1 Timothy – Part 8

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Instructions For Slaves

Respect Your Masters

¹ Those who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their masters as worthy of full respect, so that the name of God and the teaching will not be brought into disrepute.

Slavery was part of the Graeco-Roman socio-economic structure in the first century. Sha’ul is urging Believers to demonstrate God’s love and kindness even within this particular structure (e.g., 1 Corinthians 7:21-24; Ephesians 6:5-8; Philemon 10–17). Here, Sha’ul urges slaves to remain respectful to their masters for the sake of the Kehilah’s reputation, so that the work of the Gospel may not be hindered.

² And those who have believing masters are not to show them less respect on the ground that they are brothers; on the contrary, they should serve all the more diligently, since those benefiting from their service are believers whom they love. Teach and exhort people about these things.

Sha’ul considered his teaching to be in accord with the sound teaching of our Yeshua HaMashiach.

Concerning Mercenary Teachers

False Motivations

³ If anyone teaches differently and does not agree to the sound precepts of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah and to the doctrine that is in keeping with godliness, ⁴ he is swollen with conceit and understands nothing. Instead, he has a morbid desire for controversies and word-battles, out of which come jealousy, dissension, insults, evil suspicions, ⁵ and constant wrangling among people whose minds no longer function properly and who have been deprived of the truth, so that they imagine that religion is a road to riches.

This is the third time Sha’ul deals with false teachers in 1 Timothy (1:3-11; 4:1-5).

Attitude Towards Money

⁶ Now, true religion does bring great riches, but only to those who are content with what they have. ⁷ For we have brought nothing into the world; and we can take nothing out of it;

“I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will return there naked: Adonai gave, Adonai has taken away; blessed be the name of Adonai” (Job 1:21). Also see Psalm 49:17–18, Ecclesiastes 5:15.

⁸ so if we have food and clothing, we will be satisfied with these.

Godliness with a full stomach, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head is enough for us to be content. Everything else is a bonus.

⁹ Furthermore, those whose goal is to be rich fall into temptation; they get trapped in many foolish and hurtful ambitions which plunge them into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all the evils; because of this craving, some people have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves to the heart with many pains.

It is not money itself but the love of money (v. 10) that is the root of all the evils. Likewise, fundraising for religious purposes is not a sin. I trust people’s gut reactions about such matters—greed and bad taste are hard to hide. Throughout this chapter, Sha’ul gave Timothy several principles to apply concerning authority (1 Tim. 6:1–2), false teachers (6:3–6), and contentment (6:7–10). Then, suddenly, his tone changed. He aimed his pen directly at Timothy and fired off several precepts.

Timothy’s Motivation

¹¹ But you, as a man of God, flee from these things; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

Sha’ul marks a dramatic shift in tone by placing the personal pronoun “you” at the front of the sentence. This set Timothy apart from the faithless, apostate teachers described in 6:3–10. Sha’ul further emphasizes Timothy as his intended target with the expression “man of God,” a familiar Old Testament title reserved for prophets.

¹² Fight the good fight of the faith, take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you testified so well to your faith before many witnesses.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by life’s burdens and struggling to stay spiritually focused, 1 Timothy 6:12 calls you to fight the good fight of faith. Consider setting aside a dedicated time each day for prayer and the Word. Start a personal journal to document your prayers and any burdens you’re facing. This practice will help you tangibly see God’s faithfulness and strengthen your resolve amid challenges, encouraging you to persevere in your walk with Yeshua.

¹³ I charge you before God, who gives life to all things, and before the Messiah Yeshua, who in his witness to Pontius Pilate gave the same good testimony, ¹⁴ to obey your commission spotlessly and irreproachably until our Lord Yeshua the Messiah appears. ¹⁵ His appearing will be brought about in its own time by the blessed and sole Sovereign, who is King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone is immortal, who dwells in unapproachable light that no human being has ever seen or can see—to Him be honor and eternal power. Amen.

When trials and tribulations strike, remember that God is Sovereign. The worst nightmare of the wicked is that God is Sovereign.

Proper Use of Wealth

¹⁷ As for those who do have riches in this present world, charge them not to be proud and not to let their hopes rest on the uncertainties of riches but to rest their hopes on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Charge them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous and ready to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will treasure up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may lay hold of the real life.

Rich people tend to be arrogant and must guard against this. They are also prone to putting their hope in their wealth rather than in Yeshua. Real life consists of doing what is good and being generous.

Concluding Remarks

²⁰ Oh, Timothy! Keep safe what has been entrusted to you. Turn away from the ungodly babblings and the argumentative opposition of what is falsely called “knowledge.” ²¹ For many who promise this “knowledge” have missed the mark, as far as the faith is concerned. Grace be with you. ^[1]

In our next post, we will begin to examine Sha’ul’s Letter to Titus.

Click here for the PDF version.

^[1] 1 Timothy 6:1–21.