DELIVERANCE FROM MEN

"Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith." (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2)

THERE ARE TWO SIDES to the coin of this requested prayer. First, that the message that is proclaimed will be quickly received and spread rapidly. Secondly, that opposing forces will be decidedly neutralized, and rendered ineffective. God has chosen to work salvation in the midst of Satan's empire, for he is "the god of this world" and the "prince of this world" (2 Cor 4:4; John 14:30). The "whole world," we are told, "is under the control of the evil one" (1 John 5:19, NIV). That "control," however, is not the ultimate control. It has been given to Satan by God, and God can take it from him, frustrating his most cunning plans and powerful influences, and effectively limiting the scope of his efforts.

THIS TEXT SPEAKS OF those who are working for the wicked one – those who have been deceived by him, who are taken captive by him at his will (2 Tim 2:26). Some of them are powerful political entities, like Pharaoh, Herod, and the Caesars. Others employed by the devil are religious officials, like Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin, and rulers of the Jews. Some are religious zealots who group together for the purpose of restraining the Gospel of Christ, like "certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium," who provoked the stoning of Paul (Acts 14:19), and "certain Jews from Asia," who tried to stop the spread of the Gospel in Jerusalem (Acts 21:27-28).

ONE ONLY HAS TO PONDER the words of this text to catch a glimpse of the complexity of the Kingdom into which we have been translated (Col 1:13). Here is the powerful Word of God, sent and empowered by Him, restrained by wicked men! The restraint is of such a nature that it requires Divine deliverance All of this is by God's own arrangement.

DELIVERED
The presence of these men is so significant that it requires deliverance from God Almighty. They cannot be confronted in the energy of the flesh or carnal wisdom. They can be so aggressive that disciples will be forced to lower Paul over a wall in a basket to escape their malice (Acts 9:25). They can force the expulsion of Paul from the coasts of Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:50). Such men cannot be neutralized by human strategies. Divine deliverance is required! Elsewhere Paul referred to some "that do not believe in Judea," asking the saints to pray he would be delivered from them (Rom 15:31). The constant trouble to which Paul was exposed became occasions for deliverance. He testified, "But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; Ye also helping together by prayer for us" (2 Cor 1:9-11). What a blessed privilege to "help" the work of God through our prayer, thereby bringing deliverance from enemies.

DO NOT MISS the glorious nature of the praying of reference. It is for the spreading of the Word itself, and for those who declare it as well. Blessed, indeed, are the people who see the breadth of prayer, and extend themselves to call for Divine intervention at every critical point. The message must spread, and those who declare it must be delivered.

UNREASONABLE MEN
Other versions read "perverse men" (NASB), "wicked men" (NIV), "foolish men" (BBE), and "bigoted people" (NJB). Such men are, in a sense, insane. Their thoughts are out of place and improper. They are actually a crime, for they are against the Lord. These men are also aggressive, and will go to any lengths to suppress what they do not understand.

WE LEARN FROM THIS that sound reason does not naturally triumph over foolishness. Men are not basically reasonable, and they are not turned to righteousness by mere logical approaches. Nor, indeed, can their foolish opposition be struck down by humanly conceived arguments. Those who carry the truth must be delivered from such men, for they are too foolish to withdraw from their aggressiveness against the Gospel.

WE ALSO LEARN THAT unbelief causes men to become foolish, and foolishness is promoted by unbelief. Additionally, the Gospel of Christ is an aggressive message that brings out the folly of unbelief, actually inciting the opposition of those with corrupted minds. Such men will seek to kill Jesus (John 7:1), imprison the bearers of good news (Acts 5:18), stone Stephen (Acts 7:58), stone Paul (Acts 14:19), and exile John (Rev 1:9).

WICKED MEN. The opponents of the Gospel are more than "unreasonable." They are also "wicked," or "evil" (NIV). Not only is their mind corrupted, their character is debased and perverted. They bare in their very persons the trait of the devil, who is "the wicked one" (Matt 13:19). Regardless of their outward appearance, their opposition of the Gospel reveals they are evil, corrupted by Satan, and unsuitable to stand before the Lord of glory. The word "wicked" means harmful and unprofitable, as well as evil and malicious. From the highest view, men lose all usefulness when they set themselves to restrain the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. There is no more wicked person than the one who objects to the preaching and belief of the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ! Let us be faithful in praying for deliverance from such people.

– Given O. Blakely