Instructions for Timothy
2 TIMOTHY 2:22-3:17
(October 24)
How often have you tried to instruct your teen or young adult to stay away from trouble? We do this to shield them from the problems and situations that can come from being at the wrong place, doing the wrong thing, with the wrong people, at the wrong time. Sometimes they heed our advice, other times they don't.
Timothy is still a young man and Paul is warning him about the things that might get in the way of his calling. He urges him to pursue righteous living with like-minded and like-hearted people, and not get tempted by his youthful lusts.
Paul urges him to stay away from arguments that will lead to fights, and to be kind to all. If he comes across someone who opposes the truth he teaches, he should be gentle in his instruction to them i the hopes that God might change their hearts.
Timothy is warned about the cruel, hateful, boastful and arrogant people who will betray their friends, choose pleasure over God, love their money more than God, and slander others with unloving and uncaring hearts. He is to avoid these people at all costs.
Paul mentions the "gullible women who are burdened with the guilt of sin." He is talking about the women in the Ephesian church who have never had any religious training. They were loving the new freedom they had to study Christianity. They were so eager to learn that this made them a target for the false teachers who would take advantage of them.
Paul mentions that these false teachers oppose the truth "just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses." These two were magicians who counterfeited Moses' miracles in front of Pharaoh. They opposed Moses and what he could do, and they wanted to be seen as having the same abilities he had.
Paul spoke a bit about the troubles he had faced. Timothy was very aware of what Paul had been through. He had witnessed Paul being stoned to death and left for dead in Lystra, which was Timothy's hometown. That was just the tip of the iceberg of what Paul experienced for the sake of the gospel. It is mentioned at this point of the letter as a contract of his experience to that of those who were teaching false information and seeking only their own personal pleasure.
Timothy is reminded to remain faithful to all that Paul has taught him. Since his childhood, he has been taught scriptures, and has put his trust in Jesus. Paul reminds him that scripture is truth, "inspired by God." God's word is more than just a collection of stories and tall tales. It is a collection of writing by believers chosen by God, in which he revealed his person and plan through the Holy Spirit.
These writers wrote from their own personal experiences and what they knew of history and culture, using their own minds, language, and writing style. They wrote only what God inspired them to write, it was all coming from him. That is what makes scripture completely trustworthy, because we know God was in control of all of it.
This BIBLE (Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth) is what guides us, teaches us, encourages us, and holds us accountable to a life of faith and righteousness. Without it, where would we be?