PROPHETIC PREACHING
then and now
by
Roland Q. Leavell
Copyright © 1963
~ out-of-print and in the public domain ~
CHAPTER ONE
PROPHETIC PREACHING
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as
unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your
hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of
God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (II Peter 1:19-21).
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the
poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the
acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19).
The Lord JESUS CHRIST, the prophet of Galilee, is the divine pattern for all preachers. He was
sent by the Heavenly Father to preach. He was anointed by the Holy Spirit to preach. Preaching
was the chief method by which he implanted the truth of GOD into the minds and hearts of his
believing followers. He lit his torch with fire from off the altar of Heaven, and took the light into
a benighted, sin-darkened world. The flaming words of truth which he preached attracted the
attention of the multitudes, for fire is easily noticed in the darkness.
The sacred eloquence of the young prophet of Galilee attracted "great multitudes of people
from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond
Jordan" (Matthew 4:25). The multitudes flocked to hear him because he preached a sure word
from GOD in Heaven to hungry-hearted men on earth. He preached eternal truth, the glad news
of the Gospel.
Second only to JESUS, Moses was the tallest in the mountain range of the prophets, the most
august character in antiquity. He brought vital messages directly from GOD to the people,
messages about monotheistic theology, about morals, about social righteousness, about legal
justice, about national policies and military strategy.
Moses' sermons in Deuteronomy form the text book from which so many prophets in the
succeeding generations learned the rudiments of their mission and messages. This is especially
true of the great prophets of the Eighth Century B.C.-Isaiah, Hosea, Amos and Micah. The Lord
JESUS knew the writings of Moses intimately, quoted his sayings frequently, adhered to his
teachings loyally, and fulfilled his prophecies gloriously.
Moses had the grandeur of Isaiah, the vision of Ezekiel, the passion for righteousness of Amos,
the tender love of Hosea, the intense patriotism of Jeremiah, and the erudite mind of the Apostle
Paul.
"And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face
to face" (Deuteronomy 34:10).
Clarion Call for Prophetic Preaching
There is a current and constant call for prophetic pulpit preaching. People have a genuine heart-
hunger for the meat of the Word and the bread of life. A. T. Robertson, far-famed teacher of New
Testament a generation ago, had a quaint way of sadly bemoaning the fact that the "poor hungry
sheep look up to the food rack, and are not fed. All they hear is the wind whistling through."
Preachers are divinely called to preach, to preach in power and demonstration of the Spirit. Too
many sermons are bland, innocuous, soporific. They deal in vague abstractions, pleasing
platitudes, psychological theories, and watered-down theology, instead of telling people how to
get the righteousness of GOD in their hearts through CHRIST. The water of life should not be
handed out in half-pint cups.
When a prominent or desirable church pastorate becomes vacant, usually there are scores and
perhaps hundreds of recommendations or personal applications for the place. However, a pulpit
committee often takes months upon months searching for a man whom the church desires for
pastor. Why do they search so long? They are looking for a man of GOD with a message from
GOD, a man whose heart is ablaze with spiritual zeal to lead men to GOD. A congregation will
overlook some other deficiencies and even some faults in a pastor if only he is a good preacher,
with GOD's message. They want assurance from GOD that they have received the gift of
salvation personally. They see a decaying society, and they want to hear the causes exposed, the
remedy explained. Most churches are ready to call a man who has a soul burden, a heart passion
and a prophetic urgency.
What Is Prophetic Preaching?
Prophetic preaching is preaching like the prophets.
Preaching was one of the most unique and distinguishing characteristics of worship during Old
Testament times. Who can measure the influence of these holy men of old on their generations
and throughout the centuries which have followed? "Thus saith the Lord" was their message,
and preaching was their method of communicating it.
Preaching has been and still is pre-eminently vital to the spreading of the Christian faith. In order
to build the Kingdom of Heaven, JESUS established the Gospel as the essential message, the
church as the promotional agency, and preaching as the principal means of persuasion. The early
Christian fathers knew that CHRIST would save men's souls and that his Gospel would save
society from ignominy, despair, and decay. They preached that the Kingdom of Heaven was at
hand. They predicted a new Heaven and a new earth wherein righteousness would reign.
What is prophetic preaching? What is good preaching?
Good preaching is a sermon that is preached with a good delivery, but much more. It means a
well-prepared message with food for thought which is organized in proper homiletical form, but
much more. Lack of some of these qualities can be forgiven if the preacher's soul is burdened
with a message from GOD to men, and if his soul is ablaze with zeal to deliver it. His heart must
be "pregnant with celestial fire" (Gray's Elegy).
One can learn something about the meaning of the term "prophetic preaching" from the Old
Testament word nabhi, translated prophet. Hebrew scholars say this word means a speaker, an
announcer, a proclaimer, a herald. It is used nearly three hundred times in the Old Testament. A
nabhi, a prophet of GOD, is a forth-teller. He is GOD's mouthpiece who delivers a message of
GOD, when he is possessed with absolute certainty that it is divine truth coming directly from
GOD, and when a Heaven-born compulsion to deliver the message is upon him. When the
inspiration for preaching is from GOD, it will be delivered authoritatively and with urgency. One
preaches prophetically when he is under authority like Amos:
"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the
prophets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but
prophesy?" (Amos 3:7-8).
The preacher who merits being called a prophetic preacher must feel that he is under a spiritual
compulsion like Paul when he said: "Necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is me, if I preach not
the gospel" (I Corinthians 9:16).
Prophetic preaching is not something merely thought out, or inferred, or hoped, or feared. It is
directly inspired by the Spirit of GOD, an inspiration which gives power to a preacher's sermon
preparation through study, meditation and prayer.
Some people think prophetic preaching always means foretelling future events. Frequently GOD
used current conditions and events to open a prophet's vision to foresee results in the future. This
is only a part of the meaning of the term, and not necessarily the major part. Old Testament
prophets were not like almanac makers, predicting dates and events. They were forth-tellers
more frequently than foretellers. They were truth-tellers, message-bearers, mouthpieces for
GOD. Prophetic preaching dealt with the past and the present as well as the future. The Old
Testament prophets were interpreters of history's lessons about moral and spiritual issues. They
were "seers," men who knew the condition of their present world, in the light of which they
praised or denounced or instructed people about their way of life. They had an understanding of
the past and present when they "dipped into the future" to foretell the impending judgments of
GOD.
The ideal is for a preacher to step forth like a herald with a personal message from the King of
kings for each individual listener. It is said that once while Charles Haddon Spurgeon was
preaching with impassioned earnestness a little girl in the vast audience asked with anxious
concern, "Mother, is Mr. Spurgeon speaking to me?" Prophetic preaching did not inspire the
phrases "dull as a sermon" and "prosaic as a parson." Jeremiah said GOD asked the question: "Is
not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh a rock in
pieces?" (Jeremiah 23:29).
Prophetic preaching does not just happen. It does not come automatically with a seminary
degree, nor with ordination to the ministry, nor with a call to a pastorate. It is not by intellectual
might nor by ecstatic emotion, but by the Spirit of GOD when he lays hold upon a preacher to
deliver a life-and-death message to men. Sometimes prophetic preaching is abrupt, often it is
explosive, frequently it is disturbing, but always it is moving and purifying and refreshing. It will
not return void, but will accomplish GOD's purpose in the lives of men and nations (Isaiah 55:
11).
The Gospel should be communicated boldly, fearlessly, simply, earnestly, lovingly, "as from a
dying man to dying men." There is no power in vague generalities, nor irrelevant theories, nor
that which creates doubt in the minds of the hearers. People have doubts and theories enough;
they are hungry-hearted for the truth from Heaven. An ideal sermon is delivered in the language
understood by the people, answers some problem of the people, and inspires a more godly life by
the people. The poet beautifully describes the aims of a worthy preacher:
"Unskilled he to fawn, or seek for power
By doctrines fashioned to the varying hour:
For other aims his heart had learned to prize,
More bent to raise the wretched than to rise.
"And, as a bird each fond endearment tries
To tempt its new-fledged offspring to the skies,
He tried each art, reproved each dull delay,
Allured to brighter worlds, and led the way."
- Goldsmith, The Deserted Village
The content of prophetic preaching always is built around some profound doctrine which is
pertinent to everyday life. Theology is the steel structure upon which every message is built. Not
every preacher can preach a great sermon every time, but there is no excuse for preaching on a
little and unimportant subject. There is no time for drivel when people are confused and
frustrated and lost. May GOD deliver such people from clever entertainment, or mere reviewing
current events, or "pink tea" dissertations on recent theories about psychology. Prophetic
preaching is based on "Thus saith the Lord."
The prophets used apt illustrations and graphic metaphors in order to fix spiritual truth in the
minds of the hearers. A well-built sermon is like a well-built house. It has doctrinal structure like
steel, able discussion like well built walls, and illuminating illustrations like clear windows.
JESUS set the divine pattern in how to illustrate spiritual truths. Who could fail to understand
what the Saviour was teaching when he gave such illustrations as that of the prodigal son, or the
good Samaritan, or the rich farmer fool who died?
A number of the prophets even dramatized their illustrations in order to make them more
effective.
- Jeremiah put a yoke about his neck while urging Judah to submit to Babylon (Jeremiah 27:2;
28:10).
- Ezekiel cut his hair and beard with a razor and divided it into three parts (Ezekiel 5:1-4). One
part he burned, one part he smote with a knife, one part he scattered to the wind-illustrating how
Judah would be treated.
- Isaiah walked the streets of Jerusalem barefooted and stripped of his outer garments, to declare
dramatically how Assyria would lead the Egyptians as prisoners in shame (Isaiah 20:2-4).
It is entirely too frequent that people leave a preaching service, saying, "What in the world was
the preacher driving at?" The people who hear Hosea or Jeremiah or John the Baptist most surely
did not say that about the preaching they heard. The Old Testament prophets spoke in graphic
language about things relevant to the daily living of their hearers, and made their sermons
effective by pointed, personal application.
For example, John the Baptist not only denounced sin and demanded repentance, but he told
exactly what sins the people were committing and exactly how they should act to prove that they
were repentant.
Permanence and Power of Prophetic Preaching
The throb of a true prophet's heart can be heard and felt throughout the ages to come. Truth can
be hidden but it cannot be killed. Nothing can be an adequate substitute for prophetic preaching
in advancing the Kingdom of GOD.
The printed page is a mighty instrument in propagating truth, but it cannot substitute for the flash
of a speaker's eye, the sincerity in a prophet's voice, the pathos of a preacher's appeal, and a
loving message which comes from the heart of a man of GOD. Pastoral ministries are useful and
influential and quite necessary. Organization is effective and promotion can be dynamic.
Sympathetic counseling is consoling and often vitally helpful. Rituals and ceremonies are
pleasing and inspiring. But preaching, good preaching, God-inspired, Spirit-filled, and Christ-
centered preaching, is GOD's supreme plan for building his kingdom.
"It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (I Corinthians
1:21).
Prophetic preaching has been an integral and vital part in every forward Christian movement or
revival. Through the centuries GOD has touched the hearts of preachers with spiritual fire and
made their tongues like spiritual flames. The ministry of Gospel preaching is the pinnacle of the
vocations of men. One should accept a call of GOD to preach with profound thanksgiving, heart-
felt humility, and an all-compelling sense of responsibility.
FOR BIBLE STUDY AND DISCUSSION
1. How is the call of GOD to a preacher different from his call to a physician or teacher or
business man?
2. Tell about the call of GOD to Moses, to Isaiah, to Jeremiah, to Ezekiel, to Amos, to Jonah, to
Matthew, to Paul. Tell about their different difficulties about responding. Are preachers called
like that today?
3. Discuss the pastors in the city, or the pastors of your church during the past twenty years, as to
which one is most like an Old Testament prophet. Which of the prophets does he seem to be
most like?
4. Study the life of CHRIST to see what emphasis he placed on preaching (Matthew 5-7, 10, 13,
24-25).
5. Discuss the different styles of delivery by the Old Testament prophets. Which one-was most
statesmanlike? the most rhetorical? the most emotional? the most patriotic? the most visionary?
the sternest? the tenderest? the most Christlike? the most poetic? the most practical? the most
encouraging?
~ end of chapter 1 ~
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Jeremiah Intro & Background
Author and Date
The book preserves an account of the prophetic ministry of Jeremiah, whose personal life and struggles are shown to us in greater depth and detail than those of any other OT prophet. The meaning of his name is uncertain. Suggestions include “The Lord exalts” and “The Lord establishes,” but a more likely proposal is “The Lord throws,” either in the sense of “hurling” the prophet into a hostile world or of “throwing down” the nations in divine judgment for their sins. Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry began in 626 b.c. and ended sometime after 586 (see notes on 1:2–3). His ministry was immediately preceded by that of Zephaniah. Habakkuk was a contemporary, and Obadiah may have been also. Since Ezekiel began his ministry in Babylon in 593, he too was a late contemporary of the great prophet in Jerusalem. How and when Jeremiah died is not known; Jewish tradition, however, asserts that while living in Egypt he was put to death by being stoned (cf. Heb 11:37).
Jeremiah was a member of the priestly household of Hilkiah. His hometown was Anathoth (Jer 1:1), so he may have been a descendant of Abiathar (1Ki 2:26), a priest during the days of King Solomon. The Lord commanded Jeremiah not to marry and raise children because the impending divine judgment on Judah would sweep away the next generation (16:1–4). Primarily a prophet of doom, he attracted only a few friends, among whom were Ahikam (26:24), Gedaliah (Ahikam’s son, 39:14) and Ebed-Melech (38:7–13; cf. 39:15–18). Jeremiah’s closest companion was his faithful secretary, Baruch, who wrote down Jeremiah’s words as the prophet dictated them (Jer 36:4–32). He was advised by Jeremiah not to succumb to the temptations of ambition but to be content with his lot (ch. 45). He also received from Jeremiah and deposited for safekeeping a deed of purchase (Jer 32:11–16), and accompanied the prophet on the long road to exile in Egypt (43:6–7). It is possible that Baruch was also responsible for the final compilation of the book of Jeremiah itself, since no event recorded in chs. 1–51 occurred after 580 b.c. (ch. 52 is an appendix added by a later hand).
Given to self-analysis and self-criticism (Jer 10:24), Jeremiah has revealed a great deal about himself. Although timid by nature (Jer 1:6), he received the Lord’s assurance that he would become strong and courageous (Jer 1:18; 6:27; 15:20). In his “confessions” (see Jer 11:18–23; 12:1–4; 15:10–21; 17:12–18; 18:18–23; 20:7–18 and notes) he laid bare the deep struggles of his inmost being, sometimes making startling statements about his feelings toward God (Jer 12:1; 15:18). On occasion, he engaged in calling for redress against his personal enemies (Jer 12:1–3; 15:15; 17:18; 18:19–23; see note on Ps 5:10)—a practice that explains the origin of the English word “jeremiad,” referring to a denunciatory tirade or complaint. Jeremiah, so often expressing his anguish of spirit (Jer 4:19; 9:1; 10:19–20; 23:9), has justly been called the “weeping prophet.” But it is also true that the memory of his divine call (Jer 1:17) and the Lord’s frequent reaffirmations of his commissioning as a prophet (see, e.g., Jer 3:12; 7:2,27–28; 11:2,6; 13:12–13; 17:19–20) made Jeremiah fearless and faithful in the service of his God (Jer 15:20).
Background
Jeremiah began prophesying in Judah halfway through the reign of Josiah (640–609 b.c.) and continued throughout the reigns of Jehoahaz (609), Jehoiakim (609–598), Jehoiachin (598–597) and Zedekiah (597–586). It was a period of storm and stress when the doom of entire nations—including Judah itself—was being sealed. The smaller states of western Asia were often pawns in the power plays of such imperial giants as Egypt, Assyria and Babylon, and the time of Jeremiah’s ministry was no exception. Ashurbanipal, last of the great Assyrian rulers, died in 627. His successors were no match for Nabopolassar, the founder of the Neo-Babylonian empire, who began his rule in 626 (the year of Jeremiah’s call to prophesy). Soon after Assyria’s capital city Nineveh fell under the onslaught of a coalition of Babylonians and Medes in 612, Egypt (no friend of Babylon) marched northward in an attempt to rescue Assyria, which would soon be destroyed. King Josiah of Judah made the mistake of trying to stop the Egyptian advance, and his untimely death near Megiddo in 609 at the hands of Pharaoh Neco II was the sad result (2Ch 35:20–24). Jeremiah, who had found a kindred spirit in the godly Josiah and perhaps had proclaimed the messages recorded in 11:1–8; 17:19–27 during the king’s reformation movement, lamented Josiah’s death (see 2Ch 35:25 and note).
Josiah’s son Jehoahaz (see NIV text note on 22:11), also knwn as Shallum, is mentioned only briefly in the book of Jeremiah (22:10b–12), and then in an unfavorable way. Neco put Jehoahaz in chains and made Eliakim, another of Josiah’s sons, king in his place, renaming him Jehoiakim. Jehoahaz had ruled for a scant three months (2Ch 36:2), and his reign marks the turning point in the king’s attitude toward Jeremiah. Once the friend and confidant of the king, the prophet now entered a dreary round of persecution and imprisonment, alternating with only brief periods of freedom (20:1–2; 26:8–9; 32:2–3; 33:1; 36:26; 37:12–21; 38:6–13,28).
Jehoiakim remained relentlessly hostile toward Jeremiah. On one occasion, when an early draft of the prophet’s writings was being read to Jehoiakim (36:21), the king used a scribe’s knife to cut the scroll apart, three or four columns at a time, and threw it piece by piece into the firepot in his winter apartment (vv. 22–23). At the Lord’s command, however, Jeremiah simply dictated his prophecies to Baruch a second time, adding “many similar words” to them (v. 32).
Just prior to this episode in Jeremiah’s life, an event of extraordinary importance took place that changed the course of history: In 605 b.c., the Egyptians were crushed at Carchemish on the Euphrates by Nebuchadnezzar (46:2), the gifted general who succeeded his father Nabopolassar as ruler of Babylon that same year. Neco returned to Egypt after heavy losses, and Babylon was given a virtually free hand in western Asia for the next 70 years. Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem in 605, humiliating Jehoiakim (Da 1:1–2) and carrying off Daniel and his three companions to Babylon (Da 1:3–6). Later, in 598–597, Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem again, and the rebellious Jehoiakim was heard of no more. His son Jehoiachin ruled Judah for only three months (2Ch 36:9). Jeremiah foretold the captivity of Jehoiachin and his followers (22:24–30), a prediction that was later fulfilled (24:1; 29:1–2).
Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle and a son of Josiah, was renamed Zedekiah and placed on Judah’s throne by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 b.c. (37:1; 2Ch 36:9–14). Zedekiah, a weak and vacillating ruler, sometimes befriended Jeremiah and sought his advice but at other times allowed the prophet’s enemies to mistreat and imprison him. Near the end of Zedekiah’s reign, Jeremiah entered into an agreement with him to reveal God’s will to him in exchange for his own personal safety (38:14–27). Even then the prophet was under virtual house arrest until Jerusalem was captured in 586 (38:28).
While trying to flee the city, Zedekiah was overtaken by the pursuing Babylonians. In his presence his sons were executed, after which he himself was blinded by Nebuchadnezzar (39:1–7). Nebuzaradan, commander of the imperial guard, advised Jeremiah to live with Gedaliah, whom Nebuchadnezzar had made governor over Judah (40:1–6). After a brief term of office, Gedaliah was murdered by his opponents (41:1–9). Others in Judah feared Babylonian reprisal and fled to Egypt, taking Jeremiah and Baruch with them (43:4–7). By that time the prophet was probably over 70 years old. His last recorded words are found in 44:24–30, the last verse of which is the only explicit reference in the Bible to Pharaoh Hophra, who ruled Egypt from 589 to 570 b.c.
Theological Themes and Message
Referred to frequently as “Jeremiah the prophet” in the book that bears his name (20:2; 25:2; 28:5,10–12,15; 29:1,29; 32:2; 34:6; 36:8,26; 37:2,3,6; 38:9–10,14; 42:2,4; 43:6; 45:1; 46:1,13; 47:1; 49:34; 50:1) and elsewhere (2Ch 36:12; Da 9:2; Mt 2:17; 27:9; see Mt 16:14), Jeremiah was ever conscious of his call from the Lord (1:5; 15:19) to be a prophet. As such, he proclaimed words given him by God himself (19:2) and therefore certain of fulfillment (28:9; 32:24). Jeremiah had only contempt for false prophets (14:13–18; 23:13–40; 27:14–18) like Hananiah (ch. 28) and Shemaiah (29:24–32). Many of his own predictions were fulfilled in the short term (e.g., 16:15; 20:4; 25:11–14; 27:19–22; 29:10; 34:4–5; 43:10–11; 44:30; 46:13), and others were—or will yet be—fulfilled in the long term (e.g., 23:5–6; 30:8–9; 31:31–34; 33:15–16).
As hinted earlier, an aura of conflict surrounded Jeremiah almost from the beginning. He lashed out against the sins of his countrymen (44:23), scoring them severely for their idolatry (16:10–13,20; 22:9; 32:29; 44:2–3,8,17–19,25)—which sometimes even involved sacrificing their children to foreign gods (see 7:30–34 and notes). But Jeremiah loved the people of Judah in spite of their sins, and he prayed for them (14:7,20) even when the Lord told him not to (7:16; 11:14; 14:11).
Judgment is one of the all-pervasive themes in Jeremiah’s writings, though he was careful to point out that repentance, if sincere, would postpone the otherwise inevitable. His counsel of submission to Babylon and his message of “life as usual” for the exiles of the early deportations branded him as a traitor in the eyes of many. Actually, of course, his advice not to rebel against Babylon marked him as a true patriot, a man who loved his own people too much to stand by silently and watch them destroy themselves. By warning them to submit and not rebel, Jeremiah was revealing God’s will to them—always the most sensible prospect under any circumstances.
For Jeremiah, God was ultimate. The prophet’s theology conceived of the Lord as the Creator of all that exists (10:12–16; 51:15–19), as all-powerful (32:27; 48:15; 51:57), as everywhere present (23:24). Jeremiah ascribed the most elevated attributes to the God whom he served (32:17–25), viewing him as the Lord not only of Judah but also of the nations (5:15; 18:7–10; 25:17–28; chs. 46–51).
At the same time, God is very much concerned about individual people and their accountability to him. Jeremiah’s emphasis in this regard (see, e.g., 31:29–30) is similar to that of Ezekiel (see Eze 18:2–4), and the two men have become known as the “prophets of individual responsibility.” The undeniable relationship between sin and its consequences, so visible to Jeremiah as he watched his beloved Judah in her death throes, made him—in the pursuit of his divine vocation—a fiery preacher (5:14; 20:9; 23:29) of righteousness, and his oracles have lost none of their power with the passing of the centuries.
Called to the unhappy task of announcing the destruction of the kingdom of Judah (thoroughly corrupted by the long and evil reign of Manasseh and only superficially affected by Josiah’s efforts at reform), it was Jeremiah’s commission to lodge God’s indictment against his people and proclaim the end of an era. At long last, the Lord was about to inflict on the remnant of his people the ultimate covenant curse (see Lev 26:31–33; Dt 28:49–68). He would undo all that he had done for them since the day he brought them out of Egypt. It would then seem that the end had come, that Israel’s stubborn and uncircumcised (unconsecrated) heart had sealed her final destiny, that God’s chosen people had been cast off, that all the ancient promises and covenants had come to nothing.
But God’s judgment of his people (and the nations), though terrible, was not to be the last word, the final work of God in history. Mercy and covenant faithfulness would triumph over wrath. Beyond the judgment would come restoration and renewal. Israel would be restored, the nations that crushed her would be crushed, and the old covenants (with Israel, David and the Levites) would be honored. God would make a new covenant with his people in which he would write his law on their hearts (see 31:31–34 and notes; see also Heb 8:8–12 and note) and thus consecrate them to his service. The new covenant was cast in the form of ancient Near Eastern royal grant treaties and contained unconditional, gracious and profoundly spiritual, moral, ethical and relational promises (see chart, p. 23). The house of David would rule God’s people in righteousness, and faithful priests would serve. God’s commitment to Israel’s redemption was as unfailing as the secure order of creation (ch. 33).
Jeremiah’s message illumined the distant as well as the near horizon. It was false prophets who proclaimed peace to a rebellious nation, as though the God of Israel’s peace was indifferent to her unfaithfulness. But the very God who compelled Jeremiah to denounce sin and pronounce judgment was the God who authorized him to announce that the divine wrath had its bounds, its 70 years. Afterward forgiveness and cleansing would come—and a new day, in which all the old expectations, aroused by God’s past acts and his promises and covenants, would yet be fulfilled in a manner transcending all God’s mercies of old.
Literary Features
Jeremiah is the longest book in the Bible, containing more words than any other book. Although a number of chapters were written mainly in prose (chs. 7; 11; 16; 19; 21; 24–29; 32–45), including the appendix (ch. 52), most sections are predominantly poetic in form. Jeremiah’s poetry is lofty and lyrical. A creator of beautiful phrases, he has given us an abundance of memorable passages (e.g., 2:13,26–28; 7:4,11,34; 8:20,22; 9:23–24; 10:6–7,10,12–13; 13:23; 15:20; 17:5–9; 20:13; 29:13; 30:7,22; 31:3,15,29–30,31–34; 33:3; 51:10).
Poetic repetition was used by Jeremiah with particular skill (see, e.g., 4:23–26; 51:20–23). He understood the effectiveness of repeating a striking phrase over and over. An example is “sword, famine and plague,” found in 15 separate verses (14:12; 21:7,9; 24:10; 27:8,13; 29:17–18; 32:24,36; 34:17; 38:2; 42:17,22; 44:13). He made use of cryptograms (see NIV text notes on 25:26; 51:1,41) on appropriate occasions. Alliteration and assonance were also a part of his literary style, examples being zarim wezeruha (“foreigners . . . to winnow her,” 51:2) and pah∆ad wapah∆at wapah∆ (“Terror and pit and snare,” 48:43; see note on Isa 24:17). Like Ezekiel, Jeremiah was often instructed to use symbolism to highlight his message: a ruined and useless belt (13:1–11), a smashed clay jar (19:1–12), a yoke of straps and crossbars (ch. 27), large stones in a brick pavement (43:8–13). Symbolic value is also seen in the Lord’s commands to Jeremiah not to marry and raise children (16:1–4), not to enter a house where there is a funeral meal or where there is feasting (16:5–9), and to buy a field in his hometown, Anathoth (32:6–15). Similarly, the Lord used visual aids in conveying his message to Jeremiah: potter’s clay (18:1–10), two baskets of figs (ch. 24).
Outline
Unlike Ezekiel, the oracles in Jeremiah are not arranged in chronological order. Had they been so arranged, the sequence of sections within the book would have been approximately as follows: 1:1—7:15; ch. 26; 7:16—20:18; ch. 25; chs. 46–51; 36:1–8; ch. 45; 36:9–32; ch. 35; chs. 21–24; chs. 27–31; 34:1–7; 37:1–10; 34:8–22; 37:11—38:13; 39:15–18; chs. 32–33; 38:14—39:14; 52:1–30; chs. 40–44; 52:31–34. The outline below represents an analysis of the book of Jeremiah in its present canonical order.
* Call of the Prophet (ch. 1)
* Warnings and Exhortations to Judah (chs. 2–35)
o Earliest Discourses (chs. 2–6)
o Temple Message (chs. 7–10)
o Covenant and Conspiracy (chs. 11–13)
o Messages concerning the Drought (chs. 14–15)
o Disaster and Comfort (16:1—17:18)
o Command to Keep the Sabbath Holy (17:19–27)
o Lessons from the Potter (chs. 18–20)
o Condemnation of Kings, Prophets and People (chs. 21–24)
o Foretelling the Babylonian Exile (chs. 25–29)
o Promises of Restoration (chs. 30–33)
o Historical Appendix (chs. 34–35)
* Sufferings and Persecutions of the Prophet (chs. 36–38)
o Burning Jeremiah’s Scroll (ch. 36)
o Imprisoning Jeremiah (chs. 37–38)
* The Fall of Jerusalem and Its Aftermath (chs. 39–45)
o The Fall Itself (ch. 39)
o Accession and Assassination of Gedaliah (40:1—41:15)
o Migration to Egypt (41:16—43:13)
o Prophecy against Those in Egypt (ch. 44)
o Historical Appendix: Promise to Baruch (ch. 45)
* Judgment against the Nations (chs. 46–51)
o Against Egypt (ch. 46)
o Against Philistia (ch. 47)
o Against Moab (ch. 48)
o Against Ammon (49:1–6)
o Against Edom (49:7–22)
o Against Damascus (49:23–27)
o Against Kedar and Hazor (Arabia) (49:28–33)
o Against Elam (49:34–39)
o Against Babylon (chs. 50–51)
* Historical Appendix (ch. 52)
The book preserves an account of the prophetic ministry of Jeremiah, whose personal life and struggles are shown to us in greater depth and detail than those of any other OT prophet. The meaning of his name is uncertain. Suggestions include “The Lord exalts” and “The Lord establishes,” but a more likely proposal is “The Lord throws,” either in the sense of “hurling” the prophet into a hostile world or of “throwing down” the nations in divine judgment for their sins. Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry began in 626 b.c. and ended sometime after 586 (see notes on 1:2–3). His ministry was immediately preceded by that of Zephaniah. Habakkuk was a contemporary, and Obadiah may have been also. Since Ezekiel began his ministry in Babylon in 593, he too was a late contemporary of the great prophet in Jerusalem. How and when Jeremiah died is not known; Jewish tradition, however, asserts that while living in Egypt he was put to death by being stoned (cf. Heb 11:37).
Jeremiah was a member of the priestly household of Hilkiah. His hometown was Anathoth (Jer 1:1), so he may have been a descendant of Abiathar (1Ki 2:26), a priest during the days of King Solomon. The Lord commanded Jeremiah not to marry and raise children because the impending divine judgment on Judah would sweep away the next generation (16:1–4). Primarily a prophet of doom, he attracted only a few friends, among whom were Ahikam (26:24), Gedaliah (Ahikam’s son, 39:14) and Ebed-Melech (38:7–13; cf. 39:15–18). Jeremiah’s closest companion was his faithful secretary, Baruch, who wrote down Jeremiah’s words as the prophet dictated them (Jer 36:4–32). He was advised by Jeremiah not to succumb to the temptations of ambition but to be content with his lot (ch. 45). He also received from Jeremiah and deposited for safekeeping a deed of purchase (Jer 32:11–16), and accompanied the prophet on the long road to exile in Egypt (43:6–7). It is possible that Baruch was also responsible for the final compilation of the book of Jeremiah itself, since no event recorded in chs. 1–51 occurred after 580 b.c. (ch. 52 is an appendix added by a later hand).
Given to self-analysis and self-criticism (Jer 10:24), Jeremiah has revealed a great deal about himself. Although timid by nature (Jer 1:6), he received the Lord’s assurance that he would become strong and courageous (Jer 1:18; 6:27; 15:20). In his “confessions” (see Jer 11:18–23; 12:1–4; 15:10–21; 17:12–18; 18:18–23; 20:7–18 and notes) he laid bare the deep struggles of his inmost being, sometimes making startling statements about his feelings toward God (Jer 12:1; 15:18). On occasion, he engaged in calling for redress against his personal enemies (Jer 12:1–3; 15:15; 17:18; 18:19–23; see note on Ps 5:10)—a practice that explains the origin of the English word “jeremiad,” referring to a denunciatory tirade or complaint. Jeremiah, so often expressing his anguish of spirit (Jer 4:19; 9:1; 10:19–20; 23:9), has justly been called the “weeping prophet.” But it is also true that the memory of his divine call (Jer 1:17) and the Lord’s frequent reaffirmations of his commissioning as a prophet (see, e.g., Jer 3:12; 7:2,27–28; 11:2,6; 13:12–13; 17:19–20) made Jeremiah fearless and faithful in the service of his God (Jer 15:20).
Background
Jeremiah began prophesying in Judah halfway through the reign of Josiah (640–609 b.c.) and continued throughout the reigns of Jehoahaz (609), Jehoiakim (609–598), Jehoiachin (598–597) and Zedekiah (597–586). It was a period of storm and stress when the doom of entire nations—including Judah itself—was being sealed. The smaller states of western Asia were often pawns in the power plays of such imperial giants as Egypt, Assyria and Babylon, and the time of Jeremiah’s ministry was no exception. Ashurbanipal, last of the great Assyrian rulers, died in 627. His successors were no match for Nabopolassar, the founder of the Neo-Babylonian empire, who began his rule in 626 (the year of Jeremiah’s call to prophesy). Soon after Assyria’s capital city Nineveh fell under the onslaught of a coalition of Babylonians and Medes in 612, Egypt (no friend of Babylon) marched northward in an attempt to rescue Assyria, which would soon be destroyed. King Josiah of Judah made the mistake of trying to stop the Egyptian advance, and his untimely death near Megiddo in 609 at the hands of Pharaoh Neco II was the sad result (2Ch 35:20–24). Jeremiah, who had found a kindred spirit in the godly Josiah and perhaps had proclaimed the messages recorded in 11:1–8; 17:19–27 during the king’s reformation movement, lamented Josiah’s death (see 2Ch 35:25 and note).
Josiah’s son Jehoahaz (see NIV text note on 22:11), also knwn as Shallum, is mentioned only briefly in the book of Jeremiah (22:10b–12), and then in an unfavorable way. Neco put Jehoahaz in chains and made Eliakim, another of Josiah’s sons, king in his place, renaming him Jehoiakim. Jehoahaz had ruled for a scant three months (2Ch 36:2), and his reign marks the turning point in the king’s attitude toward Jeremiah. Once the friend and confidant of the king, the prophet now entered a dreary round of persecution and imprisonment, alternating with only brief periods of freedom (20:1–2; 26:8–9; 32:2–3; 33:1; 36:26; 37:12–21; 38:6–13,28).
Jehoiakim remained relentlessly hostile toward Jeremiah. On one occasion, when an early draft of the prophet’s writings was being read to Jehoiakim (36:21), the king used a scribe’s knife to cut the scroll apart, three or four columns at a time, and threw it piece by piece into the firepot in his winter apartment (vv. 22–23). At the Lord’s command, however, Jeremiah simply dictated his prophecies to Baruch a second time, adding “many similar words” to them (v. 32).
Just prior to this episode in Jeremiah’s life, an event of extraordinary importance took place that changed the course of history: In 605 b.c., the Egyptians were crushed at Carchemish on the Euphrates by Nebuchadnezzar (46:2), the gifted general who succeeded his father Nabopolassar as ruler of Babylon that same year. Neco returned to Egypt after heavy losses, and Babylon was given a virtually free hand in western Asia for the next 70 years. Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem in 605, humiliating Jehoiakim (Da 1:1–2) and carrying off Daniel and his three companions to Babylon (Da 1:3–6). Later, in 598–597, Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem again, and the rebellious Jehoiakim was heard of no more. His son Jehoiachin ruled Judah for only three months (2Ch 36:9). Jeremiah foretold the captivity of Jehoiachin and his followers (22:24–30), a prediction that was later fulfilled (24:1; 29:1–2).
Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle and a son of Josiah, was renamed Zedekiah and placed on Judah’s throne by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 b.c. (37:1; 2Ch 36:9–14). Zedekiah, a weak and vacillating ruler, sometimes befriended Jeremiah and sought his advice but at other times allowed the prophet’s enemies to mistreat and imprison him. Near the end of Zedekiah’s reign, Jeremiah entered into an agreement with him to reveal God’s will to him in exchange for his own personal safety (38:14–27). Even then the prophet was under virtual house arrest until Jerusalem was captured in 586 (38:28).
While trying to flee the city, Zedekiah was overtaken by the pursuing Babylonians. In his presence his sons were executed, after which he himself was blinded by Nebuchadnezzar (39:1–7). Nebuzaradan, commander of the imperial guard, advised Jeremiah to live with Gedaliah, whom Nebuchadnezzar had made governor over Judah (40:1–6). After a brief term of office, Gedaliah was murdered by his opponents (41:1–9). Others in Judah feared Babylonian reprisal and fled to Egypt, taking Jeremiah and Baruch with them (43:4–7). By that time the prophet was probably over 70 years old. His last recorded words are found in 44:24–30, the last verse of which is the only explicit reference in the Bible to Pharaoh Hophra, who ruled Egypt from 589 to 570 b.c.
Theological Themes and Message
Referred to frequently as “Jeremiah the prophet” in the book that bears his name (20:2; 25:2; 28:5,10–12,15; 29:1,29; 32:2; 34:6; 36:8,26; 37:2,3,6; 38:9–10,14; 42:2,4; 43:6; 45:1; 46:1,13; 47:1; 49:34; 50:1) and elsewhere (2Ch 36:12; Da 9:2; Mt 2:17; 27:9; see Mt 16:14), Jeremiah was ever conscious of his call from the Lord (1:5; 15:19) to be a prophet. As such, he proclaimed words given him by God himself (19:2) and therefore certain of fulfillment (28:9; 32:24). Jeremiah had only contempt for false prophets (14:13–18; 23:13–40; 27:14–18) like Hananiah (ch. 28) and Shemaiah (29:24–32). Many of his own predictions were fulfilled in the short term (e.g., 16:15; 20:4; 25:11–14; 27:19–22; 29:10; 34:4–5; 43:10–11; 44:30; 46:13), and others were—or will yet be—fulfilled in the long term (e.g., 23:5–6; 30:8–9; 31:31–34; 33:15–16).
As hinted earlier, an aura of conflict surrounded Jeremiah almost from the beginning. He lashed out against the sins of his countrymen (44:23), scoring them severely for their idolatry (16:10–13,20; 22:9; 32:29; 44:2–3,8,17–19,25)—which sometimes even involved sacrificing their children to foreign gods (see 7:30–34 and notes). But Jeremiah loved the people of Judah in spite of their sins, and he prayed for them (14:7,20) even when the Lord told him not to (7:16; 11:14; 14:11).
Judgment is one of the all-pervasive themes in Jeremiah’s writings, though he was careful to point out that repentance, if sincere, would postpone the otherwise inevitable. His counsel of submission to Babylon and his message of “life as usual” for the exiles of the early deportations branded him as a traitor in the eyes of many. Actually, of course, his advice not to rebel against Babylon marked him as a true patriot, a man who loved his own people too much to stand by silently and watch them destroy themselves. By warning them to submit and not rebel, Jeremiah was revealing God’s will to them—always the most sensible prospect under any circumstances.
For Jeremiah, God was ultimate. The prophet’s theology conceived of the Lord as the Creator of all that exists (10:12–16; 51:15–19), as all-powerful (32:27; 48:15; 51:57), as everywhere present (23:24). Jeremiah ascribed the most elevated attributes to the God whom he served (32:17–25), viewing him as the Lord not only of Judah but also of the nations (5:15; 18:7–10; 25:17–28; chs. 46–51).
At the same time, God is very much concerned about individual people and their accountability to him. Jeremiah’s emphasis in this regard (see, e.g., 31:29–30) is similar to that of Ezekiel (see Eze 18:2–4), and the two men have become known as the “prophets of individual responsibility.” The undeniable relationship between sin and its consequences, so visible to Jeremiah as he watched his beloved Judah in her death throes, made him—in the pursuit of his divine vocation—a fiery preacher (5:14; 20:9; 23:29) of righteousness, and his oracles have lost none of their power with the passing of the centuries.
Called to the unhappy task of announcing the destruction of the kingdom of Judah (thoroughly corrupted by the long and evil reign of Manasseh and only superficially affected by Josiah’s efforts at reform), it was Jeremiah’s commission to lodge God’s indictment against his people and proclaim the end of an era. At long last, the Lord was about to inflict on the remnant of his people the ultimate covenant curse (see Lev 26:31–33; Dt 28:49–68). He would undo all that he had done for them since the day he brought them out of Egypt. It would then seem that the end had come, that Israel’s stubborn and uncircumcised (unconsecrated) heart had sealed her final destiny, that God’s chosen people had been cast off, that all the ancient promises and covenants had come to nothing.
But God’s judgment of his people (and the nations), though terrible, was not to be the last word, the final work of God in history. Mercy and covenant faithfulness would triumph over wrath. Beyond the judgment would come restoration and renewal. Israel would be restored, the nations that crushed her would be crushed, and the old covenants (with Israel, David and the Levites) would be honored. God would make a new covenant with his people in which he would write his law on their hearts (see 31:31–34 and notes; see also Heb 8:8–12 and note) and thus consecrate them to his service. The new covenant was cast in the form of ancient Near Eastern royal grant treaties and contained unconditional, gracious and profoundly spiritual, moral, ethical and relational promises (see chart, p. 23). The house of David would rule God’s people in righteousness, and faithful priests would serve. God’s commitment to Israel’s redemption was as unfailing as the secure order of creation (ch. 33).
Jeremiah’s message illumined the distant as well as the near horizon. It was false prophets who proclaimed peace to a rebellious nation, as though the God of Israel’s peace was indifferent to her unfaithfulness. But the very God who compelled Jeremiah to denounce sin and pronounce judgment was the God who authorized him to announce that the divine wrath had its bounds, its 70 years. Afterward forgiveness and cleansing would come—and a new day, in which all the old expectations, aroused by God’s past acts and his promises and covenants, would yet be fulfilled in a manner transcending all God’s mercies of old.
Literary Features
Jeremiah is the longest book in the Bible, containing more words than any other book. Although a number of chapters were written mainly in prose (chs. 7; 11; 16; 19; 21; 24–29; 32–45), including the appendix (ch. 52), most sections are predominantly poetic in form. Jeremiah’s poetry is lofty and lyrical. A creator of beautiful phrases, he has given us an abundance of memorable passages (e.g., 2:13,26–28; 7:4,11,34; 8:20,22; 9:23–24; 10:6–7,10,12–13; 13:23; 15:20; 17:5–9; 20:13; 29:13; 30:7,22; 31:3,15,29–30,31–34; 33:3; 51:10).
Poetic repetition was used by Jeremiah with particular skill (see, e.g., 4:23–26; 51:20–23). He understood the effectiveness of repeating a striking phrase over and over. An example is “sword, famine and plague,” found in 15 separate verses (14:12; 21:7,9; 24:10; 27:8,13; 29:17–18; 32:24,36; 34:17; 38:2; 42:17,22; 44:13). He made use of cryptograms (see NIV text notes on 25:26; 51:1,41) on appropriate occasions. Alliteration and assonance were also a part of his literary style, examples being zarim wezeruha (“foreigners . . . to winnow her,” 51:2) and pah∆ad wapah∆at wapah∆ (“Terror and pit and snare,” 48:43; see note on Isa 24:17). Like Ezekiel, Jeremiah was often instructed to use symbolism to highlight his message: a ruined and useless belt (13:1–11), a smashed clay jar (19:1–12), a yoke of straps and crossbars (ch. 27), large stones in a brick pavement (43:8–13). Symbolic value is also seen in the Lord’s commands to Jeremiah not to marry and raise children (16:1–4), not to enter a house where there is a funeral meal or where there is feasting (16:5–9), and to buy a field in his hometown, Anathoth (32:6–15). Similarly, the Lord used visual aids in conveying his message to Jeremiah: potter’s clay (18:1–10), two baskets of figs (ch. 24).
Outline
Unlike Ezekiel, the oracles in Jeremiah are not arranged in chronological order. Had they been so arranged, the sequence of sections within the book would have been approximately as follows: 1:1—7:15; ch. 26; 7:16—20:18; ch. 25; chs. 46–51; 36:1–8; ch. 45; 36:9–32; ch. 35; chs. 21–24; chs. 27–31; 34:1–7; 37:1–10; 34:8–22; 37:11—38:13; 39:15–18; chs. 32–33; 38:14—39:14; 52:1–30; chs. 40–44; 52:31–34. The outline below represents an analysis of the book of Jeremiah in its present canonical order.
* Call of the Prophet (ch. 1)
* Warnings and Exhortations to Judah (chs. 2–35)
o Earliest Discourses (chs. 2–6)
o Temple Message (chs. 7–10)
o Covenant and Conspiracy (chs. 11–13)
o Messages concerning the Drought (chs. 14–15)
o Disaster and Comfort (16:1—17:18)
o Command to Keep the Sabbath Holy (17:19–27)
o Lessons from the Potter (chs. 18–20)
o Condemnation of Kings, Prophets and People (chs. 21–24)
o Foretelling the Babylonian Exile (chs. 25–29)
o Promises of Restoration (chs. 30–33)
o Historical Appendix (chs. 34–35)
* Sufferings and Persecutions of the Prophet (chs. 36–38)
o Burning Jeremiah’s Scroll (ch. 36)
o Imprisoning Jeremiah (chs. 37–38)
* The Fall of Jerusalem and Its Aftermath (chs. 39–45)
o The Fall Itself (ch. 39)
o Accession and Assassination of Gedaliah (40:1—41:15)
o Migration to Egypt (41:16—43:13)
o Prophecy against Those in Egypt (ch. 44)
o Historical Appendix: Promise to Baruch (ch. 45)
* Judgment against the Nations (chs. 46–51)
o Against Egypt (ch. 46)
o Against Philistia (ch. 47)
o Against Moab (ch. 48)
o Against Ammon (49:1–6)
o Against Edom (49:7–22)
o Against Damascus (49:23–27)
o Against Kedar and Hazor (Arabia) (49:28–33)
o Against Elam (49:34–39)
o Against Babylon (chs. 50–51)
* Historical Appendix (ch. 52)
Sunday, November 07, 2010
1 Timothy Intro & Bkground
Author
Both early tradition and the salutations of the Pastoral Letters (1,2 Timothy; Titus) themselves claim Paul as their author (1:1; 2Ti 1:1; Tit 1:1). Some objections have been raised in recent years on the basis of an alleged uncharacteristic vocabulary and style (see, e.g., notes on 1Ti 1:15; 1Ti 2:2), but other evidence still convincingly supports Paul’s authorship. See essay, p. 2481.
Background and Purpose
During his fourth missionary journey (see map, pp. 2486–2487), Paul had instructed Timothy to care for the church at Ephesus (1:3) while he went on to Macedonia. When he realized that he might not return to Ephesus in the near future (1Ti 3:14–15), he wrote this first letter to Timothy to develop the charge he had given his young assistant (1Ti 1:3, 18), to refute false teachings (1Ti 1:3–7; 4:1–8; 6:3–5,20–21) and to supervise the affairs of the growing Ephesian church (church worship, ch. 2; the appointment of qualified church leaders, 1Ti 3:1–13; 5:17–25).
A major problem in the Ephesian church was a heresy that combined Gnosticism (see Introduction to 1 John: Gnosticism), decadent Judaism (1Jn 1:3–7) and false asceticism (1Jn 4:1–5).
Date
1 Timothy was written sometime after the events of Ac 28 (c. 63–65; see chart, p. 2261), at least eight years after Paul’s three-year stay in Ephesus (see Ac 19:10 and note).
Recipient
Description and/or characterization of a person or a people.As the salutation indicates (1Ti 1:2), Paul is writing to Timothy, a native of Lystra (in modern Turkey). Timothy’s father was Greek, while his mother was a Jewish Christian (Ac 16:1). From childhood he had been taught the OT (2Ti 1:5; 3:15). Paul called him “my true son in the faith” (1Ti 1:2; see note there), perhaps having led him to faith in Christ during his first visit to Lystra. At the time of his second visit Paul invited Timothy to join him on his missionary travels, circumcising him so that his Greek ancestry would not be a liability in working with the Jews (Ac 16:3). Timothy helped Paul evangelize Macedonia and Achaia (Ac 17:14–15; 18:5) and was with him during much of his long preaching ministry at Ephesus (Ac 19:22). He traveled with him from Ephesus to Macedonia, to Corinth (see Ac 20:3 and note), back to Macedonia, and to Asia Minor (Ac 20:1–6). He may even have accompanied him all the way to Jerusalem. He was with Paul during the apostle’s first imprisonment (Php 1:1; Col 1:1; Phm 1).
Following Paul’s release (after Ac 28), Timothy again traveled with him but eventually stayed at Ephesus to deal with the problems there, while Paul went on to Macedonia. Paul’s closeness to and admiration of Timothy are seen in Paul’s naming him as the co-sender of six of his letters (2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1,2 Thessalonians and Philemon) and in his speaking highly of him to the Philippians (Php 2:19–22). At the end of Paul’s life he requested Timothy to join him at Rome (2Ti 4:9,21). According to Heb 13:23, Timothy himself was imprisoned and subsequently released—whether at Rome or elsewhere, we do not know.
Timothy was not an apostle. It may be best to regard him as an apostolic representative, delegated to carry out special work (cf. Tit 1:5).
Outline
* Greetings (1:1–2)
* Warning against False Teachers (1:3–11)
o The Nature of the Heresy (1:3–7)
o The Purpose of the Law (1:8–11)
* The Lord’s Grace to Paul (1:12–17)
* The Purpose of Paul’s Instructions to Timothy (1:18–20)
* Instructions concerning Church Administration (chs. 2–3)
o Public Worship (ch. 2)
+ Prayer in public worship (2:1–8)
+ Women in public worship (2:9–15)
o Qualifications for Church Officers (3:1–13)
+ Overseers (3:1–7)
+ Deacons (3:8–13)
o Purpose of These Instructions (3:14–16)
* Instructions concerning False Teaching (ch. 4)
o False Teaching Described (4:1–5)
o Methods of Dealing with It Explained (4:6–16)
* Instructions concerning Different Groups in the Church (5:1—6:2)
o The Older and Younger (5:1–2)
o Widows (5:3–16)
o Elders (5:17–25)
o Slaves (6:1–2)
* Miscellaneous Matters (6:3–19)
o False Teachers (6:3–5)
o Love of Money (6:6–10)
o Charge to Timothy (6:11–16)
o The Rich (6:17–19)
* Concluding Appeal and Benediction (6:20–21)
Both early tradition and the salutations of the Pastoral Letters (1,2 Timothy; Titus) themselves claim Paul as their author (1:1; 2Ti 1:1; Tit 1:1). Some objections have been raised in recent years on the basis of an alleged uncharacteristic vocabulary and style (see, e.g., notes on 1Ti 1:15; 1Ti 2:2), but other evidence still convincingly supports Paul’s authorship. See essay, p. 2481.
Background and Purpose
During his fourth missionary journey (see map, pp. 2486–2487), Paul had instructed Timothy to care for the church at Ephesus (1:3) while he went on to Macedonia. When he realized that he might not return to Ephesus in the near future (1Ti 3:14–15), he wrote this first letter to Timothy to develop the charge he had given his young assistant (1Ti 1:3, 18), to refute false teachings (1Ti 1:3–7; 4:1–8; 6:3–5,20–21) and to supervise the affairs of the growing Ephesian church (church worship, ch. 2; the appointment of qualified church leaders, 1Ti 3:1–13; 5:17–25).
A major problem in the Ephesian church was a heresy that combined Gnosticism (see Introduction to 1 John: Gnosticism), decadent Judaism (1Jn 1:3–7) and false asceticism (1Jn 4:1–5).
Date
1 Timothy was written sometime after the events of Ac 28 (c. 63–65; see chart, p. 2261), at least eight years after Paul’s three-year stay in Ephesus (see Ac 19:10 and note).
Recipient
Description and/or characterization of a person or a people.As the salutation indicates (1Ti 1:2), Paul is writing to Timothy, a native of Lystra (in modern Turkey). Timothy’s father was Greek, while his mother was a Jewish Christian (Ac 16:1). From childhood he had been taught the OT (2Ti 1:5; 3:15). Paul called him “my true son in the faith” (1Ti 1:2; see note there), perhaps having led him to faith in Christ during his first visit to Lystra. At the time of his second visit Paul invited Timothy to join him on his missionary travels, circumcising him so that his Greek ancestry would not be a liability in working with the Jews (Ac 16:3). Timothy helped Paul evangelize Macedonia and Achaia (Ac 17:14–15; 18:5) and was with him during much of his long preaching ministry at Ephesus (Ac 19:22). He traveled with him from Ephesus to Macedonia, to Corinth (see Ac 20:3 and note), back to Macedonia, and to Asia Minor (Ac 20:1–6). He may even have accompanied him all the way to Jerusalem. He was with Paul during the apostle’s first imprisonment (Php 1:1; Col 1:1; Phm 1).
Following Paul’s release (after Ac 28), Timothy again traveled with him but eventually stayed at Ephesus to deal with the problems there, while Paul went on to Macedonia. Paul’s closeness to and admiration of Timothy are seen in Paul’s naming him as the co-sender of six of his letters (2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1,2 Thessalonians and Philemon) and in his speaking highly of him to the Philippians (Php 2:19–22). At the end of Paul’s life he requested Timothy to join him at Rome (2Ti 4:9,21). According to Heb 13:23, Timothy himself was imprisoned and subsequently released—whether at Rome or elsewhere, we do not know.
Timothy was not an apostle. It may be best to regard him as an apostolic representative, delegated to carry out special work (cf. Tit 1:5).
Outline
* Greetings (1:1–2)
* Warning against False Teachers (1:3–11)
o The Nature of the Heresy (1:3–7)
o The Purpose of the Law (1:8–11)
* The Lord’s Grace to Paul (1:12–17)
* The Purpose of Paul’s Instructions to Timothy (1:18–20)
* Instructions concerning Church Administration (chs. 2–3)
o Public Worship (ch. 2)
+ Prayer in public worship (2:1–8)
+ Women in public worship (2:9–15)
o Qualifications for Church Officers (3:1–13)
+ Overseers (3:1–7)
+ Deacons (3:8–13)
o Purpose of These Instructions (3:14–16)
* Instructions concerning False Teaching (ch. 4)
o False Teaching Described (4:1–5)
o Methods of Dealing with It Explained (4:6–16)
* Instructions concerning Different Groups in the Church (5:1—6:2)
o The Older and Younger (5:1–2)
o Widows (5:3–16)
o Elders (5:17–25)
o Slaves (6:1–2)
* Miscellaneous Matters (6:3–19)
o False Teachers (6:3–5)
o Love of Money (6:6–10)
o Charge to Timothy (6:11–16)
o The Rich (6:17–19)
* Concluding Appeal and Benediction (6:20–21)
Friday, November 05, 2010
Timothy apparently became a Christian as a result of Paul's missionary work in Lystra
(Acts 14:6-23). He joined Paul on the second missionary journey when the apostle's
evangelistic team passed through that area where Timothy lived (Acts 16:1-3). On the
second journey Timothy helped Paul in Troas, Philippi, Berea, Thessalonica, Athens, and
Corinth. During the third journey he was with Paul in Ephesus. From there Paul sent him
to Macedonia (Acts 19:22). Later he was with Paul in Macedonia (2 Cor. 1:1, 19) and
apparently traveled with the apostle to Corinth (Rom. 16:21). On the return trip to
Ephesus, Timothy accompanied Paul through Macedonia as far as Troas (Acts 20:3-6).
Still later Timothy was with Paul in Rome (Col. 1:1; Phile. 1; Phil. 1:1), and from there
he probably made a trip to Philippi (Phil. 2:19-23).
At the end of the Book of Acts, Paul was under house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:30-31).
Our knowledge of his activities after that time comes mainly from scanty references in
his epistles and conjectures since we have no canonical history of this part of his work.
Following his trial before Caesar
and his acquittal, Paul evidently
left Rome. He made his way
eastward and eventually arrived
in Ephesus. While in Ephesus
Paul doubtless visited other
churches in the area and later set
out for Macedonia and probably
for other provinces intending to
continue his pioneer missionary
work (cf. Rom. 15:24, 28). When
Paul departed from Ephesus he
left Timothy in charge as his
special representative to continue
the work there (1 Tim. 1:3).
Sometime after that Timothy evidently wrote to Paul, probably asking if he could leave
Ephesus, perhaps to rejoin Paul. Paul responded with this letter in which he instructed
Timothy to remain in Ephesus and to continue his needed ministry until Paul would
rejoin him there (3:14; 4:13).
"As the first-century churches increased in number, questions of church
order, soundness in the faith, and discipline arose. The apostles themselves
dealt with these questions, but the approaching end of the apostolic period
made necessary authoritative teaching about faith and order for the future
guidance of the churches. This teaching is revealed in the Pastoral
Epistles."1
Timothy's function in Ephesus was to represent Paul to the church. "The church" in
Ephesus at this time would have consisted of a number of house-churches (cf. 1 Cor.
16:19). He evidently was not an elder in that church. Paul spoke of the Ephesian elders in
this epistle as individuals different from Timothy.
When Paul had met with the Ephesian elders toward the end of his third missionary
journey, he had warned them about false teachers who would arise in their midst (Acts
20:29-30). This situation had happened (cf. 1:6; 6:21; 2 Tim. 2:18). Evidently
Hymenaeus and Alexander were two of those "wolves" (1:20). Paul alluded to others in
this epistle as well (1:3-11; 4:1-5; 6:3-10). We shall consider their errors in the exposition
to follow.
If Caesar released Paul from prison in Rome about A.D. 62, he may have written this
epistle in the middle 60s, perhaps A.D. 63-66. Paul's reference to his going from Ephesus
to Macedonia (1:3) suggests that he may have been in Macedonia when he wrote
1 Timothy. Nevertheless, since we have no other references to guide us, he could have
been in any one of a number of other provinces as well.
The authorship of the Pastorals is a major critical problem in New Testament studies, but
I believe the arguments for Pauline authorship are most convincing. Since the nineteenth
century, scholars have attacked the Pauline authorship of the Pastoral Epistles more than
the Pauline authorship of any of the apostle's other writings. This is an introductory
problem that may be studied by referring to the major commentaries on the Pastorals and
to the more comprehensive New Testament Introductions.2 William Mounce argued for
Luke being Paul's amanuensis in all three Pastoral Epistles.3 But that is impossible to
prove.
"The majority of modern scholars maintain that the Pastoral Epistles are
pseudepigraphical—that is, written pseudonymously (in Paul's name)
sometime after Paul's death (so Dibelius and Conzelmann, Brox, Barrett,
Hanson, Houlden, Karris, Hultgren). Most today locate these three letters
around the turn of the century, suggesting that the author aimed to revive
Pauline teaching for his day or to compose a definitive and authoritative
Pauline manual for denouncing heresy in the postapostolic church."4
PURPOSE
First and 2 Timothy and Titus are called "Pastoral Epistles" because Paul wrote them to
pastors (shepherds) of churches outlining their pastoral duties. The term "Pastoral
Epistles" appeared first in the eighteenth century, though as early as the second century
they had been grouped together within the Pauline corpus.5 These leaders' main pastoral
duties were to defend sound doctrine and to maintain sound discipline.6
"The pastoral Epistles are primarily practical rather than theological. The
emphasis lies rather on the defense of doctrine than on its explication or
elaboration. The distinctively doctrinal passages comprise only a small
part of the whole; Timothy and Titus had already been instructed."7
"It may be time to say farewell to the nomenclature 'the Pastoral Epistles.'
This term, which many trace back to Paul Anton in the eighteenth century,
has become something of a restraining device. Its use to describe the
contents of the letters is benign enough, but the assumptions about the
letters and their intention on which it rests already betray a tendency
toward restraint.
"The term PE [Pastoral Epistles] is no longer helpful, even if it is
convenient, for what is gained by economy of reference is more than lost
by the weight of the baggage the term has accumulated along the way."8
Towner believed that by grouping these three epistles together as "the Pastoral Epistles"
and treating them as a unit the church has strayed from interpreting each one as an
individual epistle. He acknowledged that these three have certain characteristics in
common, but he felt that interpreting them together as a unit does more harm than good.
Several of Paul's other epistles are equally as pastoral as these three, though, granted,
these three deal with pastoral leadership issues.
"There are . . . several reasons that Paul wrote the first epistle to Timothy:
(a) to encourage Timothy to stay on at Ephesus and deal with the
significant and difficult issues that had arisen; (b) to provide authoritative
instruction on how the household of God was to conduct itself in case Paul
delayed in coming; and (c) to combat directly the opponents and their
teaching and to remind Timothy of how he was to conduct himself and
what he was to teach. The underlying purpose was then to encourage
Timothy in his work but also to transfer Paul's authority to Timothy in his
fight against the opponents."9
(Acts 14:6-23). He joined Paul on the second missionary journey when the apostle's
evangelistic team passed through that area where Timothy lived (Acts 16:1-3). On the
second journey Timothy helped Paul in Troas, Philippi, Berea, Thessalonica, Athens, and
Corinth. During the third journey he was with Paul in Ephesus. From there Paul sent him
to Macedonia (Acts 19:22). Later he was with Paul in Macedonia (2 Cor. 1:1, 19) and
apparently traveled with the apostle to Corinth (Rom. 16:21). On the return trip to
Ephesus, Timothy accompanied Paul through Macedonia as far as Troas (Acts 20:3-6).
Still later Timothy was with Paul in Rome (Col. 1:1; Phile. 1; Phil. 1:1), and from there
he probably made a trip to Philippi (Phil. 2:19-23).
At the end of the Book of Acts, Paul was under house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:30-31).
Our knowledge of his activities after that time comes mainly from scanty references in
his epistles and conjectures since we have no canonical history of this part of his work.
Following his trial before Caesar
and his acquittal, Paul evidently
left Rome. He made his way
eastward and eventually arrived
in Ephesus. While in Ephesus
Paul doubtless visited other
churches in the area and later set
out for Macedonia and probably
for other provinces intending to
continue his pioneer missionary
work (cf. Rom. 15:24, 28). When
Paul departed from Ephesus he
left Timothy in charge as his
special representative to continue
the work there (1 Tim. 1:3).
Sometime after that Timothy evidently wrote to Paul, probably asking if he could leave
Ephesus, perhaps to rejoin Paul. Paul responded with this letter in which he instructed
Timothy to remain in Ephesus and to continue his needed ministry until Paul would
rejoin him there (3:14; 4:13).
"As the first-century churches increased in number, questions of church
order, soundness in the faith, and discipline arose. The apostles themselves
dealt with these questions, but the approaching end of the apostolic period
made necessary authoritative teaching about faith and order for the future
guidance of the churches. This teaching is revealed in the Pastoral
Epistles."1
Timothy's function in Ephesus was to represent Paul to the church. "The church" in
Ephesus at this time would have consisted of a number of house-churches (cf. 1 Cor.
16:19). He evidently was not an elder in that church. Paul spoke of the Ephesian elders in
this epistle as individuals different from Timothy.
When Paul had met with the Ephesian elders toward the end of his third missionary
journey, he had warned them about false teachers who would arise in their midst (Acts
20:29-30). This situation had happened (cf. 1:6; 6:21; 2 Tim. 2:18). Evidently
Hymenaeus and Alexander were two of those "wolves" (1:20). Paul alluded to others in
this epistle as well (1:3-11; 4:1-5; 6:3-10). We shall consider their errors in the exposition
to follow.
If Caesar released Paul from prison in Rome about A.D. 62, he may have written this
epistle in the middle 60s, perhaps A.D. 63-66. Paul's reference to his going from Ephesus
to Macedonia (1:3) suggests that he may have been in Macedonia when he wrote
1 Timothy. Nevertheless, since we have no other references to guide us, he could have
been in any one of a number of other provinces as well.
The authorship of the Pastorals is a major critical problem in New Testament studies, but
I believe the arguments for Pauline authorship are most convincing. Since the nineteenth
century, scholars have attacked the Pauline authorship of the Pastoral Epistles more than
the Pauline authorship of any of the apostle's other writings. This is an introductory
problem that may be studied by referring to the major commentaries on the Pastorals and
to the more comprehensive New Testament Introductions.2 William Mounce argued for
Luke being Paul's amanuensis in all three Pastoral Epistles.3 But that is impossible to
prove.
"The majority of modern scholars maintain that the Pastoral Epistles are
pseudepigraphical—that is, written pseudonymously (in Paul's name)
sometime after Paul's death (so Dibelius and Conzelmann, Brox, Barrett,
Hanson, Houlden, Karris, Hultgren). Most today locate these three letters
around the turn of the century, suggesting that the author aimed to revive
Pauline teaching for his day or to compose a definitive and authoritative
Pauline manual for denouncing heresy in the postapostolic church."4
PURPOSE
First and 2 Timothy and Titus are called "Pastoral Epistles" because Paul wrote them to
pastors (shepherds) of churches outlining their pastoral duties. The term "Pastoral
Epistles" appeared first in the eighteenth century, though as early as the second century
they had been grouped together within the Pauline corpus.5 These leaders' main pastoral
duties were to defend sound doctrine and to maintain sound discipline.6
"The pastoral Epistles are primarily practical rather than theological. The
emphasis lies rather on the defense of doctrine than on its explication or
elaboration. The distinctively doctrinal passages comprise only a small
part of the whole; Timothy and Titus had already been instructed."7
"It may be time to say farewell to the nomenclature 'the Pastoral Epistles.'
This term, which many trace back to Paul Anton in the eighteenth century,
has become something of a restraining device. Its use to describe the
contents of the letters is benign enough, but the assumptions about the
letters and their intention on which it rests already betray a tendency
toward restraint.
"The term PE [Pastoral Epistles] is no longer helpful, even if it is
convenient, for what is gained by economy of reference is more than lost
by the weight of the baggage the term has accumulated along the way."8
Towner believed that by grouping these three epistles together as "the Pastoral Epistles"
and treating them as a unit the church has strayed from interpreting each one as an
individual epistle. He acknowledged that these three have certain characteristics in
common, but he felt that interpreting them together as a unit does more harm than good.
Several of Paul's other epistles are equally as pastoral as these three, though, granted,
these three deal with pastoral leadership issues.
"There are . . . several reasons that Paul wrote the first epistle to Timothy:
(a) to encourage Timothy to stay on at Ephesus and deal with the
significant and difficult issues that had arisen; (b) to provide authoritative
instruction on how the household of God was to conduct itself in case Paul
delayed in coming; and (c) to combat directly the opponents and their
teaching and to remind Timothy of how he was to conduct himself and
what he was to teach. The underlying purpose was then to encourage
Timothy in his work but also to transfer Paul's authority to Timothy in his
fight against the opponents."9
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