An Audience of One
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 ESV
To God – How often have you heard this verse used as a proof text for the need for Bible study? Certainly the goal is admirable, but perhaps we are a bit too Greek when we think that Paul was instructing Timothy to find out more about the text. Walter Kaiser makes this relevant comment:
“Only an awareness of and respect for the immediate context will keep the exegete from going off the deep end here. The author has the right to define his own words as he wishes to do so – and context is a key to unlocking part of that meaning.”[1]
With this in mind, let’s examine the meaning of Paul’s words according to Paul in his context. Notice that the test of proper handling of the word of truth is not the congregation, the cell group, the family or the educational examining committee. It is God. Whatever it means to rightly handle the truth, the audience who determines the outcome isn’t human beings or the church. It is God alone. You and I (and Timothy) are expected to stand before Him and explain our right handling.
I suspect that we also need some contextual correction for the phrase “rightly handling.” Paul’s view of faithfulness is not about how much theological doctrine we know. His view of faithfulness is living in accordance with divine instruction. There is no point whatsoever to compiling religious information if it doesn’t alter our behavior. For Paul, rightly handling is a statement about application. We can see this because Paul associates rightly handling with “no need to be ashamed.” We know that the concept of shame in the first century middle Eastern world is not about my personal, inward self-affirmation. Shame is a public phenomenon. To not be ashamed is to have a reputation of honor among those who observe how I live.
How, then, do we become approved by God? Answer: rightly handle the word of truth. What does that mean? Well, in Paul’s context, that would mean “live according to God’s revealed expectations.” The “word of truth” can only mean one thing in the public arena – the Tanakh. The Tanakh is the public standard of approved behavior. Suddenly this verse isn’t about correct theology or memorized doctrine. It is about the public humiliation that comes (inevitably) by not living in alignment with the words God has revealed. And for Paul, that has to mean living as he lived – with utmost regard for the instructions given in his Bible, the Tanakh.
Topical Index: to God, approval, shame, rightly handling, 2 Timothy 2:15
I get this,i find myself in a place where I have so much cathing up to do in understanding the tanakh, that I forget to live out its instructions properly.I find myself in catch up mode,trying to get as much knowledge as possible.I feel like I have been cheated from receiveing knowledge.Thanks for the reminder to live out what I learn on the journey.
This is a most compelling and clear presentation of Paul’s position about living. Thank you, Skip.
“rightly handling the word of truth.”
Agreed. The test of proper handling of the word of truth
is God Himself. Only God.
No man can.
Thus our need of the life of the Son which we receive through
our complete submission to Him.
Yes, the Tanakh shows us how to live like Him.
But only Him (in us) can actually DO that living,
according to the word of truth.
Jn 5:19-21
1 Jn 4: 7-9
“…that we might live through Him.” 1 Jn 4:9
John (Hebrew Names Version on the Internet)
John:1 That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life
John:2 (and the life was revealed, and we have seen, and testify, and declare to you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was revealed to us);
John:3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Yeshua the Messiah.
John:4 And we write these things to you, that our joy may be fulfilled.
John:5 This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
John:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and don’t tell the truth.
John:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yeshua the Messiah, his Son, cleanses us from all sin
Hmmm
My Bible is beautifully written but, unlike in the version above, John makes no sense to me
In the beginning was the Word
the Word was with God
and the Word was God
The Jerusalem Bible (John 1:1-3)
In the beginning was the Word
the Word was with God
and the Word was God
Hmmm
IMHO Seems like it should be something like the following
In the beginning was God
God gave his Word
and the Word was God
Brian wrote: I feel like I have been cheated from receiving knowledge
Me, too, Brian. WE HAVE!
God knows that, tho, and even allowed it even in our BEST EFFORTS to seek truth. Trust Him to “rush” the learning process. Pray that He will touch our brains to RECALL ALL THAT WE READ that will be needed for the days ahead.
Hey Michael,
Hmmm
You can read the Bible with your head.
You can read the Bible with your heart.
Jer 24:7 “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord.”
Jer 29:13 “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with
all of your heart.”
Ez 18:31 “. . . and get a new heart and a new spirit.”
Ez 36:26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;
I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you
a heart of flesh.”
Hmmm
Hi Rich,
We associate the heart with emotions, such as love and kindness, as in “He has a good heart”
And the ancient Hebrews also saw the heart as the seat of emotions
But they saw the heart as the seat of thought as well (as I understand it)
Whereas we see the brain (head) as the seat of thought
To the ancient Hebrews, the heart was like our mind in that it included all our thoughts and emotions
When we are told to love God with all our heart (Deut 6:5)
God is not speaking of an emotional love
Rather God is telling us to keep all our emotions and our thoughts
Focused on him
And for me reading the Bible is a form of mental discipline
That leads to a spiritual experience
It is different than prayer (Head)
And different than meditation (Heart)
“It is about the public humiliation that comes (inevitably) by not living in alignment with the words God has revealed”
This week’s ending Torah portion Deut 25:17-19 touches on the spirit of Amalek.
This is can be anybody with their ideology who opposes the Torah. The commandment is to eliminate them with their ideology-“Remember” and “do not forget” what Amalek did.
Haman’s is the descendent of the Amalekites, whose outright rebellion against YHWH, is to kill all Jews, his ideology is this accusation that “They (the Jews) keep laws different from all people.” Est 3:8
That spirit is still very much alive this day.
This should encourage us to have more fervour of observing Torah.
It will be those who will not study to be approved by YHWH that will be publicly and shamefully displayed, just as Haman was.
Seriously we must never mishandle Almighty YHWH’s Word.
HE is the Judge, not man, no matter how ‘correct’ we presume our interpreting of Scriptures is.
We are in the days of restoration, what is there to restore, if we have gotten all truths with nothing else to learn any more? And subsequently to have to stand before YHWH for accountability.
Hi Ester,
Honestly, it is hard not to judge. It is a choice one must make though. I read this little wisdom once…..it is only the sin in our own lives that we need concern ourselves with.
Put that on my fridge as a reminder!
It takes a choice to look outside of the religious paradigm that is so big these days.
I was having a random conversation with a stranger yesterday. She was very friendly and I learned a whole lot about her in about 5 minutes! In the process she asked me what church I went to. I told her I attended and home church which isn’t quite true either. The flow of words from her literally slammed to a halt and she looked at me in total confused silence for a couple of seconds. Then she told me about her “little” Nazarene church that had over 800 in attendance the past Sunday. (It is one of the bigger churches in my town)
I don’t think she had much outside her paradigm to go on. It was just a funny little illustration of how pervasive the Christian paradigm is. People automatically think you are weird or going to burn in hell if you don’t go to church (a building of 4 walls with a paid preacher)!
“HE is the Judge, not man, no matter how ‘correct’ we presume our interpreting of Scriptures is.”
I think these are very wise words uttered by someone who has made some difficult choices.
It echoes my own heart and I have a ways to go. The fervor of observing Torah needs to increase in me. It is far to easy to just go along and do what I have always done. Choices again!!
It grieves me to see how folks (myself included at times) are so eager to beat those up who have differing opinions. Everything from just badgering others and shunning to outright murder and it changes nothing. Y-H is still (and always) the judge.
Shalom
We are told to judge – judge rightly. To judge something requires some standard against which to measure the object/person being judged.
God has given us that standard, it is His word, it is the Torah.
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly[a] with your God. Micah 6:8
This idea that we should not judge is just not Biblical though it is a good way to control a population that might not go with what the controlling interests want to foist on them.
To judge is not to try to change someone’s mind or opinion, it is simply to come to your own conclusion about a situation or person so that you can make decisions about how you will interact with it/them.
No one has ever gotten more clean by walking through a mud puddle, nor have they made the puddle any less muddy. Prudence suggests walking around it if you don’t want to get dirty yourself.
Hi Jill
We are not the ones who will judge at the end. Accounts will be given only to Y-H with no one to speak for us. I am not the one who will do this judgement.
I am guilty of having done this in my mind many times to others and have used it as a weapon.
I was not clear on this in my previous post.
I agree with what you said though on judging other matters with people. I may not be doing a very job of explaining this but I hope it comes through.
We are to judge on some matters but final judgement is for Y-H alone.
Agreed Dawn, but in the end will not God judge us on our ability to judge rightly? Rightly dividing the word of truth, does that not call for judgement on our part?, is not justice the result of judgement? Does mercy exist because justice is impartial? And how is justice impartial if not because it is measured against a standard…that standard being Torah.
Hi Dawn McL,
Thumbs up for “We are to judge on some matters but final judgement is for Y-H alone.”
Somethings are beyond us to judge. A conference teaching yesterday, I learned from a rabbi that we are not to judge why a person chose to be divorced, or, is divorced for what ever reason/s. We are not to point a finger to condemn them.
Love to you. 🙂
Hi Jill,
I so appreciate your reply. Amein! Enjoyed your narrative!
Aren’t we often confronted with such folks these days?!
It is our responsibility to judge, to correct those in error, but not condemn, nor be critical as some are, and, only if they are willing to be teachable, to be corrected.
Nonetheless, we have done our job when when we tried.
The focus here in TW’s is on the interpreting of Scriptures, YHWH IS the Judge, meaning nobody can misquote, nor abuse HIS Word. Emphasis here is that the Word is YHWH’s Word.
When we misquote or misuse, or misinterpret HIS Word, are we so accountable.
We are to be diligent to dig and seek the treasures of what HE is saying to us to guide us in the path, that we might not miss the mark, the Hebraic term for “sin”, as well as being lawless (sin).
Shalom to you.
“The focus here in TW’s is on the interpreting of Scriptures, YHWH IS the Judge, meaning nobody can misquote, nor abuse HIS Word. Emphasis here is that the Word is YHWH’s Word.
When we misquote or misuse, or misinterpret HIS Word, are we so accountable.
We are to be diligent to dig and seek the treasures of what HE is saying to us to guide us in the path, that we might not miss the mark, the Hebraic term for “sin”, as well as being lawless (sin).”
This is SO important. I see this as I continue to learn here–that focus IS on interpreting of Scripture–NOT condemning others for things such as divorce or whatever it may be. I am familiar with “missing the mark” and I really appreciate your post. Clarity is hard to find and sometimes very hard to speak!
It annoys me when I know what I want to say and have no words to express it!!
What was your conference about that you mentioned above? Did I read once that you are located down under? I am smack in the middle of the US MidWest Ag Belt. We are farmers (not big ag either) with a serious connection to the land!
Shalom to you also.
Hi Dawn,
Yes, I am “downunder” LOL, also a very agri country.
That is a weekly internet conference on Torah portion for the week, we are in Deut 26-29 Ki Tavo. Last week’s had a portion on marriage, so divorce was part of that discussion. 🙂
You do express well, I understood what you were referring to.
Shalom, shalom!
Shalom Dawn!
My comment was meant for you! 🙂 but addressed incorrectly to Jill. My apologies!
“Agreed Dawn, but in the end will not God judge us on our ability to judge rightly?”
Hi Dawn and Jill,
As Mr Marx, if you recall the inimitable words of the “Old Moor,” famously said long ago
“From each according to his ability and to each according to his needs” is a golden rule
In other words, we are only going to be judged on the things we know and can do
We don’t want to beat the village idiot for being stupid IMO
This is beautiful. Thank fellow servant.