1 Thess. 3 1 Thess. 3:1–5 The apostle showeth that out of his great care for the Thessalonians he had sent Timothy to comfort and strengthen them in the faith, 1 Thess. 3:6–8 whose good report of them had been a great consolation to him in his distresses. 1 Thess.

The apostle proceeds upon the same argument to confirm his love to them, and care of them, that they might not doubt of it because of his long absence from them.

(To see Num. 1—2: See Poole on “1 Thess. 3:1”.) 3. By the description he gives of him in the text: a man dear to him, and as his right hand in the service of the gospel. And his care of them is commended the more by sending so eminent a person to them. 4.

The apostle had mentioned before his great afflictions, and they knew well what he himself had suffered both at Thessalonica and Berea, Acts 17, and therefore might fear they might hereupon be shaken in their faith.

The apostle having said that they knew they were appointed to sufferings, tells them here they knew it because he had told them of it. Paul, by some extraordinary instinct or revelation, often foresaw his sufferings, and God more generally told him of them at his first conversion, Acts 9:16; and he…

The apostle here gives a further account of the reason why he sent Timothy to them, which was to know their faith, whether it continued stedfast under all their sufferings and temptations.

We had bfore an account of Timothy’s sending, now of his return, wherein we have the message he brought, and the effect thereof upon the apostle. The message may be considered: 1.

He was comforted by this faith of theirs in all his own affliction and distress. The faithfulness and constancy of a people is the great comfort of their teachers. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth, 3 John 4.

The comfort of their faith was so great that it would be as life to him, if they stood fast in it; which he calls a standing fast in the Lord. Life is not only the union of soul and body; comfort is the life of the soul, especially that which springs from Divine causes.

This is another effect of the message Timothy brought, it caused in the apostle great thanksgivings to God. First he rejoiced in their faith, and then gives thanks to God for that joy.

We have here the last effect of Timothy’s message upon the apostle, it put him upon prayer for these Thessalonians; expressed by the assiduity of it, night and day, & c., that is, in a constant course; as we noted before, 1 Thess. 2:9. And by the fervency of it, exceedingly, or excessively.

Here his prayer is expressed. The person to whom he prays is God himself, personally considered as God the Father, and relatively, when he styles him our Father: so ought believers to address themselves to God, not absolutely, but as to their Father.

Increase and abound; these two words denote an increasing and overflowing abundance. This is another thing he prays for; the former respected himself, this respected them.

These words some refer only to the verse immediately preceding: by increasing and abounding in love, their hearts would be established unblamable in holiness. Which is true, for that holiness is justly to be suspected, at least is to be blamed, which is without love to men.