¹⁴Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. ¹⁵Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching. ¹⁶At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. ¹⁷ But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me . . .

One particular detractor warrants special mention, although we know little about him. Possibly Paul referred to him along with another troublemaker, Hymenaeus, in his earlier letter (1 Tim. 1:20), but since the name Alexander was common in those days, we can’t be sure of this connection. We do know that Paul marks him out to Timothy with a special warning: that he “did [him] much harm” and “vigorously opposed [their] teaching.” Some have conjectured that Alexander was responsible in some way for Paul’s incarceration, and Paul wanted Timothy to know he may encounter the man when visiting Paul.

We can relate to the apostle Paul’s experience, for what Christian hasn’t had someone mount a particular opposition to his or her witness? Maybe a family member or coworker who seems to go out of the way to argue against the gospel? The opposition may be couched in a personal attack, or it may be a mounted effort to contradict the gospel. Either way, we must be on guard, as the apostle Peter instructs: “[S]anctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence . . .” (1 Peter 3:15).

What Paul says next may be connected, in that he had to stand alone against Alexander; no one helped him defend the truth against this onslaught. Interestingly, Paul’s tone here is terse but not vindictive. Concerning Alexander, he simply says, “The Lord will repay him according to his deeds.” He leaves retribution with the Lord; this is not an imprecation, that is, a wish for punishment, but rather a simple prophecy or statement of what he knows God will do with the man, as He will with all detractors of the gospel. And look at how he responds to his coworkers who deserted him. His wish is that God would not hold them accountable for not standing with Paul.

Stepping back to look broadly at this passage, we can surmise that there are times when the opposition to the gospel is so fierce that only a few can stand against it. We should not criticize those who shrink back, but accept that at times, we must stand alone in our defense of the gospel. By faith, we know that in reality we do not stand alone, for our God stands with us and strengthens us. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31).

Lord, strengthen me when I must stand alone in my witness for You.