preachers poison the views of many against churches and preachers who just want to quietly proclaim the Gospel.

While in Paul’s day the idea of registered charities and such were unusual, many of these sorts of charges against Paul’s ministry were not. In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, he upholds the nature of his ministry against charges which some could lay about its effectiveness and his motivation, charges which he argued the Thessalonians knew were false.

Previously in this letter to the church at Thessalonica, Paul had emphasised how word of their imitation of him had reached his ears and the ears of many other churches in the region. The Thessalonians were an example to these churches, and to us today, of how to live for Christ in the midst of a sometimes suspicious and hostile culture.

Paul continues this encouragement by reminding the Thessalonians that they knew that Paul and his ministry team’s labours for the Gospel were not “in vain” (v.1). They had seen with their own eyes Paul, Silas, and Timothy’s “boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict” (v.2).

The conflict referred to was their previous treatment in Philippi where “we had already suffered and been shamefully treated” (v.2). Paul healed a young slave woman of her demonic possession, annoyed her masters, and was arrested and illegally beaten for the privilege (Acts 16:12-40).

Paul and Silas literally walked into Thessalonica still bearing scars and marks on their backs from their treatment in Philippi. Most people, pedalling a self-help message or swindling the gullible of their cash would give up at this point and take up some other pursuit. Ram raiding night markets with chariots perhaps. 

But Paul’s message was something of value, not springing from “error or impurity or any attempt to deceive” (v.3) that even arrest and beatings could not put them off continuing. They were approved by God “to be entrusted with the gospel” and so were speaking to please God, not men (v.4).

While other walk-about religious gurus might spout messages that sounded pleasant and let you indulge in what you wanted for a little cash, Paul’s good news had life altering consequences and its messengers were God-appointed rather than self-appointed.

This was demonstrated in the way Paul had treated the Thessalonians. Unlike many televangelists today with their prosperity gospel ramblings, “we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness” (v.5). There truly is nothing new under the sun.

In the same way, Paul never sought praise for himself as a man of God, even though he was an apostle and so could have made all sorts of demands under that authority (v.6). That included financial gain, which as we know from the Scriptures Paul often went without for the sake of the Gospel and his own witness. Can’t be on the take if you’re not taking.

Instead, Paul, Silas, and Timothy were a completely different kettle of fish to the run of the mill religious swindler. Their ministry was characterised by gentleness towards them, “like a nursing mother taking care of her own children” (v.7).

More than just gentle, they were also caring (“affectionately desirous of you”) and loving (“you had become very dear to us”) which was expressed through their Gospel ministry and sacrificial service to the Thessalonians.

The contrast between this model of ministry and one in which power, wealth, and privileges flow to the leaders is a sharp contrast. One reflects the sacrificial life and death of Christ, who even though in the form of and equal to God emptied himself of divine privilege to serve (Philippians 2:5-8). The other reflects the patterns and ways of this sinful world, seeking to satisfy self even at the expense of others.

You can see how this would be suspicious to outsiders. After all, it is different from the expected, usual pattern (thus the assumption that every preacher has a personal jet). But that is also what makes it so effective as a marker of Gospel Ministry. The minister is not the message. Jesus is.

So these verses speak of the importance of the leadership of the church demonstrating gentleness, care, and love, and not using their position to bring glory or wealth to themselves. Instead, the glory and wealth belong to the message.

But as it is good for the leaders, it is good for us all. Paul wrote these words to encourage all the Thessalonians to act likewise. It is good for us too. Many people will never meet your pastor. They will meet you though. 

May they meet God’s gentleness, care, and love expressed through Jesus, and through Paul, in your life too.




1 Thessalonians 1:6-10: Imitators

Read 1 Thessalonians 1:6-10

Every parent has fond memories of their children imitating them as they go about work. Whether it is mowing a lawn, shifting some dirt, vacuuming and tidying, or cooking, children love to imitate their parents. Sadly, our children also have a habit of imitating our less savoury and more sinful words and actions too. Whether good or bad, we often learn by imitating the example of others.

The Thessalonian Church was also known for their imitation. Paul commended them for their imitation of himself and Jesus, as a response to the powerful proclamation of God’s Word in their midst. Through their imitation, they became an example to other believers elsewhere. In that, they become an example to us of what it means to follow Christ, and an example and reputation to develop individually and as a congregation.

For Paul, the Thessalonians were a source of great encouragement. They were a demonstration of God’s power working through the Ministry of Paul, Silas, and Timothy, and thus a source of thankfulness to Paul in the middle of difficult times.

But the Thessalonians were more than just an encouragement, they were imitators. They “became imitators of us and of the Lord” because they received the Gospel despite the affliction which non-believers (both Jew and Greek) inflicted on them (v.6). Just as Paul and his companions, and Jesus in his earthly ministry had faced rejection and affliction, so too the Thessalonians suffered for the name of God.

What was important about that affliction was not so much the presence of it, but how they reacted. They did not grumble and complain but experienced it “with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (v.6). Their difficult circumstances were met with Spirit empowered joy instead of grumbling, unlike say the Israelites wandering in the desert in Moses’ day.

Many of the Greco-Roman activities of the day were wrapped up in pagan religion and adoration verging on (and often becoming) outright Emperor worship. The Thessalonian Christians, worshiping the one and true living God and confessing only Jesus Christ as Lord, were cut off from society and rejected by “offended” friends and family because they refused to engage in the cultural norms of their day.

The imitation of Paul and Christ which the Thessalonians adopted was such that “you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia” (v.7). Word of the events in Thessalonica, their patient endurance, and their Spirit-filled joy spread like ripples in a pond throughout what is modern day Greece.

More than just endure though, the Thessalonians were busy spreading the Gospel even in difficult circumstances. “The word of the Lord sounded forth from you” (v.8) and apparently word had spread down the trade roads of how the Thessalonian Church was busy proclaiming the Gospel.

Their joyful endurance and their Gospel proclamation displayed their faith in God, word of which had traveled “everywhere, so that we need not say anything” (v.8). Imitators they were, but examples to other Christians in the region of their faith, hope, and love.

Other Christians were encouraged to hear of how they had held firm against the pressures of their day, and had “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (v.9). They had made a radical and sustained break with their past, and the evil culture that surrounded them. Their lifestyle reflected a desire to live a Biblical approach to life that reflected the example of Paul and of Christ.

They were also a Christ-waiting Church. They looked forward to and waited for the arrival of God’s “Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (v.10). The Thessalonians were committed to Gospel proclamation and a Biblical lifestyle not for political reasons, but because they saw the final victory over sin and earthly opposition as coming when Jesus returned in glory to deliver them.

This example of imitation may have first floated down the highways and by-ways of the Roman Empire, but it has also floated down through time as an example to us. What a reputation to be known by! Forget riches. Never mind influence and power. Faithful servants of God.

What causes the Thessalonian Church to be singled out for praise is a desire to follow Jesus. Spirit-filled joy in difficult circumstances. Bold Gospel proclamation. Biblical patterns of lifestyle that leave behind the idols of the day. Patient expectation and hope of Christ’s victorious return.

Would it not be a fine reputation to have this as individuals and a congregation? As I read these words I want that to be true of my own life, and of us all.

What empowered this imitation of Paul and Christ, which boldly left behind the idols of this world, proclaimed the Gospel, and awaited Christ’s return in victory? The Holy Spirit. If we want the same imitation and devotion for our own lives and our own congregation, then we must turn to the Holy Spirit in dependence and request for that same power displayed in our lives.




1 Thessalonians 1:2-5: Paul’s Reason for Thanksgiving

Read 1 Thessalonians 1:2-5

The past few years have been difficult in various ways for many of us, yet God has still been good to us in those years. It has not been all bad news. There has been much to give thanks for. Yet in the middle of difficulty it can be easy to forget the blessings we have received, and focus instead on what we have lost, or our struggles, or our difficulties.

Paul’s life certainly had its ups and downs, but Paul also recognised the need to give thanks for the good things God gave. One of those good things was the blessing of the church in Thessalonica, whom Paul’s letter addresses. Paul gives thanks for the evidence of salvation working in their lives, because God chose them to be part of his people. That salvation came with great power from God displayed in their lives. The same is true for us. In the midst of ups and downs, we can give thanks for the same blessings from God in our lives.

While Paul and his team did not have as long as they would have liked to nourish the little church in Thessalonica, their ministry did have a great impact. Word reached Paul of the continuing faithfulness of that congregation, and he wrote to give thanks, to encourage, and to teach them further.

So it is not surprising that Paul’s letter begins with a description of Paul’s thanksgiving, and the reasons for it. Paul told the Thessalonians that he “give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers” (v.2). 

Paul was not simply a motivational speaker with fond memories of a crowd, but an undershepherd who cared intimately for his sheep, whether with them or not. They were a source of great thankfulness to Paul, and they were always on his mind when he prayed, seeking that God would continually bless and build them up.

The reason for Paul’s thankfulness is given is verse 3, where he explained that he remembered before God their “work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.3).

Paul is not describing works salvation with his reference to work and labour, rather the importance is on the latter of each word couple – faith, love, and hope. These three words are regular themes in Paul’s writings (1 Corinthians 13, especially v.13, anyone?). They are what are really important to Paul – the evidence of these in the Thessalonian church’s life.

How are they evidenced? Their faith is apparent in that it is active and displayed in their behaviour. Their labour for God (and thus, for each other) is prompted by their love, while their conviction and hope in Jesus’ return is patient and enduring.

By implication, Paul is encouraging the Thessalonians to continue in this way. Just as parents praise behaviour in their children that they would like to see more, Paul’s praise here does the same thing.

The second reason for Paul’s thankfulness is that God chose them. “For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you” (v.4). Paul sees in them the proof in the pudding, so to speak, of God’s grace in electing them for salvation. Knowing that God is working out his salvation plan, and calling those he elected through Paul’s labours, is great cause for thankfulness.

Their election was shown through their response to Paul’s preaching while he was with them in Thessalonica. Paul’s gospel preaching came “not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (v.5). It was not persuasive rhetoric which saved them, but God’s power displayed through the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives, along with the deep conviction of its value on the part of those preaching it. The effectiveness of the message came from God’s work through it, not the mere words.

The deep conviction of Paul and his team was reflected in “what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake” (v.5) which the Thessalonians came to know and understand.

Paul’s reasons for thankfulness are reasons we can be thankful in our own circumstances as well. We can see God’s saving power working through the preaching of the Gospel, in our own lives and that of others. We can pray that it continues to do so, and give God thanks when it does. And we can thank God for his saving grace, expressed before time in his election and in time through the Holy Spirit’s powerful saving work in our lives.

Secondly, we can thank God for our faith, hope, and love. These are not just abstract ideas but find their only full and perfect expression in the Christian faith. Our labours of love for each other and visitors, our active faith in Christ (in the various ways that plays out), and our patient hope for Christ’s victorious return are all ultimately gifts from God. Another reason for thankfulness.

Like Paul, there is plenty to give thanks to God for always.




1 Thessalonians 1:1 – The Only Source of Grace and Peace

Read 1 Thessalonians 1:1

Christmas last year was in Blenheim, and my wife and I stumbled upon a Nelson-based brand of ginger beer on Christmas Eve which was cheap. And tasty. So much so, we were curious about where to buy it in the North Island if the desire arose again. Despite much Google searching and false leads, I have found only two irregular sources to buy this product again locally.

What does this have to do with Thessalonians? Paul to my knowledge did not drink ginger beer, but he was concerned for the churches he planted. He was also concerned to remind them of the only source of grace and peace that we can find this side of eternity. You will not find it in money, philosophies, or the bottom of a (ginger) beer bottle, but you will find grace and peace in Christ.

Paul planted the church in Thessalonica during his second missionary journey. He did not have as much time as he probably would have liked – a mere three weeks before jealous Jewish groups caused a scene which resulted in some of the new Christians having to post money as security for good behaviour, while Paul and Silas were snuck out of town (Acts 17:1-10) for their continued health.

Despite this abrupt end to Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica, the church flourished, and word reached Paul that the congregation there continued to meet and worship God and Christ (1 Thess. 3:6). 

Paul wrote his letter to the Church in Thessalonica to encourage them to continue worshiping God in a culture not only foreign to the Christian message, but hostile to it. He also wrote to correct misunderstandings that had developed among them about Jesus’ return. Though written nearly two thousand years ago, it seems not much has changed today.

The letter to Thessalonica was a letter that was primarily from Paul, but also written on behalf of his fellow labourers in the Gospel, Silas and Timothy (v.1). Paul was an apostle, specially commissioned by Jesus himself on the Road to Damascus to bring the Gospel news to non-Jews. But Paul did not work alone. Paul’s missionary journeys were always in the company of others.

Silas (or Silvanus, his Latin name) was also a prominent early Christian, who had been given the job of carrying the deliverance regarding Mosaic Law-keeping of the first General Assembly to non-Jewish believers in the early Church (see Acts 15:22-40). Timothy was Paul’s ministry apprentice, and later went to serve as Pastor in congregations such as Ephesus (see 1 Timothy).

Paul was specially commissioned by God, but he did not act alone, either spiritually or humanly speaking. Paul served with others.

The recipients were the church in Thessalonica. The term translated church literally means “called out ones” and could refer to a public assembly or a philosophical school, so the term applied to the Church makes sense. This congregation, like ours, were called out by God to publicly assemble, worship Christ, and devote themselves to Scripture’s teachings.

But this assembly was not just another philosophical fad, it was “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”. Their identity was not found in some culture of the day, or a particular secular movement, but in God the Father and Jesus Christ. Paul’s linking of the Father and Jesus here points to the unique intimacy of the Father and the Son, and of Jesus’ deity – not just fully human, but divine too.

It was in this identity found in God the Father and Jesus Christ that the church in Thessalonica could find “grace to you and peace.” 

The church had come to know God’s favour, even though they did not deserve it and indeed deserved nothing but condemnation and judgement. Through God’s grace, his undeserved favour, they received peace. Peace with God, along with the true inner peace that can only come when relationships are restored as they should be, not merely through the ending of hostilities.

Thankfully we do not live in an environment of such overt hostility to the Gospel, although that is not the case the world over. But we do live in an environment where what we believe, and why we believe it is viewed with hostility by some who would attack us if they could. Even though we mean no harm to them. That is one of the costs of discipleship.

But even though we live in that situation, we still enjoy the same undeserved grace and peace which Paul sought to bless the Thessalonian church with. The same Gospel message which Paul proclaimed still calls us out of the world today, to follow Christ and pattern our lives according to the Scriptures.

The -isms of this world cannot bring peace with God, or inner peace. You will not find it anywhere else but in the mercy of God expressed to us through Jesus’ life and death for our sins.

Like the Thessalonians, we should heed the call of Paul, Silas, and Timothy, and worship God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ; the only source of grace and peace.




Psalm 65: Another Year of Salvation

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Christmas and New Year brings many of us to a pause. We celebrate Jesus’ birth, swap presents, eat good food, spend time with friends and family, and many of us take a break of sorts from our daily grind. It can be a time to reflect, and also a time to look forward (whether with hope or uncertainty) to what will come in the next twelve months.

As we reflect, and look forward, let’s remember to also thank God for another year of salvation, and look forward to another year of God’s goodness too. Psalm 65 encourages us to do this through its praise of God’s salvation, praise of God’s power, and praise of God’s provision. All three of these themes are worthy of praise at Christmas-time, New Years, and all year!

Psalm 65 begins with praise for God’s salvation, experienced through being restored to God’s presence. Praise is appropriate and due to God from his people (v.1), especially in the Old Testament context of offering vows. We might say today that praise is due to God from his people, especially in a worship service!

It is God who hears the prayers of his followers, and to whom people from all over the world will come to experience God’s presence (v.2). Their hearts may be filled with sin, but God is the one who atones “for our transgressions” (v.3). God’s free grace, shown through his free choice, restores our relationship with God to enjoy his presence and find satisfaction in him (v.4).

But God does not just hear us and answer our prayers by forgiving our sins. God also performs powerful deeds (v.5) that are worthy of praise. These deeds are described as God’s response to the plight of his people, showing God is not some distant deity who does not care about what happens day to day. Nor is God’s power bound but displayed so that God is “ the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas” (v.5).

This refers not just to God’s creating acts, but his continued acts of providence in upholding Creation and his miraculous interventions. God’s creation of the mountains shows his great power and might (v.6), and his continued power over the chaos of the roaring seas his continual providence over all things (v.7).

God’s power is also demonstrated in his stilling “the tumult of the peoples” (v.7) by intervening in history, so “that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs” (v.8). God’s acts and power are not just intended for some, but for all the earth, as we see in the coming of Christ the Messiah of the nations.

Praise for God extends not just to his salvific presence and his providential power, but also to God’s provision. God is the one who waters the lands, causing vegetation to grow (vv.9-10). In Israel, where rains arriving at certain times of the year were needed for the crops to grow to avoid a famine, this was a demonstration of God’s provision. God was literally watering their vegetable gardens!

But God’s provision goes beyond heavenly sprinklers, because God is the one who causes those watered crops to grow and be fruitful. “You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance” (v.11). The pastures are plentiful, and the flocks of animals are liberally dotted among the meadows where they receive the food and drink they need (vv.12-13).

All of this provision causes the farmer, and indeed every one of God’s People, to rejoice and praise God for his continued goodness.

These three themes, presence (through salvation), power, and provision, are themes we can reflect on as we reach Christmas and a New Year.

Christmas reminds us of God’s great power, intervening in history through his salvation plan which reached its climax at the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord in a lowly manger in little Bethlehem. Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel truly was God present with us to save us from our sins.

And that salvation was not just for a select group of individuals physically descended from Abraham, but for the ends of the earth! That is why we proclaim Christ among all the nations; not just because God commanded it, but so that his great power might be displayed as he draws people from all sorts of places, times, and backgrounds to himself.

As we feast in our own individual ways at Christmas and swap presents, we too are enjoying the bounty of God’s provision for us. That provision is not just material, but relational and spiritual too. God has blessed us with another year of salvation. God has provided us with another year of experiences, good or bad, for our ultimate good. God has blessed us through his Church, and his work of grace and sanctification in our lives.

Thank God for another year of salvation in our lives. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!




2 Samuel 24:18-25: Atonement for God’s Anger

Read 2 Samuel 24:18-25

As we approach Christmas, we particularly take time to remember the birth of Jesus to save us from our sins. Jesus was God’s provision to satisfy and atone for his anger for our sins, by his death on the Cross. 

There are numerous Old Testament shadows that point forward to this reality. The final passage of 2 Samuel is one of those. God’s anger, poured out on Israel as a plague, was stopped because of God’s mercy towards his people. But his anger still needed to be atoned for; God’s justice met. In this passage, God provides the means for David to provide a sacrifice to atone for God’s wrath.

God stayed the hand of the angel he had sent to determine the course of the plague which was ravaging the land of Israel and making David’s silly census obsolete (v.16). God’s mercy, which David had chosen to rest on when he declined to allow Israel to be cast into the hands of its enemies, shone through as the angel was at “the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite” (v.16).

David cried out to God, interceding on Israel’s behalf, asking that he and his house would be punished, not Israel. God answered David’s cries by sending the prophet Gad to David with a message (v.18). That message was to raise an altar to God at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, where God had stayed the angel’s hand (v.18).

This command from God was linked to the situation. God’s mercy had been demonstrated by stopping the plague, but God’s anger at Israel’s sin and David’s silly census was not yet dealt with. The altar would be the means for God’s anger to be visibly satisfied.

David obeyed God’s command, and came with his followers to Aruanah’s house to make it happen (vv.19-20). After Aruanah paid homage to his king and asked the reason for the visit, David requested to buy the threshing floor to erect an altar to God (v.21).

Aruanah did not respond with NIMBYism but with an enthusiastic offer. “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king” (vv.22-3).

While it’s possible that this was simply the opening offer in a negotiation, David could have used his kingly authority to accept the offer gratefully, with perhaps a stone plaque added to the area to note the generosity of Aruanah. But David did not take that offer.

David understood that atonement and worship require a cost, and are not free and easy. “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing” (v.24). It would not be much of a sacrifice to God, if there was not much in the way of sacrifice (cost) to David. Instead, David paid for the altar and the offerings.

The transaction completed, “David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings” (v.25). David fulfilled the instructions of the Mosaic Law (Lev. 1, Lev. 3) to atone for his and Israel’s sin, and ensure they were at peace with God.

David’s sacrifices were not in vain. God “responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel” (v.25). No longer was God’s anger unsatisfied. No longer were Israel and God at odds. God’s mercy and God’s justice were both upheld by the sacrifices offered there.

That altar place, according to 1 Chronicles, became the site of the Temple where sacrifices were offered to God.

Yet those sacrifices, while offered faithfully and worshipfully, were not effective in themselves to take away God’s anger at sin. Instead, they were a visual pointer to the sacrifice that was yet to come to satisfy God’s anger at our sin, and satisfy God’s justice while providing for God’s mercy for us.

That sacrifice to come was Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross, which paid the penalty due and brought peace between us and God. That sacrifice covered the sins of David and Israel looking forward through faith and animal sacrifices, just as it covers our sins looking back at the completed work of Christ.

And that sacrifice was not free. It cost the life of God’s son, who entered into history to save us from our sins. Jesus paid the price as a substitute on our behalf, offering up himself as the sacrifice to atone for God’s anger, that God’s wrath might be averted from us, his people. We could not afford the price ourselves. God provided the means and the payment himself.

Jesus was the Lamb of God, provided by God, at the place and time that God commanded, to take away our sins. Christmas is not just the celebration of the birth of a baby, but the celebration of the birth of our Saviour and Redeemer.




2 Samuel 24:10-17: The Wonder of Mercy

Read 2 Samuel 24:10-17

Do you feel weighed down by your sin? Have you felt that realisation that your thoughts, your actions, your deeds, offend a Holy and Just God? Do you suffer, or do you come before God for forgiveness? In doing so, can you feel the relief of these lyrics: 

“A debtor to mercy alone / Of covenant mercy I sing / I come with Your righteousness on / My humble offering to bring / The judgments of Your holy law / With me can have nothing to do / My Savior’s obedience and blood / Hide all my transgressions from view”

David’s silly census brought about judgement on Israel, itself because of the way Israel had in some way acted. But despite the terrible punishment that came upon Israel for offending a Holy and Just God, there was an experience of the wonder of mercy. That same mercy is offered to you and me today, through our Saviour’s obedience and blood shed for us.

Chapter 24 of 2 Samuel provides an account of a census which David sinfully ordered, as sovereignly decreed by God. Israel had angered God, and he incited David to order the census to bring about judgement upon them.

As the census takers returned to Jerusalem with the count, David realised the depth of his sin. Unlike his sin involving Bathsheba and Uriah, David appeared to come to this realisation without any prophetic prodding. David’s “heart struck him after he had numbered the people” (v.10).

David did what any repentant sinner should do. He went to God in prayer. “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly” (v.10).

God sent word to David through his prophet, Gad, giving him three options to choose from in response to his sin (vv.11-12). David could choose three years of famine in the land, three months of running away from his foes, or three days of plague in the land (v.13). It was up to David to choose the preferred punishment.

David refused to place the fate of himself and his people in the hands of any people (however directed and restrained by God), and so, in great distress at knowing what would come, said “Let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man” (v.14).

With these words, David ruled out being pursued by enemies and the carnage they would bring behind them, and instead left it to God to choose between famine in the land or a plague, either of which would be more directly the work of God’s hand. Either through withholding the rains, or through sending disease. 

David trusted in God’s mercy, even as he and the people faced God’s judgement.

God chose the option of plague, and seventy thousand men died from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south (v.15). No part of the nation was spared. Something like five percent of the carefully tallied men of Israel and Judah passed away, making the census somewhat immediately out of date.

It was only as the angel tasked with striking down Israel’s men readied to draw his sword against Jerusalem, that now special place of God’s presence with his people, that God “relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, ‘It is enough; now stay your hand’” (v.16).

David was right about God’s mercy. God turned from completing the punishment, as his angel was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (v.16). 

David, seeing the punishment falling on his people, at the same time showed his repentance in interceding for his people, asking that the punishment would fall on him and his house instead (v.17).

David knew what we need to know, too. God is merciful and forgiving. Even though God is just and holy, and in his righteousness and holiness will execute judgement, he also does not deal to us the full measure of punishment we deserve. God stays his hand, and does not cast us to eternal death as we deserve for angering God in our sinfulness.

This is possible because one of David’s sons, Jesus, interceded for us his people, taking the punishment for our sins upon himself instead. Jesus satisfied God’s Holy and Just anger as he suffered on the Cross, and so when we seek God’s forgiveness we do so with the penalty already fully paid. In a sense, the punishment of God did fall on David’s house, just not in the sense he intended!

When we read these passages we are struck by God’s holiness and the terrible judgement that he brings on sinners, and this is right. But this passage also reminds us of God’s great mercy alongside his anger and justice. That mercy is still available today through Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. The wonder of God’s mercy is that he does not judge us as we deserve, but hides our transgressions from view.




2 Samuel 24:1-9: Sinful Census

Read 2 Samuel 24:1-9

It is probably true of all children, but mine on occasion want to know the reason why something is not allowed. There could be any number of reasons, from an arbitrary dislike, to reasons we might be willing to share, to reasons which we are not yet willing to share (but perhaps when they are older). Whether we are willing to offer the reason or not, obedience is not contingent on understanding the reasons for things. That is as true for childhood rules as it is for God’s rules.

We run smack into this truth with the final postscript of 2 Samuel 24, which centres around a census. The census itself was ordained as a means for God to punish Israel, but no reason is given why. David sinned in calling for the census, but no reason is given why. We can only assume. This passage reminds us that God’s ways are far above ours, and that includes the rules he gives. Sometimes, it is enough to simply accept the rules, and turn to Christ when we fail to keep them.

The final chapter of 2 Samuel introduces a sinful census. But there was more going on than just a sinful census. God’s disciplining hand was in action behind it. For some reason, unstated in the text, “the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel” (v.1). 

Speculation includes that this was due to the same factors that resulted in a famine, due to the breach of covenant against the Gibeonites (see ch.21), or that it was tied up in some way with Israel’s embrace of Absalom in his uprising against David. The reality is, we simply do not know. It isn’t stated.

God uses means to bring about punishment on Israel. So, according to the text, God “incited David against them, saying, ‘Go, number Israel and Judah.’” (v.1). God is not the author of sin (James 1:13-15), but God clearly ordained and used the sinful act to occur for his holy purposes. There is a lot of detailed theology and philosophy behind this. But it is clear; God is not at fault here. Israel is. And David will be at fault, and God will use this for his purposes without tainting himself with sin.

So David commanded Joab, head of the armed forces, to conduct a census over Israel, so David would know the number of people he ruled over (v.2). There seemed to be no reason why, and Joab objected (v.3).

Again, we do not know why David wanted the census. Nor why Joab objected! Perhaps David wanted to know the troops he could muster, and was sinfully relying on chariots and horses rather than God (Ps 20:7). Perhaps he had plans to expand his kingdom, beyond that which God intended. Perhaps it was because in the past, a census had required a ransom payment to God to avert disaster, and David did not arrange it (cf. Ex. 30:11-12). Perhaps Joab worried about this, or worried that a tax assessment would soon follow! We do not know.

Sadly for Israel, David’s will prevailed (v.4). So Joab and the commanders of his army engaged in the difficult task of conducting a census of Israel. Beginning in the south, the counters made their way counterclockwise through towns and villages of Israel, tallying up the heads until they arrived at Beersheba (vv.5-7).

This was not a quick affair, like our census nights. The journey took nearly ten months (v.8). Finally, Joab had counted the number of men eligible for service in Judah (the south) and the northern tribes, and reported it to David in Jerusalem (v.9). 

David had his numbers. But the price would not be worth it.

Much of what occurs is purely factual, and is told to us to set up for the events in verses to come. But it does confront us with the issue of “knowing” and when it is appropriate to know, or not.

David’s census was sinful, yet the reason is unclear to us. Do we need to know? Israel had clearly sinned and provoked God’s anger against them. Yet the reason is unclear to us. Do we need to know?

God chose to ordain David to call a census in a sinful way, so that God could punish Israel’s sin. Do we need to know why?

We like to have all the answers. We like to understand everything. David certainly wanted to know the number of fighting men he had, for his own purposes. 

There are times when God reveals things to us, or reveals his will. And there are times when he does not. God does not need to explain himself to us. We worship and answer to him, not the other way around.

This text reminds us that God’s ways are greater than ours. We do not always need to know the reasons why. Instead, we should trust in God’s greatness, listen to what he commands, and do it. And turn to his provision, Christ, when we fail to obey.