Readings:
Tobit 8-10
2 Thessalonians 1

Tobit 8-10

Tobias retires to his bedroom for the night and remembers the things that Raphael told him about burning the fish parts as incense. The text says that the demon immediately smelled the smoke and fled, but doesn’t say why. There’s the reasoning from the early church that said this story is just an elaborate parable that teaches a truth, and the truth it’s teaching is the fish foreshadowing Christ. Perhaps the demon smelled the smoke and somehow knew an angel had given that instruction to Tobias and so he tried to flee knowing an archangel was close by.

What happens next really shows the righteous character of both Tobias and his new bride. They get up and the very first thing they do as newlyweds is pray and praise God together. Meanwhile, Sarah’s dad isn’t too sure about this whole thing, and he begins to dig a grave thinking this might be the 8th son in law he’s had to bury.

At the wedding feast Raguel gives Tobias half of all that he owns to take back to Nineveh with him, and the promise that the other half will be his when they pass away. He was sent to collect a few silver bars because they couldn’t support themselves after his father’s blindness and he’s coming with a God fearing wife and a fortune (and the former is far more valuable than the latter).

I’m the midst of this two week wedding feast, Tobias has the presence of mind to send Raphael to collect the money that was the purpose of their mission. He knows his father will be worried if they’re gone too long and so Raphael goes and brings the banker friend to the feast, that way they can immediately start home when it concludes.

Tobit and his wife begin to worry, but he seems to keep his composure more than her. She goes into mourning as if she knows Tobias is dead. It reminds me of a quote by the Roman statesman and philosopher Seneca the Younger “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”

2 Thessalonians 1

Paul’s second letter to the church at Thessaloniki came not long after his first letter. This letter expands some more on eschatological issues and what to be watching for. Some false teachers spread rumors that Christ had already returned and some that he wasn’t going to return at all. Paul writes to reassure them of things he’s already told them.

From his opening words of thanksgiving, which he used in almost all of his epistles, we can see that the Thessalonian church was a model for piety and devotion, so much so that Paul would encourage other churches to emulate them.

He assures them that vengeance is for God and not for them, even though they’ve suffered great persecution he is asking them to trust in God and not try to exact revenge on their own.

Tomorrow’s Readings:
Tobit 11-14
2 Thessalonians 2