1Timothy – Part 3

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Instructions for the Kehillah ~ Part 3

At work, you might often feel overwhelmed and underappreciated, leading to burnout and disengagement. Reflecting on 1 Timothy 2:1-15, consider initiating a moment of prayer in your workspace, either alone or in a small group setting, deliberately inviting the presence of God into your daily tasks. This can empower you to approach your responsibilities with renewed perspective and peace. Moreover, this practice can encourage others to do the same, creating a more supportive and thoughtful workplace culture.

Call for Men to Pray

2 ¹ First of all, then, I counsel that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all human beings, ² including kings and all in positions of prominence, so that we may lead quiet and peaceful lives, being godly and upright in everything. ³ This is what God, our Deliverer, regards as good; this is what meets his approval. ⁴ He wants all humanity to be delivered and come to full knowledge of the truth.

Sha’ul, who was neither passive nor selfish, did not counsel prayers for quiet and peaceful lives for ourselves, but for the deliverance of all human beings, including government leaders and all in positions of prominence.

⁵ For God is one;

The theme of salvation for Gentiles as well as Jews appears in most of Sha’ul’s letters. See Romans 3:29-30, where, as here, Sha’ul derives from the Shema his teaching that Gentiles and Jews alike have salvation available to them through trusting in the one God and His Messiah.

and there is but one Mediator between God and humanity, Yeshua the Messiah, Himself human, ⁶ who gave Himself as a ransom on behalf of all,

There is but one Mediator between God and humanity, Yeshua the Messiah, Himself human. This idea is resisted by non-Messianic Jews who urge that no human mediator is needed between God and mankind. The two-covenant theorists mentioned in Yochanan 14:6 where Yeshua said, “No one comes to the Father except through me,” would offer the variant that Jews come to God without a mediator, but Gentiles approach Him through Yeshua. Some, taking for granted that the very idea of a mediator is in principle un-Jewish, think Sha’ul brought it in from Gnosticism (see Acts 8:10, Colossians 1:19) in order to make his Gospel more palatable to Gentiles.

thus providing testimony to God’s purpose at just the right time. ⁷ This is why I myself was appointed a proclaimer, even an emissary—I am telling the truth, not lying!—a trustworthy and truthful teacher of the Goyim.

Sha’ul was divinely appointed to be a proclaimer, even an emissary of Yeshua (Acts 9:15, 13:47, 22:21). He frequently finds it necessary to defend this authority of his, nowhere more fully than in Galatians. I am telling the truth, not lying! Compare similar protests at Romans 9:1, 2 Corinthians 11:31, Galatians 1:20. His point is that he, unlike those who spread “myths and genealogies” (1 Timothy 1:4), is trustworthy and truthful when he teaches the Gentiles.

⁸ Therefore, it is my wish that when the men pray, no matter where, they should lift up holy hands—they should not become angry or get into arguments.

Women to Be Modest

⁹ Likewise, the women, when they pray, should be dressed modestly and sensibly in respectable attire, not with elaborate hairstyles and gold jewelry, or pearls, or expensive clothes.

Because clothing in the ancient world could reflect internal values, Sha’ul called Messianic women to dress in a manner that identified them as followers of Yeshua. In particular, Sha’ul discouraged women from adornment with particular hairstyles, jewelry, and expensive clothing due to the connotations within that cultural context (compare note on 1 Timothy 2:8-15).

¹⁰ Rather, they should adorn themselves with what is appropriate for women who claim to be worshipping God, namely, good deeds.

Good deeds refer to the characteristics that women should be known for. Sha’ul does not specify any particular works he has in view, though later he mentions good works in his discussions of young widows and wealthy believers (1Timothy 5:10; 6:18; compare Titus 2:7–8; 3:8, 14). Ultimately, Sha’ul’s point is that genuine faith in God should display itself in holiness.

The Role of Women

¹¹ Let a woman learn in peace, fully submitted; ¹² but I do not permit a woman to teach a man or exercise authority over him; rather, she is to remain at peace.

The phrase I do not permit is not simply a statement of Sha’ul’s personal wishes, but the statement of an authoritative position. He wrote with the authority of an emissary (1 Thess. 4:1; 2 Thess. 3:6). When Sha’ul called for the women to be silent, he contrasted this with teaching. First Corinthians 11:5 assumes women do speak in the church assembly. This verse prohibits women from providing public teaching for men, but it does not prevent women from speaking in other circumstances.

¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Havah (Eve).

The word for introduces the biblical basis for the preceding prohibition regarding women. The order of creation was more significant in the mind of Sha’ul than it is to most people today (1 Corinthians 11:8-9). Rooting the command in the order of creation makes this an abiding command rather than something that held only for Sha’ul’s culture and Sha’ul’s era. Gender roles are not the result of the fall but are rooted in creation and God’s original purposes.

¹⁴ Also it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman who, on being deceived, became involved in the transgression.

When Sha’ul declared that Adam was not deceived, he did not excuse him for his sin. The point here is not blame but deception. That Adam sinned and bore the primary responsibility for the fall of humanity is clear in Romans 5:12-14.

¹⁵ Nevertheless, the woman will be delivered through childbearing, provided that she continues trusting, loving, and living a holy life with modesty.

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In our next post, we will continue to examine Sha’ul’s First Letter to Timothy.