”Therefore I am wanting to be praying the men in every place, lifting up pious hands without wrath and disputing.”
-We must ask, what is this therefore there for? He wants men in every place to be praying, praying in this certain mode, but why? Well, because what he began to do in this section was to enlist and mobilize prayer for the sake of seeing people saved and coming to the knowledge of the truth. People need to be reconciled to God, through Jesus, and towards that end the whole church needs to be praying.
-So Paul starts with the men. He says the men in every place - which is interesting, because you would think he might be more focused on what is happening there in Ephesus. But again, the scope of his vision to this point has been ALL men. All people. Prayers on behalf of ALL people. ALL people saved. ALL people ransomed. So, Paul’s protege, Pastor Timothy in Ephesus - he needs to proceed with a vision for a movement of prayer, of prayer everywhere, praying for others to come to know the Lord. But in focusing on the men, Paul says their hands need to be pious and lifted up, and they need to do so without wrath or disputing. Think about it - what are men known for? What are some things which could keep them from being effectively and fruitfully involved in a movement of prayer such as what Paul envisions here?
-For one, I think men are more inclined to fight, to use their hands (and their voices?) perhaps for fighting. They get angry and argue and get sideways with other men. They are more prone to violence. Which flies in the face of the godliness and dignity with which Paul just said we are to beautify the Good News. AND which makes it far more difficult to come together and pray with other men. Not only this, men also use their hands to work, to accomplish their business. There is a pride - a deep seated spiritual pride about them which in essence says, I got this. I can do this. I don’t need help, much less need to ask for it. Lifting up my hands is a tangible expression of surrender and submission. I CAN’T do this. Apart from You, Lord, there is NOTHING I can do. You ARE the One True God, and You ARE great, greater than me. You ARE King - and You are MY King. I need You, and so does my neighbor.
-There’s another aspect of this. Think about it - what is one time when (almost) all men lift their hands? Lifted hands can also be a sign of celebration. Right? The ball (or puck) goes in or crosses the line and what do I do with my hands? They go up. They go up in rapturous joy. And there usually is cheering. Shouting. Jumping and running about. We can get so excited about so many different things - but what about the Lord? Where is the joy and rapture over this One Who is fairer than ten thousand, Who is breathtakingly good and better by far than any athletic achievement? The spiritual pride (and emotional silence?) of men extends to the place where so many are loathe to engage and express their heart towards another person, not to mention the Lord. What if I found myself in a place where I celebrated the Lord in the way I celebrate athletic achievement? What would it take for me to get there?
-And there is one other time a guy will have his hands up - celebration, surrender, AND to show that he’s not hiding anything. His hands - as well as the rest of him - not hiding anything. His hands - like the rest of him - are clean. In other words, pure. Which is exactly what Paul is saying - pure hands. We come to the Lord in dependence and surrender and in celebration AND in sincerity, hearts and consciences (and hands) sprinkled clean by the blood of Christ. Ready to pray.
-So Paul is talking about where men can put aside their hiding and passivity and timidity, their spiritual indifference as well as their differences and grudges and pride and bravado and busy-ness and come together in the beauty of holiness and unity for the purpose of prayer, of celebrating the King of heaven and beseeching Him in one mind for the salvation of the lost, for the world. And while body position is not unimportant (the mind and the body do tend to work in concert - slouchy attitude and slouchy posture will usually go hand in hand) - I think it’s probably not so much about body position as it is about my heart, the condition of my heart towards the Lord and towards my fellow man. Hands up, men!
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