1 Thessalonians 2:17-18

1 Thessalonians 2:17-18

[17] But  brethren,  being taken  from  for  a short  time  in presence,  not  in heart,  endeavoured  face  with  great  desire.  [18] we would  have come  unto  even  Paul,  once  again;  but  Satan  hindered 

What does 1 Thessalonians 2:17-18 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Paul and his companions had to leave Thessalonica prematurely, and for Paul the separation was an especially sorrowful one. He compared it to being bereft (lit. orphaned). He felt torn from them. However even though absent in body his readers were very present in his affections. Moreover Paul eagerly anticipated the opportunity to return to Thessalonica to see them again. He had attempted such a visit more than once, but Satan, the adversary who had interfered and had made the apostle"s ministry in person impossible for the present, had hindered him.
". . . Paul . . . found his unbounded capacity for paternal affection amply employed in his relationship with his converts." [1]
In Acts 16:6-7 Luke wrote that the Holy Spirit forbade Paul to preach in Asia and Bithynia. Here Paul said that Satan thwarted his efforts to return to Thessalonica. How can we tell if Satan is opposing us or if the Spirit is directing us? It seems to me that the New Testament writers viewed God"s sovereign control of all things on different levels at different times. Sometimes, as in Acts , they spoke of the One who is in ultimate charge and focused on His direction. At other times, as here, they spoke of the instruments that God uses. God permitted Satan to oppose Paul"s return to Thessalonica, but this was all part of God"s sovereign will. In Acts the emphasis is on the One responsible for the expansion of the church, but here the emphasis is on the instrument God used in this situation. Satan can only oppose us as God gives him permission to do so ( Job 1-2). [2]