As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:
19Do
not be quenching the Spirit. 20Do not be despising prophecies. 21Examine
everything. Retain the good. 22Disassociate [yourself] from every
kind of evil.
This is a passage where I think the exegesis becomes
critically important. Based on a cursory reading (especially in English and
with the uninspired verse divisions), this entire passage can appear to be a
staccato of (not necessarily related) imperatives. One can easily see each of
these verses as independent thoughts, only perhaps generally related, and treat
each verse almost as a proverb – what I would call “the Proverbs approach.” As
I’ve read a number of commentaries, many people do exactly that and derive from
it a great deal of instructive material. It is as if one could preach a series
of five messages by taking a different Sunday for each of these verses (v21
containing two possibly independent thoughts). On the other hand, there’s a
sort of modified “Proverbs approach,” where people assert that vv.19,20 and
v.21 each form single independent thoughts, while verse 22 stands completely alone.
I will argue that all five thoughts express a single very
interrelated intent. I support this based on three reasons: First of all, I
find this whole section from (at least) v.12 on to be very deliberately structurally
organized into telic groupings. In vv.12,13 there are five phrases
describing those ministers we are to respect, and how we are to respond to them.
Then vv.14,15 contain five main imperatives how we are to express
concern for others. This is then followed by the three personal
admonitions of joyfulness, prayer, and thankfulness of vv.16-18, which are then
followed by another set of five thoughts, our vv.19-22, followed by what
appear to be the three thoughts of vv.23,24, followed by three
thoughts in vv.25-27. Fives and threes. If one takes the time to look, I think it
is apparent that each of these groupings are to be understood as telic units. I
do not think Paul intended this entire section to work like the book of
Proverbs. For me personally, the order I see in the Greek leads me to conclude
otherwise. I think our present passage, vv.19-22, needs to be treated as a
unit.
I would argue further that this is particularly apparent in
vv.21,22. Perhaps due to the uninspired verse divisions, many commentators will
take v.21, “Examine everything. Hold on to the good” as one thought, then v.22 as
an entirely independent thought, which they translate something like “Avoid
every appearance of evil.” However, the two Greek words for “hold on to” and “avoid”
almost rhyme and appear very deliberately intended to be read (and understood) together.
Verse 22 should not be translated or understood as an independent thought, but
that is exactly where people go when they fail to see the order in the passage –
which then leads to interpretations which I feel the text simply does not
support.
Finally, on the one hand I find the collective thought of
the passage to be quite instructive and compelling, while on the other hand,
what I see in those who take the “Proverbs approach” is almost a homiletical free-for-all.
Taken separately, it is as if people can build entire messages on each verse,
but then make them mean almost anything the writer or preacher wants them to
mean. But the Bible doesn’t mean everything at once. In a particular passage,
the writer (and the Spirit who inspired their writings) is thinking something. He has some thought he is
trying to communicate. You and I are no different. It may be true that someone
can take anything you or I say and give it a million different meanings, but
the fact remains, we meant something –
not everything. I find suspicious any interpretation that seems to almost
invite such a homiletical free-for-all and I feel that is exactly what I see in
this passage from people who take the “Proverbs approach.”
So, how do I see it all fit together? Taken together, the
first admonition, “Do not be quenching the Spirit” is immediately explained by
the “Do not be despising prophesyings.” “Prophesyings” in the first century
church were the very specific work of the Holy Spirit using gifted people to bring
direct revelations from God to the congregation. Today we think of “prophecy”
as only the foretelling of the future, but of course that was only ever one
very small part of prophesying. God’s prophets down through the ages may have
at times predicted future events but their main function was simply to speak for God. Their work in the
church is clearly explained in I Cor 14:3, “But everyone who prophesies speaks
to men for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort.” Apparently the
very specific way Paul wanted people to avoid “quenching the Spirit” is that
they should not despise or “make light of” these prophesyings, which at the
time were integral to the teaching and preaching ministry of the church.
Since the Scriptures are now complete, we no longer need
this activity of direct revelation from God. Our completed Bible is “given by
inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be mature, thoroughly furnished for every good work” (II Tim 3:16,17). The
Spirit work of direct revelation is complete. However, the Holy Spirit remains
the agent of illumination, using gifted preachers and teachers to open our
understanding of that completed revelation, hence the admonition to “Despise
not prophecyings” is still quite pertinent to us.
I would like to suggest that the whole point of vv.19-22 has
everything to do with how you and I respond to this Spirit work of bringing God’s
Word to us. The phrase translated “Despise not” can also be translated “Do not
make light of.” The central question is, “How do I receive the Word?” It is
easy to despise a teacher or preacher because I don’t like their looks, or I
find their presentation boring, etc., etc. But to do so I may actually be “quenching
the Spirit.” It is probably easier yet just to “make light” of even a good
teacher or preacher’s message – to sit there but not really listen – for whatever
may be our excuse this week. On the other hand, as we’ll see in this passage,
it is just as much “quenching the Spirit” if we just sit there and take
everything they say as Gospel.
In fact, this passage is structurally very similar to Acts
17:11, “Now the Bereans were more noble than the Thessalonians, for they
received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures
daily, whether those things were so.” When it says “they received the Word with
all readiness of mind” we know they were not “quenching the Spirit” and “despising
(or making light of) prophesyings.” They took it very seriously that someone
was preaching or teaching the Word to them.
But then what did they do? “They searched the Scriptures
daily, whether those things were so.” Here’s where in our passage they “Examined
everything; retained the good; and disassociated [themselves] from every kind
of evil.” What God wants each individual person to do is to keep their heart
and mind open. If someone seems to be teaching or preaching the Word, then listen to them. Take the Spirit’s work
very seriously. He may be trying to teach you something – even if you don’t
like the person speaking or their delivery, or even the main thrust of what
they’re saying.
But then, if you really take it seriously, you will “examine
everything.” That means you will take it
a step further by seriously asking, “Is this Scriptural?” Is that really what
the Bible is saying? God wants each person to examine what is said, then retain
or “hold on to” what in fact was good Spirit-given teaching. If upon inspection
you find it was not Scriptural then it is evil.
God says to “disassociate yourself from it” – no matter what it was. Any Bible
teaching, no matter how seemingly good or moral or appealing, if it does not
derive from the Scriptures themselves, is evil.
Remember the Lord’s warnings in the book of Revelation about adding to or
taking away from the Scriptures? Remember Isaiah’s words, “To the Law and to
the Testimony! If they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is
no light in them” (8:19,20).
I am keenly aware now, late in my life, what a pernicious
sin it is to assume the position of a Bible teacher or preacher, then use that
as a platform to fill people’s heads with all sorts of maxims which do not
derive from the rightly-divided Word. Those ideas fill people’s minds and
actually eclipse the real truth of God’s Word in their hearts. Satan loves to
raise even wonderfully moral, seemingly religious people – people who actually
quench the Spirit’s work by replacing it with “truths” of their own, truths
that do not derive from the Spirit-given Word. Such people cannot and will not
exude the grace and truth and love of Jesus. The very specific import of v22 is
exactly this – that, having found some “teaching” to not derive from the
Scriptures, we should recognize it as evil – whatever “kind” it may be – and disassociate
ourselves from it. God is saying to do like the Bereans, receive it with an
open mind, check it out, then firmly hold on to the good, and reject all else
as evil.
I have more I’d like to write down in reflecting on this
passage, but I think I’ll end this post and take up those thoughts separately.
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