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| To Part 4 |
In everything give thanks (18a)
Verse
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Tense
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Voice
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Mood
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18
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Present
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Active
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Imperative
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We know that the emphasis is on the preposition with an
adverbial relation, in
everything. The verb give is ongoing, habitual, constantly recurring, not
continuously occurring like time or breathing. We are commanded in everything give thanks. The subject is doing the acting. The
pronoun “you” is the understood subject – “In everything [you] give thanks.”
Literally, “In everything, you keep on giving thanks.” The understood subject is
plural (cf. 1Thess 5:18b), including them and us. There are two incentives by
this expression, in
everything give thanks; it
is commanded, and Jesus is coming!
Thanksgiving
has been described as the Christian’s native emotion (Believer’s Bible Commentary on 1 Thess 5:18). The first two
commands deal with our time: always (v16), without ceasing (v17). The third
command deals with our circumstances – giving thanks to God in every circumstance of life. The basis
for this command is found in Rom 8:28. In all circumstances give thanks. This includes
affliction. In Rom 8:35-37, we are more than conquerors (a.k.a.,
super-invincibles). This was good for the Thessalonian believers; it is good
for us!
In everything, not
for everything.
“…, I would call attention to the fact it doesn't say, ‘For
everything give thanks.’ That would be hypocritical. I cannot honestly give
thanks for a lot of things, but I can give thanks in them. I can't give thanks, really, for the problems that I face,
but I can give thanks in the
problems. I don't give thanks for the trials, but I give thanks to God in the trials. If I've lost everything,
I don't thank God for the fact that I've lost everything, but I thank God in the losses, not for the losses,
because I know that God is in control of my life. I know that God is
controlling those things that happen to me because I've committed my life to
Him and I know that God loves me. And I know that God is working out a wise
plan in my life, and He is wiser than I. And I know that God can see the long
term, whereas all I can see is the short term. And so, in everything that happens
to me, because God is controlling those happenings, because God is governing my
life, I give thanks to God in
everything; that He loves me, that He's in control, that He is guiding the
things of my life, and that He's gonna work out His good eternal plan and
purposes in me. ‘In everything give
thanks’” (Chuck Smith, an American pastor on 1 Thess 5:18, 1927-2013, emphasis
mine).
For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
for you (v18b).
John MacArthur
believes that believers ought to make God’s will the practice of their
lives – “nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else” (The MacArthur Bible Commentary on 1 Thes 5:18). And these three
tough truths are part of God’s will (1 Thes 5:18b). Our will should be lost in
the will of the Master; this is slavery 101. It is the best metaphor for describing our relationship with Yahweh.
This (1 Thess 2:16-18a) is referring to these
commands. These three tough expectations are only portions of the divine will;
the will of God obviously covers a whole lot more than these.
Good luck in trying to find exclusions in
these inclusive words: attached to the commands: always
(v16), without ceasing (v17), in everything (v18). These are not PMA (positive mental attitude) platitudes
or a PMA pump-up, but really tough commands to advance under enemy fire!
The reason we can cultivate a more positive attitude is because of the
sovereignty of God. By being Spirit-controlled we are enabled to obey these
commands, even under the most trying of circumstances. These are things the
natural man will not be seen doing because he cannot do them, for those who are
lost do not have the Holy Spirit living within their heart.
In Rom 8:28, Paul is not teaching us that all things
are good, but all things work together for good for those who love (agape) Him. Even Job declared to Mrs. Job, who had lost spiritual traction, during the darkest days as man and wife and parents, from the
breathtaking devastation that had befallen them (Job 2:9),
Shall we indeed accept good from God,
and shall we not accept adversity (Job 2:10b)?
Conservative scholarship holds to the view that Job lived during the Patriarchal Age (ca. 2100-1900 B.C.: the times
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), containing no references to anything Mosaic, ca.
1445-1405 B.C.). Whoever wrote the book of Job, if not Job himself, was probably a contemporary of Job. Job
could have authored the book of Job, for there are too many intimate details
indicating firsthand knowledge. I use that argument reservedly, for
Moses in writing the book of Genesis, obviously, did not possess firsthand knowledge of the Garden of Eden.
Thus, the date of the writing of Job more
than likely preceded the Torah or Pentateuch (the first five books of Moses).
Our English Bible is arranged thematically; otherwise, Job would be the opening
book in the Old Testament rather than Genesis, if the arrangement of the books of the Bible were based solely on
chronology.
Folks, in Job’s day, there was no Bible,
only oral traditions being passed down before the flood to Enoch to his son
Methuselah to his son Lamech to his son Noah, from Noah to his sons and on down
the line until we get to inscripturated (written down) revelation. I think it
is fascinating that God was going to put to death Job’s three “friends” for saying wrong things about Him (Job 42:7). An unknown “oral code” had
been violated.
We have the complete canon of Scripture, and still, there are innumerable not
spoken of Me what is right expressions in the world by believers! When the stuff hits the fan, does the world of the lost or other believers hear or see us cry out, curse, and rant as if there is no hope by suggesting by our words and body language that there is no God upon the throne?
Do our verbal and non-verbal actions
communicate to others that we are saying wrong things about Him by questioning His character
and claim, I am the
LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I
delight in these things…
(Jer 9:29)? Are we letting situations get the best of us because we unwisely think God is unkind or made a mistake? In the crucible, we experience
the grace of God and learn that He makes no mistakes.
There is little fear of God
these days; many are dull of hearing in heeding Solomon’s words (Eccl 12:13-14).
These OT saints, like Job, were not some backwoods, redneck clans. They were
highly intelligent, and Job’s faith, particularly his patience, is something we
all need to emulate (cf. Rom 15:4; Jas 5:11) in light of the ABCs of character:
adversity breeds character!
When we fail to rejoice, we regret. When
we stop praying, we quit asking for help; seeing no need for it. When we fail to
give thanks, we become unthankful, bitter, and resentful. Rejoicing, praying,
and thanking are counter-intuitive actions that take the overwhelming moments out
of our hands and place it into His. If these three tough expectations are
active in our lives, it reveals that we are aware of God’s presence in our
life, acknowledging His sovereignty, and submitting to His authority because His
will demands our utmost for His highest. “His will be damned” is the utterance of meism and the spirit of the world of darkness. You will never see the world rejoicing, praying, or thanking when things do not go their way, because they are mad at God.
Obeying this trio of tough expectations as believers, we are proclaiming to the world of the lost that our inner attitude, as a new creation in Christ, is radically different than theirs.
Believers obeying these three commands are rare indeed for they can only come
forth from a heart whose will is lost in the will of the Master, not from a
heart full of self (Prov 4:23) and easily offended (Psa 119:165).
When the going gets tough, those who love (agape) our
Lord will, by virtue of His strength alone, will always rejoice, without
ceasing pray, and in everything give thanks because they trust in Him and accept
His will in the matter. The vault of their heart is full of the treasure of the
Word of God. They know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Yahweh will never ever violate
the truth of Scripture. These tough triplets are among a slew of expectations
that literally have no regard for the circumstances of life.
What should matter to us most is who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised. One of
those promises is that He is coming back for us and plans to meet us in the clouds. At any second, we will find ourselves returning to glory with Him! It’s a game changer that moves us forward, to do the most
peculiar things in the midst of battle: rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, and thanking God in everything. Who would
have thought!?! <><.
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| End of Series |
