2 Corinthians 1:1-7

2 Corinthians begins very appropriately.  

For one thing, it begins like the rest of Paul’s letters (v1-2).  He identifies himself as a representative or spokesman for Jesus Christ, a role that is his by the will of God.  He identifies Timothy who has been to Corinth and likely carried this letter to them.  He identifies the recipients as God’s church in Corinth as well as the broader audience of believers in all of Achaia.  And he wishes grace and peace to be upon them both from their Father and from their Lord.  

 Also, in these verses Paul sets out the theme of “trouble and comfort” which is quite prominent in the letter.  2 Corinthians is very personal and in it Paul speaks of some of his own trials.  But he makes it clear from the start that the sharing of his trials is not an attempt to gain their sympathy or to lay some kind of guilt trip on them.  Rather he makes clear to them …

Þ   That God is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort (v3).

Þ   That there are no trials that are exempt from His comfort (v4).

Þ   That suffering relates us to Christ, the man of sorrows (v5, Isa. 53:3).

Þ   That there is abundant comfort for the abundance of trials (v5).

Þ   That his trials and the attending mercy and comfort should be an encouragement to them (v6).  

 Paul speaks with confidence concerning the Corinthians: they will partake of the same comfort from God that he has known (v7).

There is one other way in which Paul begins his letter that is most significant.  He begins by blessing God.  This word for bless is eulogeo from which we get eulogy.  It means to speak well of someone.  Thus, in a context of trials, and in a letter where Paul will reveal a long list of afflictions he has endured, he begins by speaking well of God.

This is the supreme issue in the matter of affliction:  can you speak well of God?  Can you speak well of His …

Þ   Glory, exalting Him as God.

Þ   Sovereignty, submitting yourself to His Lordship, acknowledging that He knows what He is doing.

Þ   Righteousness, that He is right in what has come upon you.

Þ   Purpose, whatever it is.  He may be cleansing you from sin, or growing your faith, or increasing your fellowship with Him, or cultivating a greater love for others, or sharpening your sense of hope, or making you a better tool in His hands to help others.

Growing up in a strictly religious environment Paul as a young man may have been afraid to speak anything but good of God.  But that is not what we are seeing here.  Paul speaks well of God out of the abundance of trials.  He has come to know God as the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.  

In your current trial are you blessing God?

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

For me personally 2 Corinthians was a bit of an unknown until just a couple years ago.  I had read it several times as part of a Bible reading program.  But I had not really studied it.  I always knew it was supposed to be a personal letter where Paul showed his heart.  And since it was personal I knew it would not likely lend itself to the kind of logical outline seen in most of Paul’s letters.

Then a few years ago, having taken my church family through Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians it seemed natural to continue on to the second letter.  Wow!  Was that ever a blessing to me (and I hope to them).  I was a bit surprised by the constant emphasis on suffering.  This letter provides great comfort to those who suffer for the sake of Christ.  

I was extremely surprised by the exalted theology woven into the personal notes.  This letter deals with true repentance, the new covenant, reconciliation with God, imputed righteousness, separation, spiritual warfare and spends 2 chapters on Christian giving (how to take the offering).  Several verses that I had memorized over the years came to life as I saw them in the richness of their context.  

It was a Christ-honoring journey through the letter that I hope you find every bit as helpful.  For me the thought in 2 Cor. 4:17 seemed to catch the gist of the Holy Spirit’s teaching through Paul.  The high doctrine in the midst of the experience of suffering tells us the afflictions are light and are merely working for us an eternal weight of glory.

This picture in some ways illustrates this letter.  Any picture that is supposed to speak of glory has to have some kind of colorful cloud formation.  But it’s the lake, Echo Lake in the Flathead Valley in NW Montana, that says something to me.  Echo is a good sized lake, is great for swimming (not near as cold as nearby Flathead Lake), and is quite beautiful.  Interestingly, Echo is part of a chain of glacial potholes that beautify the eastern side of the Valley.  

Furthermore, there is apparently a connection between the water level of those potholes and the level of Hungry Horse Reservoir on the other side of the Swan Range which is east of Echo Lake.  So it’s a pothole, and it’s dependent on a larger lake.

Now I don’t mean to be demeaning of anyone, but isn’t that about the way it is.  We are potholes, little lakes that can be quite beautiful and enjoyable, but whose glory is dependent on another, larger source.  Perhaps you will want to meditate on 2 Cor. 4:16-18 at the start where our exceeding and eternal weight of glory is dependent on our connection with the One Who is eternal!

Psalm 101

Time and again in the Scriptures God’s people are encouraged to be patient, to wait on the Lord.  In reading today this theme showed up in the great 40^th chapter of Isaiah.  The point of the chapter is that comfort is coming to Israel.  God’s word is eternal; and God is fully capable of fulfilling what He has promised.  So don’t think that God does not see your way, or that He has passed you by.  God is faithful and will not grow weary.  He will keep His word!

The reason for this repeated theme is that it is a repeated occurrence in the lives of the saints.  We grow weary.  And in our weariness we may have the tendency to mix our impatience with ungodly shortcuts.  What we mean is that we grow tired of the affliction and may choose to try ungodly means so as to avoid the pain or the disappointment.  

These shortcuts are frequently extenuated (i.e. we decide our impatience is excusable or not as serious a sin) because we set our focus on the wicked around us who, we think, are enjoying much easier lives.  Psalm 73, among others, dealt with this problem.  And so does Psalm 101.  Except that in the case of today’s Song the writer is addressing the problem head-on.

Notice that he is in a situation where he desires God to bring an answer (v2).  But notice that he openly confesses his desire and plan to maintain a walk in holiness, to walk within my house with a perfect heart.  There is no place more difficult to walk in holiness than in our own home because we may feel we have the possibility of hiding our unfaithfulness.  We may find it hard to continually keep from setting wickedness before our eyes (v3).  

But notice also that the hymnist also confronts the issue of those in his inner circle, so to speak.  He commits to have none in his focus who will lead him astray.  Rather my eyes shall be on the faithful of the land that they may dwell with me (v6).  This issue of focus is fundamental.  In the New Testament we see it often when we are again and again urged to set our minds on the things of the Spirit (Rom. 8:5), with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18), to not lose heart as we look on the eternal things which are not seen (2 Cor. 4:16-18), to meditate on the things that are true, noble, pure, lovely, of good report (Phil. 4:8), to seek those things which are above, where Christ is (Col. 3:1-4), to remember that Jesus Christ … was raised form the dead (2 Tim. 2:8), to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith … to consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls (Heb. 12:2-3), to rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13).

We must choose what we set before our eyes so as to behave wisely in a perfect way and with a perfect heart!