13 But it is our desire, brothers, that you may be certain about those who are sleeping; so that you may have no need for sorrow, as others have who are without hope.
Saying, Where is the hope of his coming? From the death of the fathers till now everything has gone on as it was from the making of the world.
That you were at that time without Christ, being cut off from any part in Israel's rights as a nation, having no part in God's agreement, having no hope, and without God in the world.
These things said he: and after that he said to them, Lazarus our friend is at rest; but I go so that I may make him come out of his sleep. Then his disciples said to him, Lord, if he is resting he will get well. Jesus, however, was talking of his death: but they had the idea that he was talking about taking rest in sleep.
And a number of those who are sleeping in the dust of the earth will come out of their sleep, some to eternal life and some to eternal shame.
Now David, having done God's work for his generation, went to sleep, and was put with his fathers, and his body came to destruction:
But, my loved ones, keep in mind this one thing, that with the Lord one day is the same as a thousand years, and a thousand years are no more than one day.
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are still living at the coming of the Lord, will not go before those who are sleeping.
For it is our desire that you may not be without knowledge of our trouble which came on us in Asia, that the weight of it was very great, more than our power, so that it seemed that we had no hope even of life:
Then by more than five hundred brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, but some are sleeping;
But about the things of the spirit, my brothers, it is not right for you to be without teaching.
You may be certain, my brothers, that it has frequently been in my mind to come to you (but till now I was kept from it), so that I might have some fruit from you in the same way as I have had it from the other nations.
And God-fearing men put Stephen's body in its last resting-place, making great weeping over him.
And all the people were weeping and crying for her; but he said, Do not be sad, for she is not dead, but sleeping. And they were laughing at him, being certain that she was dead.
Son of man, see, I am taking away the desire of your eyes by disease: but let there be no sorrow or weeping or drops running from your eyes. Let there be no sound of sorrow; make no weeping for your dead, put on your head-dress and your shoes on your feet, let not your lips be covered, and do not take the food of those in grief. So in the morning I was teaching the people and in the evening death took my wife; and in the morning I did what I had been ordered to do.
But I am certain that he who will take up my cause is living, and that in time to come he will take his place on the dust; And ... without my flesh I will see God; Whom I will see on my side, and not as one strange to me. My heart is broken with desire.
Then David went to rest with his fathers, and his body was put into the earth in the town of David.
But when David saw that his servants were talking together quietly, he was certain that the child was dead: and he said to his servants, Is the child dead? and they said, He is. Then David got up from the earth, and after washing and rubbing himself with oil and changing his clothing, he went into the house of the Lord and gave worship: then he went back to his house, and at his order they put food before him and he had a meal.
You are the children of the Lord your God: you are not to make cuts on your bodies or take off the hair on your brows in honour of the dead; For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has taken you to be his special people out of all the nations on the face of the earth.
And all his sons and all his daughters came to give him comfort, but he would not be comforted, saying with weeping, I will go down to the underworld to my son. So great was his father's sorrow for him.
Then the king was much moved, and went up into the room over the door, weeping, and saying, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! if only my life might have been given for yours, O Absalom, my son, my son!
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 1 Thessalonians 4
Commentary on 1 Thessalonians 4 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 4
In this chapter the apostle gives earnest exhortations to abound in holiness, with a caution against uncleanness, enforced with several arguments (v. 1-8). He then mentions the great duties of brotherly love, and quietness with industry in our callings (v. 9-12). And concludes with comforting those who mourned for their relations and friends that died in the Lord (v. 13-18).
1Th 4:1-8
Here we have,
1Th 4:9-12
In these words the apostle mentions the great duties,
1Th 4:13-18
In these words the apostle comforts the Thessalonians who mourned for the death of their relations and friends that died in the Lord. His design is to dissuade them from excessive grief, or inordinate sorrow, on that account. All grief for the death of friends is far from being unlawful; we may weep at least for ourselves if we do not weep for them, weep for own loss, though it may be their fain. Yet we must not be immoderate in our sorrows, because,