Not Despising Prophecyings 1 Thessalonians 5:20

As Paul the apostle continued to close his first letter to the Thessalonian church, he included directives such as: “Rejoice evermore”, “Pray without ceasing”, “In every thing give thanks” and “Quench not the Spirit”. In chapter five and verse twenty of his letter, Paul added another guiding statement as he told them not to “despise prophesyings” where we read:

Despise not prophesyings.

The verse begins, “Despise not...” Paul began with the words, “Despise not” which means “do not make of no account, esteem not, set at nought or make contemptible”, and in doing so he called the church members of Thessalonica to give attention toward what he is about to declare rather than setting it aside and treating it as utterly contemptible and with no value.

The verse continues, “...prophesyings.” Paul went on to add, “prophecyings” which are “discourses emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things which are hidden. They also include the prediction of events relating to Christ's kingdom and its speedy triumph, together with the consolations and admonitions pertaining to it, the spirit of prophecy, the divine mind, to which the prophetic faculty is due”. The Thessalonian church members were not to “despise” the “discourses” and “predictions” which were both “foretelling” and “forth-telling” from the word of God.

When we meditate upon these words of Paul, we may find it difficult to understand why someone would “despise” the “prophetic” word of God. However, the Bible often becomes offensive and incredulous to someone who rejects the words written within it. Many people do not believe the Bible to be the “inspired truth and word of God”, so they “despise, make of no account, esteem not and make it utterly contemptible”. The Thessalonians were not to “reject” and “set at nought” the “divine inspiration and declaration of the purposes of God”, and when the prophetic word was given, they were rather to take heed. We too should not “despise” declarations from the word of God, but should listen to, obey and follow the truths found within it. Should we read something that is offensive or seemingly incredulous, let us rely upon our Lord Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit to teach us where we are in error, and may we ever follow and believe the words He has declared.

Next time Paul tells the Thessalonians to “prove all things” and “holding fast” to “good” things, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.