3:9
Paul would have been perfectly within his rights to seek support from the Thessalonians, but he chose not to do so. This was done so that Paul and his companions might be a model for the Thessalonians to follow. Now elsewhere Paul talks about rewarding people properly, and this must not be used as an excuse for churches not to pay their pastors or other workers properly. This is an example that you or I can choose to follow, and sometimes it will be right to do so. But it is not a model that we must impose upon others.
3:10
It seems that there was a particular problem with laziness or scrounging in Thessalonica. The same issue was mentioned in 1 Thess 4:11,12. This verse is also a warning against having a wrong attitude in social care. We should help the poor, there are countless Biblical commands and exhortations to do so, but we must not create a dependency culture.
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