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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadMatthew Poole Commentary - Colossians 3:22 - 3:22
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Servants: the apostle knowing how hard the condition of servitude was, both under the Jews and Gentiles, lest any believers in that mean condition should disgust so strict a subjection, especially to unbelieving masters, and cast off the yoke by breaking their covenants, to the disturbance of human society, and the disparagement of the Christian institution, he takes a special care to sweeten the harshness of it to all those indefinitely whose lot it was, by recommending the duties of it to them from the consideration of the acceptableness of them to God, who of his unconstrained grace would vouchsafe to them the noblest reward.
Obey in all things your masters according to the flesh: wherefore Christianity requires that servants of all sorts should readily receive and cheerfully execute all the commands, {see Col_3:20} in things lawful and honest, of those of both sexes, whom God in his wise providence hath given a just authority over them according to the flesh; ( see also Eph_6:5); which expression is not only for distinction from the Father and Master of spirits, Heb_12:9, but for mitigation of their servitude, in that their earthly master’s power reacheth only things corporeal and temporal, not the conscience and things that are eternal, which might be some comfort, that the servitude would not last long, and in the mean time they were God’s free-men, 1Co_7:22, whom they might serve with the spirit in the gospel of his Son, Rom_1:9.
Not with eye-service; yet their masters after the flesh, in those civil things wherein they had power to command, were not lightly to be respected or served to the eye, or only to be observed while their eye was upon them, Eph_6:6.
As men-pleasers; as if regard were to be had to the pleasing of men, and not to the pleasing of God, who searcheth the heart, and by his gospel (which they should adorn) expects they should remember his eye is ever upon them, Tit_2:9 1Pe_2:18.
But in singleness of heart, fearing God; and expects that, in a holy awe of him, they should do all that is incumbent on them, in the sincerity of their souls, {see Eph_6:5,6} with more regard to God than man.