Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Thessalonians 5:20

"despise not prophesyings;" — 1 Thessalonians 5:20 (ASV)

Despise not prophesyings. On the subject of prophesyings in the early Christian church, see Barnes on 1 Corinthians 14:1 and following. The reference here seems to be to preaching. Christians were not to undervalue it in comparison with other things.

It is possible that in Thessalonica, as appears to have been the case subsequently in Corinth (compare to 1 Corinthians 14:19), there were those who regarded the power of working miracles, or of speaking in unknown tongues, as a much more eminent endowment than that of stating the truths of religion in language easily understood. It would not be unnatural for comparisons to be made between these two classes of endowments, much to the disadvantage of the latter. From this may have arisen this solemn caution not to disregard or despise the ability to make known divine truth in intelligible language.

A similar counsel may not be inapplicable to us now. The office of setting forth the truth of God is to be the permanent office in the church; that of speaking foreign languages by miraculous endowment was to be temporary. But the office of addressing humankind on the great duties of religion, and of publishing salvation, is to be God's great ordinance for converting the world.

It should not be despised, and no one commends their own wisdom who scorns it, for:

1. It is God's appointment—the means He has designated for saving people.
2. It has too much that commands respect for it to be proper to despise or scorn it. There is nothing else that has as much power over humankind as the preaching of the gospel; there is no other institution of heaven or earth, among people, that is destined to exert so wide and permanent an influence as the Christian ministry.
3. It is an influence which is wholly good. No one is made poorer, less respectable, or more miserable in life or in death, by following the counsels of a minister of Christ when he makes known the gospel.
4. Whoever despises it scorns that which is designed to promote their own welfare and which is indispensable for their salvation. It has yet to be shown that anyone has promoted their own happiness, or the welfare of their family, by treating with contempt the instructions of the Christian ministry.