November 27, 2016

Our text urges us to engage in something that we all tend to avoid: the ministry of admonishing a disobedient brother or sister in Christ. Most of us don’t like doing this. I don’t like doing it! In fact, if you like admonishing a person who is in sin, you probably shouldn’t do it! But it is a vital ministry in the body of Christ which we all need to understand and practice, in spite of our natural inclination to avoid it. Without this ministry of godly correction, many in the church will succumb to the temptations that constantly bombard us from the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Perhaps you’re thinking, “That’s the job of the pastor and elders, isn’t it? They know how to admonish better than I, so I’ll just let them do it.” Yes, admonition is especially the job of the church leaders, as we saw in verse 12 (NASB, “instruction” is “admonition”). But “brethren” in verse 12 addresses the entire church and so it is likely that “brethren” in verse 14 speaks to the same group. Not only the leaders, but also the entire church, must patiently “admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, [and] help the weak” (1 Thess. 5:14).

Other texts repeat this command. In 2 Thessalonians 3:15, with regard to anyone who does not obey Paul’s instruction in that letter, he tells the church, “Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” In Romans 15:14, Paul states, “And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.” In 1970, Jay Adams launched the biblical counseling movement with his book, Competent to Counsel [Baker], based on that verse. He called it “nouthetic” counseling, based on the Greek word for “admonish.”

Since admonishing one another is a ministry which the entire body is to engage in and since it is a vital ministry for the health of the church, my aim in this message is to help equip you regarding what this ministry is and how we should carry it out.

All believers are responsible to admonish those who are leading an undisciplined, disorderly life.

1. To admonish others, we need to overcome some common excuses.

*“I’m afraid to do that sort of thing!” Husbands and wives are often afraid to exercise this ministry toward one another. Husbands will say, “If I confronted her sin, she would give me the silent treatment for a week! She’d never let me forget it!” Wives will say, “If I confronted him with his sin, he’d explode! Besides, the Bible commands me to be submissive to him!” (Normally, wives tend to ignore that command, but they’ll use it if it gets them out of confronting their husband’s sin!)

Many pastors are afraid to confront sinning church members, especially those who wield influence in the church. I heard of a pastor who wouldn’t confront an elder who was committing adultery because he threatened to sue the church or to get the pastor fired. Another pastor refused to confront a woman who sang solos in the church, even though she was divorcing her husband for unbiblical reasons. He said that he didn’t want to touch that one for fear of stirring up a hornet’s nest! You may shrink from confronting a sinning friend for fear that he will become angry with you.

*“I don’t want to be judgmental.” “Do not judge so that you will not be judged” (Matt. 7:1), is one of the most misapplied verses in the Bible! Jesus was not forbidding making judgments about another person’s spiritual condition. If you keep reading, in verse 6 Jesus tells us not to give what is holy to dogs and not to cast our pearls before swine. You can’t obey that verse unless you judge that the other person is a dog or a swine! Rather, in the context He meant, “Don’t judge others for minor sins in their lives while you ignore major sins in your life. First, take the log out of your eye and then you can help your brother with the speck in his eye.”

But that leads to another reason why we shy away from admonishing others:

*“Who am I to correct someone else when I’ve got my own issues?” We’re afraid that if we try to talk to a brother or sister about his or her sins, they will point their finger back at us, and we know that we’re guilty as charged. So we avoid bringing up the other person’s sins in hopes that he will not bring up our sins! But that approach just allows us all to perpetuate ongoing sins! Scripture commands us to confess and forsake all known sin so that we are cleansed vessels, fit for the Master’s use (2 Tim. 2:21). We don’t have to be perfect to admonish the unruly (or it would never get done), but we do need to judge our own sins first.

*“We need to be tolerant and loving.” The secular philosopher, Allan Bloom, pointed out thirty years ago (The Closing of the American Mind [Simon & Schuster]) that tolerance has become the chief “virtue” in Western civilization. If you call anyone’s behavior, no matter how outrageous, “evil” or “wrong,” you’re viewed as arrogant and intolerant, which is the only sin. He wrote (p. 27), “There is no enemy other than the man who is not open to everything.” But it is not loving to be tolerant of someone’s sin. Sin always damages the sinner and those who are sinned against. Sin destroys Christian families. Worse, when those who profess to be Christians continue in sin, it tarnishes God’s glory before the world. If we truly love others and seek God’s glory, we will be intolerant of their sin!

*“Maybe the problem will go away on its own.” Yes, sometimes the Holy Spirit convicts the sinning person without anyone’s intervention, leading to repentance. God is patient and gracious with us in our imperfection. And, there is wisdom in praying for the person to repent and waiting for the right time to admonish him about his sin. But usually God uses the ministry of a faithful believer to bring the sinning person to repentance.

*“Maybe the elders or someone else should do it. I’m just not good at this sort of thing!” Sometimes the elders should be the ones to admonish the unruly. But the general principle is that if you know the person, you will be more effective helping him turn from his sin than an elder who doesn’t know him as well as you do. If you need coaching, an elder can provide that and help you grow in the process. But it is not loving to distance ourselves from a fellow believer and passively watch him continue in sin. So we need to overcome these excuses and lovingly admonish the unruly.

2. To admonish correctly, we need to discern the other person’s spiritual condition and understand what admonition is.

A. To admonish correctly, we need to discern the other person’s spiritual condition.

1 Thess. 5:14; “We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” One approach doesn’t fit all! You should not encourage the unruly nor admonish the fainthearted or weak. “Unruly,” was often used in military contexts to mean, “to be out of step, out of order, undisciplined, unbridled, or to act irresponsibly” (Gerhard Delling, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament [Eerdmans], ed. by Gerhard Kittel, 8:47). When I was in the Coast Guard boot camp, sometimes a wise guy in our unit would deliberately march out of step or turn left when we were commanded to turn right. At times, this was funny, but if we were carrying rifles over our shoulders, it could be dangerous if you caught someone’s rifle in your face.

Here, Paul may be referring to those who had quit their jobs in anticipation of the Lord’s near coming and were sponging off the rest of the church. He alludes to this in 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, and directly addresses it at length in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12. He describes these brothers as “leading an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us” (2 Thess. 3:6). He states further (2 Thess. 3:11) that they were “leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.” They may have been teaching falsely that the day of the Lord had already come (2 Thess. 2:1-2). So their disobedience probably went beyond not working. They were generally out of line in their Christian lives.

So to admonish correctly, we first need to determine where the other person is at spiritually. If he is fainthearted or weak, he doesn’t need admonishing, but encouragement or help. If he’s spiritually immature, he needs gentle instruction in how to grow up in the Lord. When my kids were little, I tried to discern whether they were acting immaturely or being defiant. If a three-year-old is acting like a three-year-old, you try to help him behave in a better way. If a ten-year-old is acting like a three-year-old, he needs stronger correction. But if any child is defying your authority as a parent, you need to make it very clear that they can’t do that, even if they are tired or hungry. So before you admonish another person, try to gauge his spirit. Ask some questions to discern his spiritual condition.

B. To admonish correctly, understand what admonition is.

To admonish means to strongly encourage, correct, or warn someone to change from behavior that is wrong or potentially wrong according to Scripture. It is related to the word for “mind,” so it involves imparting knowledge, understanding, or instruction with a view toward correction. But it is also an appeal to the will and feelings, not just to the intellect (F. Selter, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology [Zondervan], ed. by Colin Brown, 1:568). The intensity of our appeal to the person needs to be in proportion to the level of danger that he is in, so that he feels our genuine concern or even alarm. If someone is cruising toward a deadly waterfall, you’ve got to use some emotion to warn him!

It’s crucial that you use the Bible and not your own opinion when you admonish someone. If you say, “In my opinion, looking at pornography is spiritually dangerous,” the other person may reply, “Thanks, but in my opinion, everyone does it and it’s really harmless as long as you aren’t addicted to it.” But if you take the person to Matthew 5:27-30, where Jesus says that the person who doesn’t take radical measures to rid his life of lust is headed for hell, it has a lot more clout than your opinion does!

When you admonish someone who is unruly, you should expect resistance. Often the person who is straying from the Lord will be defensive, because he doesn’t want to face his sin. Or, he will blame others or blame his circumstances, because he doesn’t want to admit that he is responsible for it. Sometimes he will try to divert your admonition by bringing up some fault or shortcoming he sees in your life. Be prepared so that you don’t respond in anger or allow the conversation to shift to you. One way to diffuse tension is to ask pointed questions: “Are you telling me before God that you’re not looking at pornography? Do you think that He approves of your behavior?”

But no matter how gently you confront the sinning person, it’s easy to come across as harsh or judgmental. So how can we admonish the unruly without condemning him?

3. To admonish others, we need to be prayerful, humble, Christlike, and knowledgeable of God’s word.

A. To admonish others, be prayerful.

Talk to God much about the person before you try to talk to the person about God. If you’re eager to admonish, you should probably wait and spend more time in prayer. When you finally do meet with the person, you can begin by saying, “I’ve been praying a lot for you lately, because I’m really concerned about where I sense that you’re at spiritually.”

B. To admonish others, be humble.

Don’t come down on the other person as if you live a sinless life and you can’t understand why he is sinning! You’re just as prone to temptation and sin as he is. The next time, he may be admonishing you. Paul instructs (Gal. 6:1), “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.” None of us are above temptation!

C. To admonish others, be Christlike.

“You who are spiritual” means, “You who walk in the Spirit and display the fruit of the Spirit,” which Paul has just described in the preceding context (Gal. 5:22-23): “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Admonition normally should be bathed in patience, kindness, and gentleness.

Granted, sometimes Jesus confronted His disciples bluntly and forcefully (Matt. 16:23): “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” The apostle Paul, filled with the Spirit, said to Elymas the magician, who was trying to turn the proconsul in Cyprus away from the faith (Acts 13:10-11): “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” So there is a place for strong, direct confrontation. But it’s easy to operate in the flesh and not in the Spirit, so my counsel is to default toward patience, kindness, and gentleness.

D. To admonish others, know God’s word, especially as it relates to the problem at hand.

You want to appeal to God’s authority, not to your opinion. To do that, you’ve got to know what God’s word commands and where you can find that command in Scripture. You want to offer not only rebuke and correction, but also training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). So you need to offer practical biblical help for how the person can gain victory over his sin. Your aim is never to prove that the sinning person is wrong and leave him feeling guilty, but rather to help him turn from his sin and be restored to the Lord.

So, to admonish others biblically, we need to overcome our excuses. We need to discern the other person’s spiritual condition and understand what biblical admonition is. We need to be prayerful, humble, Christlike, and knowledgeable of God’s word. Finally:

4. To admonish others, we must be passionate, personal, persistent, purposeful, and preventative.

A. To admonish others be passionate.

As Paul told the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:31), “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.” His tears showed them how much he cared for them. Paul admonished his converts as a loving father would warn his children (1 Cor. 4:14): “I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.” You want the other person to feel your concern for him. If you know about a brother who is in sin and you shrug your shoulders and say, “Whatever! It’s his life!” you aren’t loving your brother.

B. To admonish others be personal.

Paul says that he admonished each one. In Colossians 1:28, he sums up his approach to ministry: “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.” Certainly there is a place for admonishing a group through preaching (2 Tim. 4:2), but sometimes the sermon goes right by a person who is in sin. He won’t get it until you sit down with him personally and help him apply God’s word to his specific problem.

C. To admonish others be persistent.

Paul admonished the Ephesian elders night and day for three years. This means that he did it over and over as needed. Don’t give up if the person doesn’t respond immediately. This doesn’t mean that you should nag or hound him, but rather that you don’t give up after the first try and say, “I tried, but he wouldn’t listen!” Where would you be right now if the Lord had given up on you after the first try?

D. To admonish others be purposeful.

Your goal is not to embarrass the other person or to put him down, but to help him be “complete in Christ” (Col. 1:28). Your aim is for his life to glorify God.

E. To admonish others be preventative.

This is implied in Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” It should also happen through biblical preaching, which includes reproving, rebuking, and exhorting with great patience and instruction (2 Tim. 4:2). In the home, fathers should be doing preventative admonition (Eph. 6:4): “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” “Instruction” is the Greek word for admonition or correction. Fathers should take the lead in training their children in the Lord, but this does not exclude mothers. When I was a young father, an older godly man whose father wrote the chorus, “Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me,” exhorted me, “Read the Bible and pray with your family often.” It was wise counsel and I pass it on to every father here.

Conclusion

But maybe you’re still hesitant to admonish another believer because of verses like Proverbs 10:12, which states, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.” Peter alludes to that verse (1 Pet. 4:8), “Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.” And, Proverbs 19:11 states, “A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook a transgression.” Don’t these verses mean that we should overlook others’ sins rather than correcting them?

First, as I said earlier, we need to distinguish between spiritual immaturity and deliberate disobedience of God’s clear commands. If a person needs to grow up, gently come alongside and help him see where and how he can grow. Or if a person has inadvertently offended you, you may need to absorb it unless it’s a repeated pattern. But if he’s violating God’s word, he needs to be admonished, so that he doesn’t reap the consequences of sin.

Also (here I’m indebted to Stuart Scott, The Exemplary Husband [Focus Publishing], pp. 361-363; see, also his helpful chapter 15, “A Husband’s Resolve: Helping His Wife Deal with Her Sin”), the commands to cover others’ sins are not in contradiction of the Scriptures that exhort us to go to the person who sins in an effort to restore him (Matt. 18:15; Gal. 6:1; 2 Tim. 2:24-26). Stuart Scott explains (ibid. p. 363, italics his), “‘Love covers (or conceals) a multitude of sins’ means, love does not take into consideration, bring up, or share sins that have already been dealt with.” He adds, “We cannot gather from any of these verses that God wants us to do nothing about sin. Instead, He wants us to react in a godly way, deal with sin His way and then truly forgive by covering it.”

Paul sums up this ministry of admonition or correction in one sentence (2 Tim. 2:24-26): “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” Don’t be quarrelsome. Be kind. Teach God’s word. Be patient and gentle. Pray for God to grant repentance. But, do it! It’s a ministry we all want to avoid, but it’s a vital ministry for the spiritual health of God’s people. So, do it!

Application Questions

1. Which aspect of giving biblical admonition is the most difficult for you? Why? How can you overcome it?
2. How can you know when to correct someone and when to let his or her faults go? What biblical guidelines apply?
3. Does a wife’s submission to her husband mean that she should not admonish him regarding his sins? Why/why not?
4. We are to admonish with kindness and gentleness, but both Jesus and Paul gave some sharp rebukes (Matt. 16:23; 17:17; 23:1-36; Acts 13:9-11). How can we know how strongly to admonish those in sin?

Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation

All of us need to recognize that we are not as self-reliant as we may at times think. Everyone is dependent on someone or something, whether he is poor and needy or seemingly “healthy, wealthy and wise.” Ultimately we must understand that God is the one who is in control and come to learn that we should depend on his guidance and leading.

In the Bible Deuteronomy is an excellent source for such information and instruction, for it declares unconditionally that the Scriptures contain significant standards for proper godly living.

Thus Moses tells the people of Israel, “Listen, Israel to the statutes and ordinances that I am about to deliver to you today; learn them and be careful to keep them” (Deut 5:1; cf. 6:1-3). Moses goes on to underscore this truth saying,

Listen, Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You must love the LORD your God with your whole mind, your whole being, and all your strength. (Deut 6:4-5)¹

Truly, if anyone is to enjoy fully this love and life before the Lord he must do what God has commanded (cf. Deut 31:12) and “Learn to revere the LORD your God always” (Deut 14:23). This includes all people, even rulers:

When he sits on his royal throne, he must make a copy of this law in a scroll given to him by the Levitical priests. It must be with him constantly and he must read it as long as he lives, so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and observe all the words of this law and these statutes and carry them out. (Deut 17:18-19)

Although these words were directed as instructions to the people of Israel’s covenant living before God, the basic principles in them were to remain true and applicable to all people of all times. Moreover, the completed Scriptures reveal fully God’s standards for living before him:

Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and  for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may capable and equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17)

Indeed, the Bible has much more to tell us concerning the need to learn from them so as to lean on the Lord and not follow any selfish desires for living. In what follows, we shall note some very important details as to the truth.

The Importance of Learning God’s Standards

The psalmist points out the value of learning from God’s revealed word:

It was good for me to suffer,
so that I might learn your statutes.
…….
Your hands made me and formed me.
Give me understanding so that I might learn your commands.
Your loyal followers will be glad when they see me,
For I find hope in your word. (Ps. 119: 71, 73-74)

Leupold observes that:

God’s goodness, manifested also in the affliction which He permits His servant to suffer, drives him closer to the Word.
…….
When God delivers His servant who has kept His Word, such deliverance will mightily comfort others of God’s saints.²

Thus not only was the psalmist’s trust in God and his Word of distinct personal value, but his reliance became a fine spiritual example to others as to proper living in the presence of the omnipotent God of the universe. Not only was learning God’s statutes a key to righteous living, but he could praise the Lord and ask for his guidance and preservation in any and all circumstances (cf. vv.77-80).

Isaiah applies this truth to social justice: “Learn to do what is right! Promote justice! (Isa. 1:17).

Thus the believer is to keep himself spiritually and morally pure and allow God’s righteous standards to guide his living before the Lord. Indeed, such should be an underlying motivation for members of society and, if followed, could cause a significant transformation (cf. vv. 18-20).

Later, Isaiah tells the Lord:

I long for you in the night;
Yes, my spirit within me diligently seeks You,
For when your judgments are in the land,
The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Similarly, Paul warns his readers against a wrong life of love for self and not for the Lord or the good of all:

Now implore you, brothers, watch out for those who cause dissensions and pitfalls contrary to the doctrine you have learned. Avoid them; for such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. (Rom. 16:17-18; NASB)

As Moo suggests, “These false teachers are interested in their own pleasure…. They are not serving our Lord Christ.”³ Hodge adds the further caution, “The description her given is applicable, in a great degree, to errorists in all ages. ⁴

Quite frequently in learning is applied to matters of a person’s own life. Thus an old Persian proverb declares: “One pound of learning requires 10 pounds of common sense to apply it.”⁵

Similarly, It is said in the Harvard Business Review:

To look is one thing.
To see what you look at is another.
To understand what you see is a third.
To learn from what you understand is still something else.
But to act on what you learn is all that really matters, isn’t it?⁶

Even more important is the standard expressed in the Word of God. There believers are instructed to learn to do that which is right in the sight of the Lord. Such is learned by reading and applying these standards to one’s personal life. As I have noted elsewhere,

Worldly success and pleasures as well as a lack of compliance with the Lord’s standards can all too easily cause spiritual compromise in one’s life. Spiritual failure is not only damaging to our lives, but it can and often does have a detrimental effect on others, especially our family and friends…. Genuine spiritual wisdom is a continuing, growing, and maturing process (Prov. 9:9-10; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:9), which is nurtured through faith and adherence to the Word of God (2 Tim. 3:15) as well as prayer (James 1:5-6).⁷

Probably before his accumulation of wealth and worldly success, Solomon wrote:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding.
Acknowledge him in all your ways,
and he will make your paths straight. (Prov.3:5-6)

As Michael Fox writes,

Trusting… means believing that all that happens in your life, including suffering, is God’s will and that it is motivated by his kindness, because it allows you a chance to reform. …Knowledge of God is an attitude, awareness of what he wants as well as a desire to do it.⁸

Paul tells the Philippian Christians that they must learn and practice the right way of living: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely whatever is commendable, if something excellent of praiseworthy think about these things.” (Phil 4:8)

Believers should be examples of those who are noted for their honesty and truthfulness, and high moral qualities, so much so that they are commended and respected for their committed spiritual faithfulness. Paul not only the need for living in this way but so conducted himself as to cite his own manner of life as an example to be followed: “ And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you” (Phil. 4:9). As Comfort remarks,

Paul was a man whose mind had been renewed by Christ and whose life exhibited the virtues of one who was Christlike. As such, he was bold in telling others to follow his example and thereby live in the peace of God.⁹

Not only will such a life provide incentive to others for Christian living but it will bring God’s support and guidance. As O’Brien rightly points out, “Since the gift of his peace cannot be separated from his presence as the giver, these two assurances are closely related in meaning.”¹⁰ So it is that, “By living in daily communion with the Lord through prayer and study of his word believers may learn to think his thoughts after him and so experience peace in all its fullness (Phil. 4:4-9)”.¹¹

A basic means to enjoying such a salvation is found in the Scriptures. There Paul reminds Timothy that he should, “Continue in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know who taught you and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:14-15). Paul reminds Timothy that he has received instructions for living not only from reliable human sources but, more importantly, from the Scriptures where he learned about the full significance of salvation in Christ Jesus. Therefore,

Timothy must “continue”… in what he has learned and become convinced of, for he has received it on good authority, both from human sources—esp. Paul (v. 10) and his mother and grandmother(1:5…) —and ultimately from “the holy Scriptures”… Timothy has known them “from infancy” … and they are able to “make… [him] wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”¹² Moreover, such comes not from sheer motives but through his spiritual union with Christ.¹³ Timothy has also received encouragement through the godly example of other believers. Thus,

Timothy himself had had by now sufficient experience and opportunity for reflection to have personally confirmed for himself the correctness and reliability of these things. Paul affirmed the truthfulness and trustworthiness of Timothy’s teachers as a confirmation of the truth of what he had received. The allusion may also include a broader personal knowledge of the individuals, their lives and conduct.”¹⁴

Accordingly, believers should immerse themselves in the scriptures as well as note their impact on the lives of those who are dedicated to Christ. As the hymn writer proclaims,

Thy Word is a lamp to my feet,
A light to my path alway,
To guide and to save me from sin
And show me the heav’nly way.
Thy Word have I hid in my heart
That I might not sin against Thee.¹⁵

This will result in godly lives, which are evidenced in many practical ways here in this life. Believers, and especially church leaders, should learn and be ready to do good. Thus Paul tells Titus (Tit 3:1-2) to inform his people of a sevenfold Christian standard: “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work. They must not slander anyone, but be peaceable, gentle, showing complete courtesy to all people.” Such a standard would include believers demonstrating true godliness by learning to respect and support their own families, especially widows, children, and grandchildren (cf.1Tim. 5:1-8). Thus Belleview points out, in society at the time of early church, “Where widows had close relatives, it was their relatives’ responsibility and not the church’s to provide financial support…. For believers to fail to provide for their own was to fail to present an authentic Christian witness.”¹⁶

More extensively, Jesus once reminded his listeners, “Go and learn what this saying means, ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’” Thus Jesus cites Hosea 6:6 as an example of what the Lord expects of his people. Indeed, “What the Lord desired was His people’s heart and devotion, not outward ritual (cf. Isa 1:11).”¹⁷

Here, Hosea recorded God’s great disappointment and frustration with his people. Despite all that he had done for them and despite the constant warnings that the Lord’s prophets had delivered, God’s people remained spiritually unmoved….God wanted their heartfelt affection, and he wanted them to know him experientially. Mere ritual sacrifice would not do.¹⁸

Accordingly, Jesus adopts the Lord’s words through Hosea to point out the basic necessity for helping those in need. It is especially true that Christians should learn to learn to have a deep concern for the unsaved and do what they can to bring them to Christ.

The Christian life, then, is one of lifelong learning. Indeed, even Christ in his earthly pilgrimage, “Learned obedience through what he suffered” (Heb 5:8). It was not that Jesus was disobedient. Rather,

The sufferings which Jesus endured were the necessary price of His obedience—more than that, they were part and parcel of His obedience, the very means by which He fulfilled the will of God.¹⁹

Moreover, such was an essential part of his ministry as mankind’s Redeemer. What an example Jesus displayed. For in giving his life he not only provided for man’s redemption, but by his total obedience he demonstrated that no believer should shrink from any task that the Lord lays before him, whatever the cost. May we, then, be faithful throughout our whole life, even to the point of death. As I have noted elsewhere, “Such becomes more realizable when the believer allows himself to be led by the indwelling Holy Spirit, for faithfulness is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). Moreover, faithfulness to God should be a burning desire in the believer’s heart.”²⁰

Summary

In light of the above truths concerning leaning, believers need to follow the longstanding admonition of Solomon:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3:5-6, NIV)

Such will result in godly living and the Lord’s guidance so that the believer may truthfully follow Paul’s advice to the Colossians:

Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and firm in your faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with faithfulness.” (Col. 2:6-7)

Believers that learn to lean on the Lord, not self, can agree with Stallings:

Learning to lean, learning to lean,
I’m learning to lean on Jesus;
Finding more power than I’d ever dreamed,
I’m learning lean on Jesus.²¹

In doing so may we sing the Lord’s praises with Elisha Hoffman,

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms!
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms! ²²

¹ Unless otherwise noted, all scriptural citations are taken from the NET.

² H.C. Leupold, Exposition of the Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker, reprint edition, 19: 837, 839.

³ Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, in The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996), 931.

⁴ Charles Hodge, Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1953), 450

⁵ See Lloyd Cory, Quotable Quotations  (Wheaton, Il:  Victor Books, 1985), 212.

⁶ Harvard Business Review as cited in Ibid.

⁷ Richard D. Patterson. “Wiser Than Solomon, Biblical Studies Press (2013), 8,9.

⁸ Michael V. Fox, Proverbs 1-9 in The Anchor Bible (New York: Doubleday, 2000), 148, 149.

⁹ Philip W. Comfort,  “ Philippians,” Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, 18 vols. (Carol Stream  IL:  Tyndale  House, 2008) 16: 217.  

¹⁰ Peter T. O’Brien, The Epistle to the Philippians, in The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991), 512.

¹¹ Richard D. Patterson, “Fruit of the Spirit,” Biblical Studies Press (2010), 3

¹² Andrea Kȫstenberger, “1 and 2 Timothy,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, eds. Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland, 13 vols. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006) 12:590-91.

¹³ See further, I. Howard Marshall, “The Pastoral Epistles,”  in The International Critical Commentary on the Holy Scriptures of The Old and New Testaments, ed. J.A. Emerton (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1999), 789-90.

¹⁴ Jon C. Laansma “2 Timothy” in Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, 17: 196.

¹⁵ Earnest O. Sellers, Thy Word Have I Hid In My Heart.”

¹⁶ Linda Belleview, “1Timothy,” in Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, 17: 97.

¹⁷ Richard D. Patterson,  Hosea: An Exegetical Commentary (Richardson, TX: Biblical Studies Press, 2009), 66.

¹⁸ Richard D. Patterson, “Hosea,” in Richard D. Patterson and Andrew E. Hill, “Hosea-Malachi,” Cornerstone Biblical Commentary ,10:44.

¹⁹ F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, The New International Commentary on The New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964) 104.

²⁰ Richard D. Patterson, “Faithful To The End,”  Bible.org. , 2015, 13.

²¹ John Stallings, “Learning To Lean.”

²² Elisha A. Hoffman, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.”

Introduction

In the days of Jesus’ earthly life the Messianic expectation was at its highest pitch. Christ’s public ministry was surrounded by controversy as He claimed to be Messiah Himself. In His debate with the Jewish religious leaders, Christ quoted from Psalm 82 to prove His Messianic credentials. His citation of Psalm 82:6 must be explored within the larger context of John’s Gospel.

Recall, in John 9, that our Lord had just healed a man who had been blind since birth, thereby demonstrating that He was the “light of the world” (John 9:5). While the blind man came to faith, the Jewish religious leaders willfully closed their eyes to the identity of Jesus as Israel’s Messiah. In the tenth chapter of John’s Gospel Jesus claimed to be the “Good Shepherd,” the door through whom everyone must enter in order to be saved. As the Good Shepherd He promised to lay down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). This statement caused a division among the Jews (10:19). Some insisted that He had a demon and ought to be ignored, while others found it difficult to believe that a demon-possessed man could give sight to a man born blind (10:20-21).

The Jews gathered about our Lord, urging Him to speak forthrightly. Was He the Messiah or not (10:24)? His answer was clear enough for those who believed. He had previously revealed His identity but the majority did not believe. They did not believe because they were not His sheep. Those who were His sheep heard His voice, but the rest did not. Those whom God gave the Son believed and no one could snatch them from the Father’s hand. Climactically, Jesus boldly announced, “I and the Father are one” (10:30).

This seemingly heretical acclamation enraged our Lord’s enemies. They took up stones to put Him to death. This statement was blasphemy in their view. To this charge our Lord responded by quoting from Psalm 82:6: “‘I said, you are gods’” (John 10:34). If God could call those “gods” to whom the word of God had come, why was it wrong for Jesus to claim to be God? Our Lord’s defense did not convince most of His opponents. They attempted to put Him to death, but He eluded their grasp (10:39).

We can hardly be surprised that any argument would fail to convince those so opposed to our Lord. Let me ask you though, my friend, how convincing do you find our Lord’s defense? I must admit that I have always been inclined to think of the Lord’s use of Psalm 82 as more clever than convincing. Wasn’t Jesus just embarrassing His enemies by the use of an ingenious debating technique? At best, wouldn’t our Lord’s argument have proven Him to be a “god” only in the same sense that all men are “gods”? Isn’t this an argument which the cults could use to prove that men can be “gods” in the same way Christ claimed to be? Doesn’t our Lord’s use of Psalm 82 create more problems than it solves?

It was only when a puzzled Christian asked me what our Lord meant in John 10 that I turned to Psalm 82 to try to understand its message. As I have come to a better understanding of Psalm 82 I have also been able to appreciate how well the text our Lord quoted justified His claim to be God. Psalm 82 not only showed that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah, it also had a very pointed message to those who had rejected Him and were attempting to put Him to death. Furthermore, I have come to see that Psalm 82 has a very awesome word to those of us who live in the 20th century. Let us look then to Psalm 82 for a word from God which should challenge our lives as much as it did those who lived so many years ago.

God’s Court Is Convened
(82:1)

1 A Psalm of Asaph. God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers. (NASB)

This psalm begins on a very solemn note. Asaph, the author of this psalm, describes God as a judge who is convening His court in order to pronounce charges. God is said to “take His stand in His own congregation” (v. 1, NASB). The expression “to take a stand” is indicative of the serious nature of the indictment which God is about to make.¹²⁷ God has taken His stand for the purpose of pronouncing judgment, which the second line of verse 1 indicates, “He judges in the midst of the rulers” (v. 2, NASB). God has taken His stand “in His own congregation” (v. 1, NASB). Literally this expression would be rendered, “in the congregation of God” (cf. marginal note, NASB). I agree with others¹²⁸ that this phrase is best understood in terms of the congregation of Israel. God has taken His stand in the assembly or congregation of His people, Israel, to pronounce judgment upon them.

The second line of verse 1 identifies those whom God has determined to judge. God judges in the midst of the “gods” (v. 1, margin, NASB). The Hebrew word elohim, is rendered “rulers” in the NASB. Elohim is a common designation for God in the Old Testament. Its precise meaning here has been the subject of considerable discussion. It is not only crucial to a proper interpretation of this psalm, it is also essential for an understanding of our Lord’s use of Psalm 82:6 (where the word elohim once again occurs) in the tenth chapter of John.

There are several explanations of who the “gods” are in verses 1 and 6. The first is the view which understands the “gods” to be the mythical gods of the surrounding nations.¹²⁹ Another is that the “gods” are the human rulers of the nations which are oppressing Israel.¹³⁰ Yet another explanation is that the elohim are angels, a view surprisingly held by Kidner.¹³¹

The most reasonable explanation is the view most widely held over the centuries.¹³² The “gods” referred to in Psalm 82:1 and 6 are the rulers of Israel, who have failed to carry out their responsibilities as God’s representatives in the ruling of the nation. Several lines of evidence support this interpretation:

(1) The way elohim is used elsewhere in the Old Testament. The term elohim almost always refers to the one and only God, the God of Israel (Deut. 4:35,39). It sometimes refers to the so-called “gods” of the heathen (e.g. Judg. 11:24; 1 Kings 18:24). The term also occasionally identifies “… rulers, judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power …”¹³³ Several passages may use elohim in this sense:

“Moreover, he [Aaron] shall speak for you [Moses] to the people; and it shall come about that he shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be as God [elohim] to him” (Exod. 4:16).

Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I make you as God [elohim] to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet” (Exod. 7:1).

“Then his master shall bring him to God [elohim, or, the judges who acted in God’s name, margin, NASB], then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently” (Exod. 21:6).

“If the thief is not caught, then the owner of the house shall appear before the judges [elohim], to determine whether he laid his hands on his neighbor’s property. For every breach of trust, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any lost thing about which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before the judges [elohim]; he whom the judges [elohim] condemn shall pay double to his neighbor” (Exod. 22:8,9).

The teaching of the Bible is that man was created in God’s image to reign and to rule as a vice regent over the earth (Gen. 1:26,28; cf. also Ps. 8:6; Rom. 8:17-21; 2 Tim. 2:12). Rulers are appointed by God to carry out His purposes of restraining evil and rewarding those who do what is good (cf. Rom. 13:1-4). In this sense rulers not only act for God; they, in a sense, act as God (as “gods”):

And he said to the judges, “Consider what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the Lord who is with you when you render judgment. Now then let the fear of the Lord be upon you; be very careful what you do, for the Lord our God will have no part in unrighteousness, or partiality, or the taking of a bribe” (2 Chron. 19:6-7).

(2) The Scriptures teach that men are responsible for the actions commanded in verses 3-4 and those condemned in verse 2. The Old Testament Law commanded the Israelites to care for the needy, the helpless, and the oppressed:

“You shall not pervert the justice due an alien or an orphan, nor take a widow’s garment in pledge. But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing. When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands” (Deut. 24:17-19; cf. also Exod. 23:2-3, 6-9; Lev. 19:15, 33-34; Deut. 1:17).

This passage suggests that all of the injustices and sufferings of Israel while in Egyptian bondage were intended to make God’s people sensitive to the plight of the weak and the oppressed.

What the Law commanded, Proverbs and the prophets reiterated:

“Open your mouth for the dumb, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy” (Prov. 31:8-9).

‘Thus says the Lord, “Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place”’ (Jer. 22:3).

(3) The condemnation found in Psalm 82 is elsewhere clearly directed against Israel and particularly its leaders, both in the Old and New Testaments:

Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods?¹³⁴ Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men? No, in heart you work unrighteousness; on earth you weigh out the violence of your hands (Ps. 58:1-2).

The Lord arises to contend, and stands¹³⁵ to judge the people. The Lord enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people, “It is you who have devoured the vineyard; the plunder of the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing My people, and grinding the face of the poor?” declares the Lord God of hosts (Isa. 3:13-15, cf. also Ezek. 34:1-6).

“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues, and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation” (Luke 20:46-47).

(4) Finally the use of the word shaphat in the Old Testament indicates that elohim refers to Israelite rulers. I am convinced that a key to the interpretation of this psalm is a proper understanding of the Hebrew word shaphat, which occurs four times (NASB: “judges,” v. 1; “judge,” v. 2; “vindicate,” v. 3; “judge,” v. 8). Unfortunately the English translation “judge” most often falls short of the much broader nuance of the Hebrew term. In the United States, our government has three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. At least in theory these three branches are separated to guard against dictatorial rule by a minority. An American thus thinks of “judging” merely as passing judgment in legal disputes, but to the Hebrew mind shaphat would encompass all three functions of governing.¹³⁶

The verb, “judge,” in the Old Testament has a variety of meanings: (1) To act as a ruler, whether as a congregation (Num. 18:22-28), as an individual judge (Deut. 1:16; Judg. 16:31; 1 Sam. 7:16), or as a king (1 Sam. 8:5-6; 2 Chron. 1:10-11, “rule” NASB). Messiah will rule the earth (Ps. 72:12-15; 96:13; Isa. 11:1-5) in the future. (2) To judge in cases of controversy or litigation (Exod. 18:16). (3) To punish (Ezek. 7:3,8; 16:38; 23:24). (4) To defend the rights of men, especially the helpless and the afflicted (“deliver,” 1 Sam. 24:15, NASB; “vindicate,” Ps. 10:18, NASB; “freed,” 2 Sam. 18:19, NASB).

Perhaps the breadth of the meaning of the term shaphat is best illustrated in Psalm 72, a song of Solomon which characterizes the reign of a righteous king. (In verse 4 shaphat occurs and is rendered “vindicate.”) The righteous king rules in righteousness (v. 2). He cares for the afflicted (vv. 2,4,12-14). Under him the righteous prosper (vv. 7,16), while the wicked are crushed (v. 4). To judge righteously is to rule as the righteous king described by Solomon in Psalm 72.

God has convened His court in the midst of the congregation of Israel. In particular, His grievance is with the leaders of the nation Israel. The specifics of the indictment are outlined in verse 2.

God’s Indictment
(82:2)

2 How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked? Selah. (NASB)

Those being rebuked in Psalm 82 are, first and foremost, Israel’s rulers, who were responsible to promote justice, to punish evildoers, and to defend the weak and the oppressed. Verse 2 indicates that Israel’s leaders had failed in their responsibilities. Injustice was promoted and the wicked were honored and treated with partiality (literally, their face was lifted, almost in the sense that a benediction was pronounced on them). The expression “how long” implies unjust judgment and partiality had been long standing. Unrighteous leadership was not the exception; it was the norm.

The mood of the Psalm suggests that God’s patience with the corrupt leadership was exhausted. Verses 2-4 contain the response of the Supreme Judge of the universe, the Righteous Ruler of the earth. Partiality and unjust judgment must come to an end. More than this, righteous rule must be restored. Verses 3 and 4 state positively what those who stand in God’s place as rulers must do.

The Change Commanded
(82:3-4)

3 Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. 4 Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. (NASB)

The weak, fatherless and afflicted must be cared for and protected from wicked men since their vulnerability made them easy prey. Evil rulers not only fail to reward those who do good, and to punish the wicked, they actually prey upon the weak and the defenseless. Through Ezekiel God condemned Israel’s leaders, her shepherds, for failing to care for the flock and also for devouring it:

Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them”’” (Ezek. 34:1-4).

Likewise, the Lord sternly condemned the scribes for “devouring widow’s houses” (Luke 20:46-47).

The test of a godly leader is what he does on behalf of the poor and the oppressed. Anyone will gladly come to the aid of one who has power and prestige, who is able to return the favor. Our Lord teaches that we are tested in terms of what we do for the “least of our brethren”:

“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me’” (Matt. 25:40).

God has a particular concern for those who are powerless, poor, and without adequate human protection. Any ruler who is to reflect God in His administration must have the same concern for the oppressed and the afflicted.

Unrighteous Rule:
Its Causes and Consequences
(82:5-7)

5 They do not know nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are shaken. 6 I said, “You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High. 7 Nevertheless you will die like men, And fall like any one of the princes.” (NASB)

It is difficult to dogmatically determine the antecedent of the pronoun “they” in verse 5. Are “they” the wicked previously spoken of in verses 2-4, or are “they” the weak and the needy who are oppressed by the wicked? Perhaps both are in view, since those who lead often infect others with their own ailments. The sins of the fathers are visited on the sons (Exod. 20:5). In the New Testament Jesus called the wicked religious leaders “blind leaders of the blind” (Matt. 15:14), who fell into the pit, along with their followers. Thus both ungodly leaders and those who follow them lack understanding, so that they grope about as in the darkness. A similar condition is described by Hosea:

So you will stumble by day, and the prophet also will stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children (Hos. 4:5-6).

The lack of knowledge and understanding referred to in Psalm 82:5 is explained in the Book of Jeremiah:

“For My people are foolish, they know Me not; they are stupid children, and they have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, but to do good they do not know” (Jer. 4:22).

“Did not your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?” declares the Lord. “But your eyes and your heart are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, and on shedding innocent blood and on practicing oppression and extortion” (Jer. 22:15b-17).

Israel’s leaders, who are brought to the judgment bar of God in Psalm 82, do not know God. Their ignorance and lack of knowledge is evidenced by their injustice and oppression of the afflicted and needy.

Since the nations were to be established on righteousness and justice (Prov. 16:12; 24:3; 25:5; 29:14), when the wicked rule the foundations are shaken (Ps. 82:5). When the Lord reigns the world is firmly settled:

The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved (Ps. 93:1).

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns; Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity (Ps. 96:10).

Verse 6 is crucial, both to this psalm and to the argument which our Lord bases upon its citation in John 10. “I said, ‘You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High.’” Earthly rulers must be reminded of the fact that they are to act in God’s place. They are to exercise power in His name. They are also to act in accord with His character and His commands. As the apostle Paul put it, an earthly ruler is “… a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil” (Rom. 13:4). If we do what is good we will “… have praise from the same” (Rom. 13:3). Earthly rulers are only “god-like” when they rule as God would rule.

Verse 6 also serves to remind human magistrates that they are in a position of authority because God appointed them (cf. Rom. 13:1). Often, when human rulers obtain power and prestige, they forget the source of their authority. Thus Nebuchadnezzar had to be humbled by living as a beast:

“King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whomever He wishes” (Dan. 4:31b-32).

It is possible that the second line of verse 6 is the kind of (synonymous) poetic parallelism which merely restates the thought of the first in different words. I am inclined to think that the second line builds upon the first. While the first line addresses only the rulers, the second broadens the scope of God’s warning to include the entire community of Israel (“all of you”). Now, of course, this may mean “all of you rulers.” I am inclined to think that the condemnation of the earlier verses is being broadened to include all of the people of Israel. After all, how can men be leaders unless there be followers? Many passages place responsibility for just rulers and just rule on all of Israel, not just on its leadership.

“You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not follow a multitude in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice” (Exod. 23:1-2).

“You shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your towns which the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not distort justice; you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the word of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you” (Deut. 16:18-20).

These passages teach that the responsibility for godly leadership rests upon the community. The people as a whole have an obligation to make sure that godly leaders are appointed. They must resist peer pressure and stand alone, if necessary, in upholding righteousness.

I believe that while God appoints certain men to lead, He expects all of His people to be leaders when it comes to doing what is right. God created man to rule over His creation (Gen. 1:26, 28). Even after the fall of man and the flood, man was still commanded to rule, since he remained a creation in God’s image (Gen. 9:1-7). If Israel would but obey, God promised to make His people a “kingdom of priests” (Exod. 19:6). While this did not happen in Israel’s day, it is a promise partially fulfilled in the church (1 Pet. 2:5) and will be completely fulfilled in the Kingdom which is to come (cf. Rev. 1:6; 20:6). Not only did Israel as a nation have its rulers, Israel was to rule as a nation, seeking to practice and to promote God’s righteousness on the earth. In Hosea 4:6, Israel, as a nation, is rejected by God as His priest among the nations (cf. Exod. 19:6).

The expression “sons of the Most High” is, I believe, virtually equivalent to “son of God”. This phrase, while it applies specifically to Messiah, also refers to those who rule. God established a special relationship with David when He appointed him as king of Israel. The relationship between God and David was one of a father and a son:

“I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you” (2 Sam. 7:14-15).

Clearly, the father-son relationship here is between God and David and his sons (all of whom, except Christ, will sin). Sonship, ultimately, is conferred upon the Messiah, who will rule over the earth in righteousness:

I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Thy possession’ (Ps. 2:7-8).

Ultimately God will reign in the person of His Son, the Messiah. For now, He reigns through His “sons,” the “gods” who are appointed to reign in His stead. It must also be said, God is to reign in and through His people collectively. We who belong to Him are all His sons, destined to reign with Him in the future (cf. 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 20:6), but also to actively promote righteousness now.

The kings of ancient days were frequently worshipped as “gods” (cf. Acts 12:22-23). Perhaps they viewed themselves as “gods,” too, but in a sense different from that conveyed in verse 6. Let such “heady” rulers remember they are only men and they will die like mere mortals.

Interestingly, the word “men” in verse 7 is adam in the Hebrew. He was created in the image of God and destined to rule over God’s creation. Had Adam obeyed God and carried out his calling, he would have lived forever. Due to his disobedience he failed to enjoy the high calling that was his. Let the rulers appointed by God learn from this. In spite of the dignity and power bestowed on them, they will be judged like men (and like Adam). They are, after all, mere men. In their pride this can easily be forgotten, just as we see in the case of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4:28-37) and Herod (Acts 12:18-23). Like the princes before them who failed to remember their responsibility before God, the ungodly rulers of this Psalm will fall. The word “fall” in the second line of verse 7 may, as A. R. Fausset suggests, signify “God’s judgment by a violent death.”¹³⁷ Such warning should serve to humble those who rule arrogantly. A high calling does not necessarily result in a glorious conclusion. Let those who have such a calling carry out their task with humility and diligence.

The Ultimate Cure: Come Lord Jesus
(82:8)

8 Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is Thou who dost possess all the nations. (NASB)

Despite all the warnings of the first seven verses, the psalmist realizes that righteous rule will only prevail on the earth when God Himself reigns in the person of His Son, Messiah. Verse 8 concludes this psalm with a petition that the God who possesses the earth might establish righteousness fully and finally: “Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is Thou who dost possess all the nations.” This is the equivalent of what we read in the New Testament: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 7:10; cf. 1 Cor. 16:22; Rev. 22:20).

The psalmist turns from the general subject of righteous rule to the specific solution: the Righteous Ruler. Only when He comes will there be a rule that is truly righteous. Here is the messianic hope of the Old Testament saint. Even the great kings like David and Solomon fell short of God’s ideal. Messiah Himself must come before the ideal government will become a reality.

Our Lord’s Interpretation of Psalm 82:6

Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? (John 10:34).

John’s purpose in writing his gospel is explicitly stated to be that of convincing his readers of the deity of Christ (20:30-31). In order to do this John recorded a series of signs (cf. 20:30) which led to the inevitable conclusion that Jesus was not only God, but also Israel’s Messiah. As the evidence mounts in this gospel, so does the opposition. While the disciples soon began to believe in Jesus (cf. 1:49; 2:11), the scribes and Pharisees quickly rejected Him, especially after the cleansing of the temple (2:14-22). Early on, the Jewish rulers sought to put Jesus to death, and each new confrontation with Him only added to their determination (5:18).

With this growing opposition there was an accompanying polarization among the people. The division became wider and wider: “The Jews therefore began to argue with one another, saying, ‘How can this man give us His flesh to eat?’” (6:52) As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew, and were not walking with Him any more (6:66).

And there was much grumbling among the multitudes concerning Him; some were saying, “He is a good man”; others were saying, “No, on the contrary, He leads the multitude astray.” Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews (7:12-13).

Therefore some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill? And look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they? (7:25-26).

They were seeking therefore to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. But many of the multitude believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ shall come, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?” (7:30-31).

Some of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, “This certainly is the Prophet.” Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” Still others were saying, “Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He?” … So there arose a division in the multitude because of Him (7:40-41, 43).

There arose a division again among the Jews because of these words. And many of them were saying, “He has a demon, and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?” (10:19-21).

While some had come to believe Jesus was the promised Messiah, many had chosen to follow their leaders in rejecting Him. The feeding of the five thousand and giving sight to the man born blind failed to convince the critics of our Lord. While they attributed His miracles to demonic powers (8:48; 10:20), His teaching they considered outright blasphemy. In John 8:58 Jesus claimed to be the “I AM” of the Old Testament, and therefore the Jews attempted to stone Him (8:59). Jesus’ claims continued. In chapter nine He taught that He was the “light of the world” (v. 5). In chapter ten He said, “I and the Father are one” (v. 30).

One of the central issues involved in the conflict between our Lord and the religious leadership of the nation was who had the authority to lead. They quickly noted that Jesus was gathering disciples and baptizing them, even more than John the Baptist (John 4:1-2). Jesus claimed His authority to judge came from the Father (5:22,27,30). Jesus accused his opponents of judging “according to appearance” rather than “with righteous judgment” (7:24). The scribes and Pharisees sought to condemn the woman caught in adultery (8:4-5), but Jesus refused to condemn her (8:10-11). He then accused the Jewish leaders of judging “according to the flesh” (8:15), while He judged according to truth (8:16,26). When the blind man was given sight, the judgment controversy again surfaced:

And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see; and that those who see may become blind.” Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things, and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” (9:39-40).

In John 10 our Lord boldly spoke forth, identifying Himself as the Messiah and the Good Shepherd. He also made it clear that the religious leaders who had rejected Him were the evil shepherds, like those depicted centuries earlier by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek. 34). God promised to come and to judge between the sheep, and to set up one shepherd over His flock:

Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them, “Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and with shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, until you have scattered them abroad, therefore, I will deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another. Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd” (Ezek. 34:20-23).

When our Lord announced that He was the Shepherd, the good One, He identified Himself as the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy.¹³⁸ He also identified His opponents, the religious leaders of the nation Israel, as the shepherds who dominated and abused the flock, rather than caring for the weak and the sickly (Ezek. 34:1-4). No wonder they reacted to Jesus’ teaching so violently and wanted to stone Him (John 10:31,39).

When accused of blasphemy, Jesus based His defense on the statement quoted from Psalm 82:6: “I said, you are gods.” This was no time for clever tricks or weak arguments. When Jesus referred to this psalm, He did so, I believe, because no passage argued His case more forcefully. It is not just that one verse, but the argument of the entire psalm upon which Jesus rested His defense. Psalm 82 warned the unrighteous judges (leaders) of Israel of God’s impending judgment upon them. When Jesus appealed to this psalm He not only identified Himself as the fulfillment of verse 8, He also identified them as the fulfillment of verses 1-7. The warning of the psalm was being fulfilled in their midst. God had finally come to judge the “gods.” How much better the name God suited Jesus than the title “gods” suited the scribes and the Pharisees.

To have understood the message of Psalm 82 and our Lord’s application of it would have been to bow the knee to Him as the Son of God, the promised Messiah. To reject this message was to reject the Messiah, which, in fact, many did. No one better interpreted or applied Psalm 82 than our Lord. No one better fulfilled it than He.

Conclusion

The relevance of Psalm 82 to the people of our Lord’s day is now obvious. The people must ascertain the person and character of the Righteous Judge. Either the religious leaders were correct (and Jesus must be put to death) or Jesus is God’s Righteous Ruler (and the Jewish leaders must be rejected). Even today, men must make the same decision. Either we bow the knee now to the Lord Jesus as our Savior, or we will bow the knee to Him as our Judge (Phil. 2:9-11). Let us do so now, so that we will not stand before Him condemned.

There are other applications for us as well. Let me suggest three areas to which Psalm 82 speaks. First, this psalm should serve as a somber warning to all who lead, regardless of the level of leadership. I fear that many seek leadership positions for the power and the prestige they seem to offer. There is, Psalm 82 informs us, power and authority invested in leaders. That is part of the reason why the word elohim is employed in the psalm. However, the authority and power of leadership is not ours; it is God’s. To fail to exercise our God-given power consistent with God’s character and commands is to fall under His judgment. Let those of us who lead do so with “fear and trembling”. Also, let us remember that power has been given, not so much for our benefit, as for the protection of those who are weak and oppressed. The measure of any leader’s effectiveness is his protection and care for the weak. In short, leaders are called of God to serve others, not to be served, even as our Lord came to serve at the sacrifice of His life (Mark 10:45).

Second, there is a lesson here for those who are under authority. I have personally gained a new appreciation for the dignity of the office God has given leaders. In Ephesians Paul exhorts wives to submit to their own husbands as “to the Lord” (5:22), and slaves to submit to their masters as “to Christ” (6:5). Peter, in urging wives to submit to their husbands, refers to Sarah, who expressed her submission to Abraham by calling him “lord” (1 Pet. 3:6). All of this causes me to think that submission to God-given authorities involves a deeper reverence or respect than I have been inclined to suppose in the past. We are not to respect or reverence earthly authorities as God, but given the teaching of the Bible we do need to see them in the light of their God-given position and power. For me, this requires more respect than I have heretofore given.

Furthermore, Psalm 82 also warns me about following the right leaders. While God holds leaders accountable for their administration, He also holds me accountable for following them, in particular, when they are wrong and I know it. I understand Jesus to be warning His listeners about following their leaders when He cited Psalm 82:6. The nation Israel had a choice to make. Would they follow their leaders in rejecting Christ and putting Him to death, or would they follow the Good Shepherd? The pattern of the Scriptures, as I understand them, is that we ought not attempt the overthrow of a corrupt government, but that we must refuse to obey it when its commands are contrary to the revealed word of God (cf. Dan. 3:13-18; 6:10; Acts 5:29).

Strange as it may seem, Psalm 82 has something to say to us about church discipline. The church members are “gods” in the same way that Israel’s leaders were, because we are assigned the responsibility of acting in God’s behalf when church members willfully disregard God’s word and the warning of fellow saints. With this is mind, look once more at our Lord’s words to His church:

“And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer. Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst” (Matt. 18:15-20).

Are we not taught that we are to act for God in this matter of correction and that God is intimately involved with the decisions of the church in the discipline of willful members of His body, the church? I believe that this is what Paul practiced in 1 Corinthians 5:5-6 when he turned a sinful member over to Satan in “the name of our Lord Jesus.” Church discipline is essential because God has instructed us to act in His behalf when fellow Christians fail to heed God’s word. To fail to obey God in this unpleasant task is to misrepresent the character of God and to disobey His command to us to reflect His holiness by dealing with sin in the church (cf. 1 Cor. 5:6-8).

Finally, I see a very clear command that we, as Christians (and thus, sons of God), must be concerned about social justice. James puts it this way: “This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27).

While Christians have often been at the forefront of the cause of the poor and the oppressed throughout history, it is amazing to me that many Christians today are apathetic about social justice. The reasons are various. Some shy away from it because the “liberals” are taking up the banner of social justice. Others seem to be passive because they view the time immediately preceding Christ’s return as days of apostasy and social decadence (Paul believed this too, cf. 2 Tim. 3:1-13, and so do I). They therefore seem to stand idly by, as mere spectators, often delighted by what they see, for they feel it must mean that our Lord’s return is near.

Let me remind you that the psalmist also believed in the coming of Christ. This was something for which he prayed (v. 8). Nevertheless, this did not deter him from warning unrighteous rulers, nor did he hold back from exhorting leaders to look out for the needs of the weak and the oppressed (vv. 3-4). Indeed, even in the darkest hours of man’s history, before the return of our Lord, it is the treatment of the oppressed which serves as the standard for spirituality (Matt. 25:31-46).

I sometimes hear my Christian brothers and sisters bemoaning the fact that our country allows refugees to settle here, away from the ravages of war and political persecution. I do not mean to say that there are no good reasons for excluding some from coming to our country. What I am asking you to seriously consider is whether your reasons for opposing them are biblical, in the light of our study.

My political convictions, quite honestly, are somewhat to the right in the spectrum. I am not opposed to “Reaganomics” as many are. Yet, I want to suggest that some who cite conservative politics as their defense for cutting “social justice” matters out of the budget may be doing so for reasons which Psalm 82 condemns.

I understand that these matters are both sensitive and a matter of deep conviction. I simply urge you, regardless of your political and economic point of view to evaluate your positions in the light of the command to care for the weak and the oppressed. This is what rulers of days gone by failed to do. This is why our Lord came the first time. This is why He will come again as the Righteous Ruler. Even so, come Lord Jesus.

127 “The word nitzabh denotes a deliberate and formal act, connected with a definite purpose. I Sam. 19:20.” J. J. Stewart Perowne, The Book of Psalms (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, l972), II, p. 105.

128 “The word ‘edah is frequently applied to the congregation of Israel as such.” H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House [reprint], 1969), p. 594. [Israel is called the ‘congregation of Jehovah’ in Num. 27:17; 31:16; Josh. 22:16-17.]

129 “In more recent years scholars have tended to identify the ‘elohim with the national gods of the various peoples of the world, who have been demoted to the position of Yahweh’s servants …” A. A. Anderson, The Book of Psalms (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1981), II, p. 592.

Such “gods” however do not exist, nor are they responsible for administering justice on the earth. How can a non-existent god be summoned to judgment or be threatened with death? How then can our Lord possibly use this psalm, thus interpreted, to prove His deity?

130 Kirkpatrick mentions this as one of the interpretations which should be rejected. A. F. Kirkpatrick, The Book of Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House [reprint], 1982), p. 495.

131 “… these ‘gods’ are ‘principalities and powers’, ‘the world rulers of this present darkness’ (cf. Eph. 6:12). … On the whole this view seems truer than the former to the language of the psalm (e.g. verse 7) and to the occasional Old Testament use of the term ‘gods’ or ‘sons of God’ for angels (see on Ps. 8:5; cf. Jb. 1:6; 38:7).” Derek Kidner, Psalms 73-150 (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1975), p. 297.

While Kidner’s argument is based upon a sound effort to define the term “gods” from usage elsewhere in the Old Testament, it hardly gives good sense to the psalm, and it seems inconsistent with the argument which our Lord develops from the psalm in John 10. Kirkpatrick’s rebuttal of the view held by Kidner is forceful: “The idea that angels can be punished with death is startling, and foreign to the O. T. view of angelic nature. … There is not the slightest hint that vv. 2-4 refer to anything but the oppression of men by men. The language, as has been pointed out above, closely resembles that of the Law and the Prophets, and there is no reason for taking it in a non-natural sense.” Kirkpatrick, p. 495.

132 Leupold says this psalm “… presents a judgment pronounced by the Lord on the judges or rulers of Israel. For in Israel the term judges had practically the same meaning as the term rulers, the Israelite usage being derived from the chief function of rulers. … Up to about seventy years ago there was a practical unanimity in the church as to the interpretation of this psalm, commentators being agreed that it treated the subject just as we have just indicated.” Leupold, p. 592.

133 Brown, Francis; Driver, S. R.; and Charles Briggs. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1966), p. 43.

134 The word here rendered “gods” is elim, not elohim. These two words are related, but not identical. Kirkpatrick remarks, “Elim, however is not so used elsewhere, and may simply mean ‘mighty ones.’” Kirkpatrick, p. 327.

135 “Stands” here is a translation of the Hebrew word, ‘omed, and is therefore not the same word as in Psalm 82:1. The force of the two is nearly the same, however, a fact which Perowne notes. Cf. Perowne, p. 105.

136 “Shaphat,” Robert D. Culver, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), II, p. 947. This is an excellent article (pp. 947-949), which I highly recommend for your reading.

137 Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, A Commentary Critical Experimental and Practical on the Old and New Testaments (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans [photolithoprinted], 1967), III, p. 290.

138 Luke introduced our Lord as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: “And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book, and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord’” (Luke 4:17-19). Here, Jesus identified Himself as the Messiah, Israel’s ideal leader. The thrust of His ministry was to do the very things which the wicked rulers of Israel (as indicated in Psalm 82) had failed to do.

December 11, 2016

All of God’s commandments in the Bible are beyond our ability to obey in the flesh, so we must rely on His indwelling Holy Spirit. But some of the Bible’s commands are not just difficult, but impossible. Matthew 5:48: “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” In all of history, no one except Jesus has ever come close to keeping that command! Or, could anyone claim to have achieved perfect obedience to the two great commandments, to love God with your total being and to love others as much as you love yourself (Matt. 22:37-39)?

Our text gives us three impossible commands (1 Thess. 5:16-18): “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” If Paul had only said, “Rejoice a lot, pray often, and try to be thankful,” I maybe could say, “Okay, I’ll try to do that!” But no one honestly can say, “I rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks!” And you can’t resolve, “I’ll start obeying those commands today!” Next week, you couldn’t honestly say, “I’ve kept those commands this past week. There wasn’t a single moment when I wasn’t rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks!”

So what do we do with these impossible commands? Curiously, John Stott (The Message of 1 & 2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], p. 124) argues that these commands are not directed to us individually, but rather to the church regarding our public worship. He says that joy and happiness are not at our command, to turn “on and off like a tap.” But there are many biblical commands to rejoice and be glad in the Lord. And while our corporate worship should be filled with joy, prayer, and thanksgiving, we will not do these together in worship if we haven’t been doing them individually during the week. So I think that they must apply to us individually first.

It’s interesting that Paul doesn’t offer any explanation or help here on what these commands mean or how we can obey them. He just states them in staccato fashion and moves on! But other Scriptures do offer some help in understanding what these commands mean and how we can begin to develop the attitudes and habits that will help us move toward the mark, even if in this life we will never obey these commands perfectly. Paul’s idea is easily stated:

God commands us to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything.

With each command, I want to explain what it means and give some help on how to grow in obeying it. Note, also, that Paul says (1 Thess. 5:18), “for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Virtually all commentators agree that “this” refers to the previous three commands, not just to the third. You may have trouble discerning God’s will in some areas of your life. But, rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, and giving thanks are always God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

That last phrase gives the underlying clue as to how we can begin to obey these commands: We must be “in Christ Jesus.” Without being in union with Him through His indwelling Holy Spirit, we could never come close to obeying these commands. We are placed into union with Christ the moment that we trust in Him to save us from God’s judgment that we deserve because of our sins. As Paul says (1 Cor. 1:30), “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.”

So to obey these impossible commands, we must have experienced the new birth so that we are in Christ and He dwells in us. As we learn to abide in Him and trust in Him to work through us, we will progressively become conformed to His image. Jesus was always rejoicing, always praying, and always thankful. So being in Him and relying on Him are the keys to becoming like Him in these three qualities.

1. God commands us to rejoice always.

What does this command mean?

Does “rejoicing always” mean that you always go around with a smile on your face and an upbeat “Tigger” bounce in your steps? Are you sinning if you ever feel sad, depressed, upset, or grieved? I have met Christians who seem to think so. One man I used to know had some major problems in his life. But whenever I asked, “How are you doing?” he would reply, “I’m just praising the Lord!” He seemed to think that it would be unspiritual to reply, “I’m really struggling with some things.” I think he had bought into the positive confession heresy that our words create reality. So he always put on a happy face and said that he was praising the Lord. But he seemed to be denying reality.

If “rejoicing always” means always being upbeat and never feeling sadness, then we have a problem, because neither Jesus nor Paul were always happy. It’s interesting that the shortest verse in the Greek New Testament is (1 Thess. 5:16), “Rejoice always,” but the shortest verse in the English New Testament is (John 11:35), “Jesus wept.” As He faced the cross, Jesus prayed “with loud crying and tears” (Heb. 5:7). In 2 Corinthians 6:10, Paul described himself, “as sorrowful yet always rejoicing.” In Romans 12:15, he tells us, “Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.” He does not say, “Exhort those who weep to stop weeping and start rejoicing!”

So “rejoice always” does not mean, “Deny your feelings, put on a happy face, and never feel sad.” Regarding the trials that God brings into our lives to train us as His children, the Bible acknowledges (Heb. 12:11), “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

So, what does Paul mean when he commands, “Rejoice always”? First, it’s important to remember that he wrote this to new believers who were suffering persecution because of their faith (1 Thess. 3:3-4). And the command follows Paul’s exhortation that we should not get even when someone mistreats us. Probably Paul had taught them Jesus’ words (Matt. 5:11-12):

“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Or, as James (1:2-3) put it: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” In Romans 5:3-5, Paul wrote, “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

So, given their difficult circumstances, this command to rejoice always has to be viewed not primarily as a matter of feelings, but rather of obedience. When we are in difficult trials or if people have mistreated us because of our faith, we have a choice: either we can focus on our trials and lapse into self-pity. Or we can set our minds on the things above, where Christ is at the right hand of God, where our life is hidden in Him (Col. 3:1-4), and rejoice. As Paul commanded the Philippians (4:4), “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” That little phrase, “in the Lord” is the key. Since we are eternally “in the Lord” through faith in Christ, we can always rejoice “in the Lord.” Our joy cannot be totally oblivious to circumstances, but neither should it be governed by them.

So “rejoicing always” is a conscious attitude of contentment, hope, and happiness that comes from deliberately focusing on Christ and the eternal treasures that we have received freely from Him. Sometimes, as John Piper puts it (When I Don’t Desire God [Crossway]), we have to “fight for joy” in the Lord. We see this often in the Psalms. The psalm begins with the psalmist crying out to God for help in the midst of some life-threatening trial. But by the end of the psalm he’s praising the Lord and rejoicing in Him, even though his circumstances haven’t yet changed. What changed was his deliberate focus on the Lord. For example, Psalm 5 begins with David mentioning his groaning and his cry for help. As the psalm unfolds, we see that he was groaning because of enemies, whose inward part was destruction and their throats an open grave (Ps. 5:9). But having meditated on God’s abundant lovingkindness (Ps. 5:7), David concludes on this triumphant note (Ps. 5:11-12):

But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And may You shelter them,
That those who love Your name may exult in You.
For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.

Of course, Paul himself had displayed this deliberate joy in the Lord when he was unjustly arrested, beaten without a trial, and thrown into the stocks in the Philippian jail. At midnight, he and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God (Acts 16:25). The same was true of the apostles. After the Jewish leaders flogged them for preaching the resurrection of Jesus, we read (Acts 5:41), “So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.” So to rejoice always means that we must make this deliberate choice to focus on the Lord and the unfathomable riches that we have in Him, not on our difficult circumstances. And this joy shines the brightest in dark situations. If we do all things with joy in the Lord rather than grumbling or complaining, we will stand out as lights in this dark world (Phil. 2:14-15).

Leon Morris (The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians [Eerdmans], p. 172) observes about these first century believers:

Persecution was always threatening and often actual. The believers were usually in straitened circumstances and compelled to work hard for a living. Their lot can rarely have been other than hard. But if we fasten our attention on these things we put our emphasis in the wrong place. They thought more of their Lord than of their difficulties; more of their spiritual riches in Christ than of their poverty on earth; more of the glorious future when their Lord should come again than of their unhappy past.

So the question becomes,

How can we develop a habit of rejoicing always?

First, daily focus on the riches that God has freely given you in Christ. For example, Ephesians 1:3-14 says that you have all spiritual blessings in Him. God chose you in Him before the foundation of the world. In love, He predestined you to adoption as His child. He freely bestowed His grace on you in Christ. In Him you have redemption and forgiveness of all your sins, lavished upon you by His grace. He has made known to you the mystery of His will. He has given you an inheritance and has sealed you with the Holy Spirit of promise. Now, what is your problem?

Second, walk in the Spirit, not the flesh. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22). To walk in the Spirit means daily to yield to Him and to rely on Him to control your life in every situation. It takes time to produce fruit. It doesn’t pop out on a tree the day after you plant it! But if you walk consistently by the Spirit, eventually the fruit of joy will be yours.

Third, sing! If you’re feeling down, get out a hymnbook or put on some solid Christian music and sing of God’s goodness, grace, and love. Singing is one way of implementing the first strategy—focusing on the riches that God has freely given to you in Christ. I have not verified it, but I heard once that the most frequent command in the Bible is, “Sing!” The longest book in the Bible is a songbook. Use it often to set your mind on the things above.

2. God commands us to pray without ceasing.

What does this command mean?

Does this mean that you must pray every waking moment? Obviously, not, because neither Paul nor the Lord Jesus did that. It is helpful to know that the word translated “without ceasing” was used of a hacking cough. A person with a bad cough doesn’t cough continuously, but often and repeatedly. It was also used of repeated military attacks. An army would attack a city but not succeed. They would regroup and attack over and over until they won the victory.

Even so, our prayers should be frequent and persistent. Like the friend who came at midnight to ask for a loaf of bread (Luke 11:5-13), we keep knocking until we get what we’re after. Like the widow who kept bothering the unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8), we keep coming back until we obtain what we were asking for.

Rejoicing always and praying without ceasing are related, because it is through prayer that we lay hold of the riches that we have in Christ, which are the source of true joy. Prayer claims the promises of God in our trials. Laying hold of God’s promises brings joy, because we know that He is for us. As Paul wrote (Rom. 8:31-32), “If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”

How can we develop a habit of praying without ceasing?

It’s a lifelong process. But, first, (in the words of Paul Miller, A Praying Life [NavPress], p. 44), “Know that … you can’t do life on your own.” In other words, recognize your need to depend on the Lord in every situation. Prayer is the language of trusting in the Lord.

Second, send up short prayers whenever you can. When you think of a loved one or friend, send up a short prayer for him or her. When someone asks you to pray for some need, don’t promise to pray later and then forget. Pray right there with the person. I love the scene where Nehemiah, the cupbearer to the pagan King Artaxerxes, had been sad in the king’s presence. This was a serious offense and Nehemiah was afraid. He explained to the king that he was sad because his home city, Jerusalem, was desolate and destroyed. The king asked what Nehemiah would request. Nehemiah (2:4-5) reports, “So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the king ….” I’m sure he didn’t excuse himself for a few minutes of prayer! Rather, he shot up a silent prayer to God and then spoke to the king.

Third, spend time in God’s word and prayer each morning. Pray the word back to God. The Psalms are helpful in this way, but also all of Scripture (see Donald Whitney, Praying the Bible [Crossway]). Keep asking until you receive, seeking until you find, and knocking until the door is opened unto you (Luke 11:9-10).

Fourth, read some good books on prayer. Two that I’ve found helpful are Paul Miller’s A Praying Life [NavPress] and Bill Thrasher’s A Journey to Victorious Praying [Moody Publishers]. Also, Answers to Prayer [Moody] from George Muller’s Journal, George Muller of Bristol [Revell], by A. T. Pierson, and the 70 pages in John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion [Westminster Press], 3:20, are very helpful. On our church website, I have a short list of “Insights on Prayer” I gleaned from Calvin and Muller.

3. God commands us to give thanks in everything.

What does this command mean?

This command means that in every situation we are to give thanks to our sovereign and good God and Savior. In Ephesians 5:20, Paul puts it, “always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.” Giving thanks in every situation does not mean that we must be happy with every situation or resigned to accept matters without praying and working for change. I was not satisfied when I was single at age 26, and so I prayed often that God would change that. But by faith I could still thank Him, knowing that He was using that lonely time in my life to deepen my relationship with Him. And, ever since He answered my prayer when I met Marla on January 5, 1974, I have been overflowing with thankfulness for His giving her to me.

Also, we don’t need to feel thankful before we give thanks. When God takes us through hard trials, we don’t feel thankful. But by faith we can say, “Lord, I trust that You are good and that You know what You’re doing in this difficult situation. I submit to Your sovereign hand and purpose, knowing that You will work it together for my good.” So, like rejoicing always, giving thanks in everything is often a choice to believe God in difficult circumstances.

How can we develop a habit of thankfulness to God in every situation?

First, and most importantly, deepen your understanding of God’s sovereignty and goodness. The story of Joseph (Genesis 37-50) illustrates this truth. Joseph’s brothers hated him and planned to kill him until they saw a caravan of traders heading toward Egypt. So they cruelly sold their brother into slavery. He ended up getting thrown in prison, even though he obeyed God by resisting the advances of Potiphar’s wife. He begged the cupbearer to mention his case to Pharaoh so that he could be released, but the cupbearer forgot. Two years later, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and was instantly elevated to the second most powerful position in the country.

Later, he was able to be reconciled to his brothers and to see his aged father again. But after Jacob died, the brothers feared that Joseph would get even with them for what they had done. At that point, Joseph wept and asked, “Am I in God’s place?” Then he revealed the theological perspective that had sustained him during those awful years of slavery and imprisonment (Gen. 50:20): “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” Joseph saw God both as sovereign and good. Submitting to the sovereign goodness of God in every situation the key to a thankful heart.

Second, thankfulness will be our habit when trust in God is our habit. Thankfulness and trust are bound together. If you are trusting God, you’re thankful. If you are not thankful, then you’re not trusting God. This is illustrated with the children of Israel. God delivered them from slavery in Egypt by the ten miraculous plagues on the Egyptians, while sparing Israel. He miraculously brought them through the Red Sea and then closed the water on top of the pursuing Egyptian army. You would think that by this point, they could thankfully trust in God. But we read (Exod. 15:22-24) that they then went three days into the wilderness, found no water, and grumbled at Moses, which really was grumbling at God. They didn’t trust that the God who had powerfully saved them from slavery could provide water in the desert.

If you’re grumbling, you’re not trusting. If you’re not trusting, you’re not thankful. Develop a habit of trusting God, especially in trials, and you will thank Him both for His great salvation and for the opportunity to see Him work in your time of need.

Conclusion

Thirteen years before his conversion, John Wesley had a conversation one night with a porter of his college that impressed Wesley that there was more to Christianity than he had found. The porter had only one coat. He had eaten no food that day and yet his heart was full of gratitude to God. Wesley said to him, “You thank God when you have nothing to wear, nothing to eat, and no bed to lie upon? What else do you thank him for?”

“I thank him,” answered the porter, “that He has given me my life and being, and a heart to love Him, and a desire to serve Him.” (A. Skevington Wood, The Inextinguishable Blaze [Eerdmans], p. 100)

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks.” Even though we’ll never obey these commands perfectly, we should be working at making progress, because, “this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Application Questions

1. Where is the balance between not denying our feelings and yet not living by feelings, but by faith? For example, see Psalm 44.
2. Discuss: Is depression a sin? Always? Never? Sometimes?
3. Agree/disagree: Whatever one’s personality, every Christian can consistently experience God’s joy?
4. What has most helped you to grow in prayer and thankfulness?

Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2016, All Rights Reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation