”This command I am setting before you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies going before upon you, in order that in them you may be fighting the beautiful fight...”
-Turns out, Timothy is in a fight. He had received instructions, a command actually. Paul brought this up in verse 3. Paul had left his trusted friend and companion behind in Ephesus when he departed for Macedonia, left him in charge and left him for a purpose. Certain men had veered off course in their faith. They were teaching strange doctrines, speculating about uncertain myths and genealogies and the like, fruitless discussions, things which were detracting from the mission. And somehow, this leaving Timothy behind, which we can assume Paul would have been loathe to do, was occasioned by some prophecies. God had communicated directly through some person (or persons) that Timothy needed to remain on in Ephesus in order to help straighten these detractors out, and frankly to help keep the entire assembly on course. No easy peasy assignment, this - it would be a battle. Later in this letter, Paul mentions that Timothy had actually received a spiritual gift on the occasion of a prophecy (perhaps related, or even the same?), a gift which uniquely equipped him for this specific ministry.
-And Paul makes it perfectly clear, this is not some stroll in the park, some lazy Sunday afternoon snooze in the sunshine we’re talking about. Timothy was at war. He was caught up in a battle with eternal consequences, contending for the Truth and for the Mission of spreading the Truth, the end game of which was (and is) love (1Timothy 1.5). And to be sure, these speculations and myths were doing very little to build up the body in love (Ephesians 4.16).
-But in this verse, the first thing which Paul says will help Timothy in this fight is the prophecies. The words which God spoke concerning him. Timothy needed to be able to harken back and take courage in the knowledge that God had specifically gifted and called him for this work. And while many of us perhaps have not received any specific words of prophecy a la Timothy, we have all received God’s words in the Bible. Those words God indeed has spoken concerning us. By this Word, that which Paul called the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6.17), we similarly are equipped to fight the good fight. It is indeed our weapon for conducting spiritual warfare, for carrying out the mission. Of course, being handed a sword doesn’t necessarily equate to beautiful fighting. The potential exists, but some of us can relate to timid Timothy (2Timothy 1.7). We maybe need a little bit of encouragement. Maybe a shove (out of the nest) even...? So many of us are living like it is peacetime, sipping our mint juleps and caramel machiados and pursuing our own agendas when in fact a desperate battle for the souls of our neighbors and the nations has been joined. We really need to honestly ask ourselves, how high are the stakes, and how urgent is the situation, and depending on our answer, we may need to reassess our priorities in light of the fight. So that you (and I - together!) may be fighting a beautiful fight...!
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