Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil; the Lord reward him according to his works. 2 Timothy 4:14
We can only speculate who this Alexander was, and what he did to torment the apostle Paul. The words ‘did me much evil’ speak volumes, though. Whether he attacked the apostle physically or verbally, or whether he put obstacles in the path of Paul’s missionary work, or whether he accused Paul ow wrongdoing, Alexander was an enemy of God’s servant, and therefore an enemy of God. And he placed himself in a very dangerous position. Like Paul, we need to recognize such people and commit their case to the Lord.
Paul knew what it was to run into opposition to his Gospel efforts. And so do we. We encounter people who outright reject and oppose any mention of God and the Gospel. Some will do it under the banner of atheism, others under the banner of religion, and others under the vague banner of apathy. They not only cast the message and messenger aside, but they do all they can to prevent the message and messenger from reaching anyone else. Sometimes they are out-and-out hostile, and sometimes they are sneaky about their opposition. Sometimes they are out to further their own agendas, such as the abortion rights advocates and the homosexuality program. Sometimes they are merely a nuisance, and at other times they cause real damage to property, person, and reputation. So what should our attitude be toward them?
Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (Galatians 6:7). This principle Paul brings before us in this text when he says of Alexander, the Lord reward him according to his work. Those who oppose God and who obstruct Christians often assume they are winning the war. They are not; they are merely winning a few small battles against us, but are not winning anything against God. In their puny defiance, they are deluded into thinking too much of themselves and too little of God. And they must stand before God one day and give an account for the evil that they have done to God’s people. They cannot hope for God to be lenient with them. Knowing that our opponents will be dealt with by the Judge of all the earth means that retaliation is not to be even thought of by ourselves. Paul took no actions against Alexander, or against any others who opposed him. He left the matter with the Lord, satisfied that justice would be done.
We have many enemies. If they oppose us for Christ’s sake, God will take them to task. It is not our responsibility. -Jim MacIntosh