Daily Devotional for Sunday, May 4

The Coming Day of the Lord

   “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night,” 1 Thessalonians 5:2.

If you have ever been on call, you understand being at the ready. Usually, you can do normal daily activities, but you must have your phone (or pager for some) nearby so you can be easily reached. Your actions are somewhat limited; you must remain available, and you know that you could be called away while in the middle of something.

In Israel’s history, two main events had the Israelites on call and at the ready. The night of the first Passover, they were to be ready to leave Egypt at a moment’s notice. They ate the meal with belt fastened, shoes on and staff in hand. Second, in the wilderness whenever the pillar of cloud or fire moved, they moved. They had to be ready. 

Paul did not need to explain the day of the Lord to the Thessalonians. They knew it was coming. Paul said it will come like a thief in the night. It will come suddenly, but not without warning. The Lord has prepared His people for centuries from before Paul and even before Amos. Jesus reminded us to keep watch, like the Israelites waiting for the signal.

Paul referred to a phrase they were hearing: “Peace and safety.” Starting in 27 BC, propaganda pushing a picture of peace—Pax Romana—spread across the Roman empire. Seneca the Younger wrote about it around the same time Paul wrote to the Thessalonians. Romans said peace was prevailing; yet, history tells a very different story. Paul admonished Christians to not get comfortable in this supposed peace but to know true peace, keep watch and be vigilant. Even in the dark persecution they faced, they were to remain ambassadors of light and not join in with those who become lax in the dark.

THOUGHT

“But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8).

Kelli Reynolds