No Work, No Food

 

DEVOTION

THE 2^ND LETTER TO THE THESSALONIANS

NO WORK, NO FOOD

2 Thess 3:6-10

6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

NIV

Two types of people are being described for us here that we should not fellowship with. The first is this idle man, which again having seen this word before we understand the original meaning of the Greek word is a disorderly person, one that does not conform to the ways of Christ but lives without order in their lives. These are not just lost souls that we should make an effort to share the gospel, but these are souls who have heard and rejected the orderly life of following Christ. They are, in some sense anti-Christ, for they are against the ways of Christ, therefore against Christ. Stay clear of such people, have nothing to do with them, for evil reigns in their hearts. The second type of people we see Paul referring to are the takers. He made sure, that although as a minister of the word, it would have been rightful to receive some compensation, at least been fed and housed while he and his companions were there with them. However, he makes sure they remember that he supported his own keep, working, most likely as a tentmaker, even while he was proclaiming the gospel. Paul says he was being a model for them. Work, to labor for our sustenance, is a biblical principle. He makes sure they know it is even a command or a rule, that if someone does not work, labor for his own food, he should not eat. This means unless that is something wrong either physically or mentally, and they simply are unable to work for their own food, no one should live dependent on others for their food. The idea here is that we should live an orderly life, according to the ways of Christ, and work, labor for our own daily food. Yes, we could depend on God to supply all our needs.  But that does not mean sitting on our duff and living off the work of others and thinking God is giving us our daily bread. If we do not work, then we do not have money to put food on our table, which is as plain as Paul puts it. From the very beginning after the fall, God told man, Adam that because of what he had done the ground will be cursed and through painful toil he would eat from it all the days of his life. God told Adam the ground will produce thorns and thistles and he would eat from the plants of the field. It was by the sweat of his brow that he would eat his food. This goes for all the descendants of Adam because we are all fallen, and in need of repentance and the salvation of the Lord. So then Paul is saying the same thing just shorter and to the point, if a man does not work, he should not eat. Does that mean we should not help those in need? If the need is real, absolutely, if the need is because of a person not able to work because of some physical, mental, emotional, or some other real condition, then feed them, sustain them, offer assistant, it is the Christ-like way. Jesus fed the people several times. However, the reason was that they were listening to his teachings. So we come back to, if a man is able to work, he should, otherwise, he does not eat.