1st timothy chapter 2....the priority of prayer
Paul, having warned of false teachers, and false teaching in chapter 1, and the detrimental effect on the gospel, now turns to the way in which the church can truly represent God in a pagan culture. He develops the importance of prayer, of godly leadership, of personal example, of respect in relationships(especially to those who are older), then finally to have a proper attitude to money. All the way through he repeats the warnings, and the danger to the believers of false doctrine and practice.
In chapter 2 he is stressing the importance of prayer, but prayer in connection with the great need of the world in evangelism. Rather than be bogged down with troublesome teachers and teaching, he exhorts them focus on their minds on the positive and powerful role they can play in the world. This is an exercise of primary importance in which the church can engage.
The chapter is divided into two sections, concerning public prayer:
Verses 1-7 Apostolic appeal to encourage the urgency of prayer; “I exhort therefore...” When it is a matter of spiritual exercise he exhorts.
Verses 8-15 Apostolic authority to regulate proper demeanour in prayer; “I will therefore....” When Divine order is in view, he enforces.
Verses 1-7 Urgency in prayer
Exhortation to pray “I exhort therefore that first of all......” This is priority, this is the first exercise of any church in connection with the need of the world in the gospel. In Matthew 21v13 the Lord Jesus said, quoting from Isaiah 56v7, “My house shall be called the house of prayer.” At the dedication of the temple which Solomon described as the house of God, its inauguration took place in the context of prayer (2nd 7Chronicles 6). In 1st Timothy chapter 3 he will describe the church as “house of God” and prayer is the primary function of the church for the need of mankind. The reason for this as priority is to bring our minds away from the problems of earth to focus our attention on the One who alone can answer prayer. He has already reminded Timothy of the One to whom we pray in chapter1v17 “the king, eternal, incorruptible, invisible, the only God, to whom be honour and glory forever and ever Amen.”
The elements of prayer He refers to 4 different aspects of prayer ,all of which are found throughout the entire bible, and each of which would have slightly different meanings. Supplications (deesies) appear to be specific requests, and the word comes from a root which means ”to lack,” This is prayer for times of need, when there is a lack which only God can provide. Prayers (proseuches) carry not so much the idea of our need, but of our persuasion of God’s willingness to meet that need (it is more the aspect of worship), it is due respect to His goodness. Intercessions (enteuxis), literally an interview, an exchange, between two concerned parties, usually in times of extremity, the exchange being of an urgent nature. He will refer later to the mediator who can speak to God in relation to men, this is the idea. Moses and Samuel were great intercessors for the nation(Jeremiah 15v1), Christ intercedes for us (Romans 8v34). We can intercede for the urgent need of our neighbours. Giving of thanks (eucharistia), returning thanks to God for His blessings, giving thanks also on behalf of men who are thankless. This is a courteous and necessary element of prayer.
The extent of prayer The logistics of this are enormous “...for all men!” Note the repetition of the word “all”. There is no limit to the power of prayer; in this context all means all without exception.....v1 all men; v2 all in authority;v3 God who will have all men to be saved; v6 Christ ...who gave Himself a ransom for all. In our prayers we can embrace all men for God. We can pray for our families, for our neighbours, for our friends, for our colleagues, for our street, for our town, for our county, for our country, for the whole world. We don’t know them all, but God does, at one and the same time. This is the greatest power any group of humans can wield on earth. We can pray for all kings, prime ministers, politicians, councillors, public servants, police, military, doctors, nurses, judges etc. God has placed them over us, they have a difficult job to do, they need our prayers, because it is God’s will we live our lives in godliness and respect. It’s amazing what respect comes into our souls when we regularly pray for these. We will never run out of things to pray for and prayer meetings should be vibrant and diverse and powerful.
The essence of prayer “...for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.....” This is always the yardstick of all spiritual exercise, that which pleases the Lord. There is no limit on blessing to those who please the Lord. The metaphor used here is of the burnt offering (Leviticus 1v4 ...“it shall be accepted for him...”) Prayer for the need of humanity brings delight to the heart of God for three given reasons:
1. We are in tune with the very heart of God and His plan of salvation...verse 4 “God our Saviour who will have all men to be saved...”
2. We are in tune with the great provision of Christ Jesus at Calvary ...verse 6 “...who gave Himself a ransom for all...”
3. We are in partnership with the great proclamation of the gospel to the world...verses 6/7 “to be testified in due time, whereof I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, a teacher of the Gentiles(nations) in truth and verity.”
In all public prayer we are in fellowship with the mighty work of salvation, and the global evangelism which has resulted. Now there are things in these verses on which we need to expand.
v.3-4 It says “God our Saviour who will have all men to be saved.” This is not His sovereign will, otherwise everyone would be saved, which, from the rest of scripture clearly is not the case. This is His permissive will, He desires, He wants, all men to be saved. There should be no doubt in our minds that there beats in the heart of God the desire for everyone without exception to be saved. The scriptures are clear, Ezekiel 18v23 “have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die says the Lord God and not that he should return from his ways and live.” Again in verse 32 of the same chapter “for I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth says the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves and live.” The apostle Peter says the same in 2nd Peter 3v9 “the Lord is.......... longsuffering to usward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” There is nothing clearer in the bible than that God wants people to be saved. The word “saved” refers to past, present and future sins that separate us from God. He adds more, that God wants all men to come to the full knowledge of the truth. He wants all who are saved to continue to grow in truth.
V 5-7 What God wants He has made full provision for, and, in these verses, we have a clear statement of that provision. The text should read “God is One and the mediator is One”. This is not speaking of one God as opposed to many gods, this is speaking of the unity and purpose of agreement within the Godhead concerning the plight of mankind. The plan of salvation has been agreed in heaven and one of their members is assigned to be the mediator between God and men. The mediator is one who can represent both parties that are divided and who can speak for God to man and for man to God and be the means of bringing together the divided parties. To do that, Christ Jesus, being the second member of the Godhead, became a man and now is the only mediator between God and men. What He did, was He gave Himself a ransom for all, that is He paid the price in full that would take away the offending sin and would reconcile man to God. This is the Divine counsel and is the only way for man and God to come together. In any arbitration there would a “consideration “ to be paid by the offending party before reconciliation can take place. God, Himself, the offended party paid the price, for we could not. The words ”a ransom for all” assumes that there is no limitation for all mankind to return to God, save that they must agree to it. This is the whole purpose of the preaching of the gospel that has been going on since the fall of man in Genesis 3, but which has assumed mammoth proportions since the death and resurrection of Christ. The full price of the ransom has been paid and now God is offering it to the world by means of preaching and teaching of which Paul was ordained a preacher and an apostle and a teacher of the nations. There is a significant difference in Matthew 20 v28 where it says “..the Son of Man gave His life a ransom for many.” There it is a ransom for many, here it is a ransom for all; The prepositions used are different (the accuracy of scripture is staggering). In Matthew it is FOR(anti) MANY...anti ..instead of many, meaning substitution; in Timothy it is FOR(huper) ALL.. huper.. on behalf of all. There is no respecter of persons in the matter of salvation. The many are truly saved because they have believed, but all can be saved because of the efficacy of the Mediator. Clearly the role of prayer is of primary significance, and an urgent one at that.
Verses 8-15 Decorum in prayer
Verse 8 In prayer we are speaking to God, and there are certain courtesies we should observe. Paul is now establishing Divine order, the protocol involved in approaching God, and so he uses apostolic authority. This is the first of three similar approaches; the others are 1st Timothy 5v14(to do with moral behaviour) and Titus 3v8 (to do with constancy of teaching); here it is church order. The word for “I will” is boulomai which means “courteous but firm”. He is not wielding the big stick, but gently squeezing them towards the truth. The first thing is that it is the men who are to pray. He uses aner males as opposed to females, when in verses 1&3 he used the word anthropos which is mankind in general. Also he reserves the remainder of the verses for instructions to the females. This is a matter, not of superiority, but of public decorum. Males alone are given the privilege of public prayer and they should make full use of it. Then they are to pray everywhere, in all situations where men and women are together, it is the place of men to pray. They are to pray everywhere “lifting up holy hands....” The imagery of the lifting up of hands is the thought of total surrender, acknowledgment we are dependent on Him. Character is in view; we are speaking to a holy God, only those with clean hands He will hear.
Psalm 66v18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me.”
Psalm 24v3 “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, or who shall stand in the holy place, he that hath pure hands and a clean heart.”
In prayer we come into the presence of majestic holiness and so we need cleansing, even just from the defilements of the day. Provision was also made for that at Calvary (1st John 1vv6-9), and we need to cleanse ourselves before we enter. Further he says men have to pray “without wrath”.....without grudges toward God or other people, without venting anger because of circumstances. Men have to pray “without doubting”.....prayer must be in faith, believing in both God’s goodness and His power. We must also believe that prayer works!, that they are heard, that they are not in vain.
Verses 8-15 “In like manner also the women......” Paul now turns to the role of women and, again the emphasis is on character. He discusses issues of dress and ornamentation and focuses on what the true dress and ornamentation should be, that of godliness demonstrated in good works......inward godliness of character seen in lives producing good not evil. The background to this is the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the pagan temple where women paraded in gaudy dress and jewels designed to attract worshippers into ungodly ways. There is no need to turn this injunction into more than that. Godly women should dress modestly as becomes their profession.
As he thinks of the role of women, and, as he considers the problem of false teaching, he now lays down the prohibition of women teaching in public. He will give reasons but the command is clear....”...I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man but to be in silence.” She is to learn, not to teach, she is to be subject, not to usurp. For those who wish to circumvent this clear apostolic mandate, finding all kinds of loopholes, and explanations, as to why he did not really mean this, their argument is with the apostle and ultimately with the Lord. Whatever the reticence to comply, the apostle gives sound scriptural reasons.
The priority of creation order “Adam was first formed, then Eve” Divine order in creation is to be observed in the church.
The order of deception leading to the fall “Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, was in the transgression.” Adam’s sin was greater, but he was not deceived. In the context of false teaching troubling the church by seducing (deceptive) spirits, the issue of deception becomes very large and women are forbidden the role of teaching in the wisdom of God.
God, however, has reserved for women a priceless role in life, that of childbearing. Whether we think of it as the seed of the woman who would crush the deceiving serpent, or just childbearing in general in the multiplication of the race, this is a key role in humanity. It is stated in Genesis 3v20 after the fall that “Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” Adam was aware of the implications of the fall on womanhood and he named her, despite the fall, “the mother of all living”. Perhaps Paul has this scripture in mind here. The reference to “saved” here is not the salvation of the soul, but the salvation of life in the role of motherhood. She is denied a public role, but she is given an exclusive role. It has been well said “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” There are countless examples in scripture, as in life, of women who have achieved great things, but ultimately it is her subjection to the man which pleases the Lord. They are to continue in faith and love and holiness with sobriety. Character is priority to God, and after all this is God’s house.
Paul, having warned of false teachers, and false teaching in chapter 1, and the detrimental effect on the gospel, now turns to the way in which the church can truly represent God in a pagan culture. He develops the importance of prayer, of godly leadership, of personal example, of respect in relationships(especially to those who are older), then finally to have a proper attitude to money. All the way through he repeats the warnings, and the danger to the believers of false doctrine and practice.
In chapter 2 he is stressing the importance of prayer, but prayer in connection with the great need of the world in evangelism. Rather than be bogged down with troublesome teachers and teaching, he exhorts them focus on their minds on the positive and powerful role they can play in the world. This is an exercise of primary importance in which the church can engage.
The chapter is divided into two sections, concerning public prayer:
Verses 1-7 Apostolic appeal to encourage the urgency of prayer; “I exhort therefore...” When it is a matter of spiritual exercise he exhorts.
Verses 8-15 Apostolic authority to regulate proper demeanour in prayer; “I will therefore....” When Divine order is in view, he enforces.
Verses 1-7 Urgency in prayer
Exhortation to pray “I exhort therefore that first of all......” This is priority, this is the first exercise of any church in connection with the need of the world in the gospel. In Matthew 21v13 the Lord Jesus said, quoting from Isaiah 56v7, “My house shall be called the house of prayer.” At the dedication of the temple which Solomon described as the house of God, its inauguration took place in the context of prayer (2nd 7Chronicles 6). In 1st Timothy chapter 3 he will describe the church as “house of God” and prayer is the primary function of the church for the need of mankind. The reason for this as priority is to bring our minds away from the problems of earth to focus our attention on the One who alone can answer prayer. He has already reminded Timothy of the One to whom we pray in chapter1v17 “the king, eternal, incorruptible, invisible, the only God, to whom be honour and glory forever and ever Amen.”
The elements of prayer He refers to 4 different aspects of prayer ,all of which are found throughout the entire bible, and each of which would have slightly different meanings. Supplications (deesies) appear to be specific requests, and the word comes from a root which means ”to lack,” This is prayer for times of need, when there is a lack which only God can provide. Prayers (proseuches) carry not so much the idea of our need, but of our persuasion of God’s willingness to meet that need (it is more the aspect of worship), it is due respect to His goodness. Intercessions (enteuxis), literally an interview, an exchange, between two concerned parties, usually in times of extremity, the exchange being of an urgent nature. He will refer later to the mediator who can speak to God in relation to men, this is the idea. Moses and Samuel were great intercessors for the nation(Jeremiah 15v1), Christ intercedes for us (Romans 8v34). We can intercede for the urgent need of our neighbours. Giving of thanks (eucharistia), returning thanks to God for His blessings, giving thanks also on behalf of men who are thankless. This is a courteous and necessary element of prayer.
The extent of prayer The logistics of this are enormous “...for all men!” Note the repetition of the word “all”. There is no limit to the power of prayer; in this context all means all without exception.....v1 all men; v2 all in authority;v3 God who will have all men to be saved; v6 Christ ...who gave Himself a ransom for all. In our prayers we can embrace all men for God. We can pray for our families, for our neighbours, for our friends, for our colleagues, for our street, for our town, for our county, for our country, for the whole world. We don’t know them all, but God does, at one and the same time. This is the greatest power any group of humans can wield on earth. We can pray for all kings, prime ministers, politicians, councillors, public servants, police, military, doctors, nurses, judges etc. God has placed them over us, they have a difficult job to do, they need our prayers, because it is God’s will we live our lives in godliness and respect. It’s amazing what respect comes into our souls when we regularly pray for these. We will never run out of things to pray for and prayer meetings should be vibrant and diverse and powerful.
The essence of prayer “...for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.....” This is always the yardstick of all spiritual exercise, that which pleases the Lord. There is no limit on blessing to those who please the Lord. The metaphor used here is of the burnt offering (Leviticus 1v4 ...“it shall be accepted for him...”) Prayer for the need of humanity brings delight to the heart of God for three given reasons:
1. We are in tune with the very heart of God and His plan of salvation...verse 4 “God our Saviour who will have all men to be saved...”
2. We are in tune with the great provision of Christ Jesus at Calvary ...verse 6 “...who gave Himself a ransom for all...”
3. We are in partnership with the great proclamation of the gospel to the world...verses 6/7 “to be testified in due time, whereof I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, a teacher of the Gentiles(nations) in truth and verity.”
In all public prayer we are in fellowship with the mighty work of salvation, and the global evangelism which has resulted. Now there are things in these verses on which we need to expand.
v.3-4 It says “God our Saviour who will have all men to be saved.” This is not His sovereign will, otherwise everyone would be saved, which, from the rest of scripture clearly is not the case. This is His permissive will, He desires, He wants, all men to be saved. There should be no doubt in our minds that there beats in the heart of God the desire for everyone without exception to be saved. The scriptures are clear, Ezekiel 18v23 “have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die says the Lord God and not that he should return from his ways and live.” Again in verse 32 of the same chapter “for I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth says the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves and live.” The apostle Peter says the same in 2nd Peter 3v9 “the Lord is.......... longsuffering to usward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” There is nothing clearer in the bible than that God wants people to be saved. The word “saved” refers to past, present and future sins that separate us from God. He adds more, that God wants all men to come to the full knowledge of the truth. He wants all who are saved to continue to grow in truth.
V 5-7 What God wants He has made full provision for, and, in these verses, we have a clear statement of that provision. The text should read “God is One and the mediator is One”. This is not speaking of one God as opposed to many gods, this is speaking of the unity and purpose of agreement within the Godhead concerning the plight of mankind. The plan of salvation has been agreed in heaven and one of their members is assigned to be the mediator between God and men. The mediator is one who can represent both parties that are divided and who can speak for God to man and for man to God and be the means of bringing together the divided parties. To do that, Christ Jesus, being the second member of the Godhead, became a man and now is the only mediator between God and men. What He did, was He gave Himself a ransom for all, that is He paid the price in full that would take away the offending sin and would reconcile man to God. This is the Divine counsel and is the only way for man and God to come together. In any arbitration there would a “consideration “ to be paid by the offending party before reconciliation can take place. God, Himself, the offended party paid the price, for we could not. The words ”a ransom for all” assumes that there is no limitation for all mankind to return to God, save that they must agree to it. This is the whole purpose of the preaching of the gospel that has been going on since the fall of man in Genesis 3, but which has assumed mammoth proportions since the death and resurrection of Christ. The full price of the ransom has been paid and now God is offering it to the world by means of preaching and teaching of which Paul was ordained a preacher and an apostle and a teacher of the nations. There is a significant difference in Matthew 20 v28 where it says “..the Son of Man gave His life a ransom for many.” There it is a ransom for many, here it is a ransom for all; The prepositions used are different (the accuracy of scripture is staggering). In Matthew it is FOR(anti) MANY...anti ..instead of many, meaning substitution; in Timothy it is FOR(huper) ALL.. huper.. on behalf of all. There is no respecter of persons in the matter of salvation. The many are truly saved because they have believed, but all can be saved because of the efficacy of the Mediator. Clearly the role of prayer is of primary significance, and an urgent one at that.
Verses 8-15 Decorum in prayer
Verse 8 In prayer we are speaking to God, and there are certain courtesies we should observe. Paul is now establishing Divine order, the protocol involved in approaching God, and so he uses apostolic authority. This is the first of three similar approaches; the others are 1st Timothy 5v14(to do with moral behaviour) and Titus 3v8 (to do with constancy of teaching); here it is church order. The word for “I will” is boulomai which means “courteous but firm”. He is not wielding the big stick, but gently squeezing them towards the truth. The first thing is that it is the men who are to pray. He uses aner males as opposed to females, when in verses 1&3 he used the word anthropos which is mankind in general. Also he reserves the remainder of the verses for instructions to the females. This is a matter, not of superiority, but of public decorum. Males alone are given the privilege of public prayer and they should make full use of it. Then they are to pray everywhere, in all situations where men and women are together, it is the place of men to pray. They are to pray everywhere “lifting up holy hands....” The imagery of the lifting up of hands is the thought of total surrender, acknowledgment we are dependent on Him. Character is in view; we are speaking to a holy God, only those with clean hands He will hear.
Psalm 66v18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me.”
Psalm 24v3 “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, or who shall stand in the holy place, he that hath pure hands and a clean heart.”
In prayer we come into the presence of majestic holiness and so we need cleansing, even just from the defilements of the day. Provision was also made for that at Calvary (1st John 1vv6-9), and we need to cleanse ourselves before we enter. Further he says men have to pray “without wrath”.....without grudges toward God or other people, without venting anger because of circumstances. Men have to pray “without doubting”.....prayer must be in faith, believing in both God’s goodness and His power. We must also believe that prayer works!, that they are heard, that they are not in vain.
Verses 8-15 “In like manner also the women......” Paul now turns to the role of women and, again the emphasis is on character. He discusses issues of dress and ornamentation and focuses on what the true dress and ornamentation should be, that of godliness demonstrated in good works......inward godliness of character seen in lives producing good not evil. The background to this is the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the pagan temple where women paraded in gaudy dress and jewels designed to attract worshippers into ungodly ways. There is no need to turn this injunction into more than that. Godly women should dress modestly as becomes their profession.
As he thinks of the role of women, and, as he considers the problem of false teaching, he now lays down the prohibition of women teaching in public. He will give reasons but the command is clear....”...I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man but to be in silence.” She is to learn, not to teach, she is to be subject, not to usurp. For those who wish to circumvent this clear apostolic mandate, finding all kinds of loopholes, and explanations, as to why he did not really mean this, their argument is with the apostle and ultimately with the Lord. Whatever the reticence to comply, the apostle gives sound scriptural reasons.
The priority of creation order “Adam was first formed, then Eve” Divine order in creation is to be observed in the church.
The order of deception leading to the fall “Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, was in the transgression.” Adam’s sin was greater, but he was not deceived. In the context of false teaching troubling the church by seducing (deceptive) spirits, the issue of deception becomes very large and women are forbidden the role of teaching in the wisdom of God.
God, however, has reserved for women a priceless role in life, that of childbearing. Whether we think of it as the seed of the woman who would crush the deceiving serpent, or just childbearing in general in the multiplication of the race, this is a key role in humanity. It is stated in Genesis 3v20 after the fall that “Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.” Adam was aware of the implications of the fall on womanhood and he named her, despite the fall, “the mother of all living”. Perhaps Paul has this scripture in mind here. The reference to “saved” here is not the salvation of the soul, but the salvation of life in the role of motherhood. She is denied a public role, but she is given an exclusive role. It has been well said “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” There are countless examples in scripture, as in life, of women who have achieved great things, but ultimately it is her subjection to the man which pleases the Lord. They are to continue in faith and love and holiness with sobriety. Character is priority to God, and after all this is God’s house.
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