1. Before diving in to chapter 1, you may wish to review your answers to the introductory questions in lesson 8 (link above).
2. Examine the greeting of this letter (1-2). Who is this letter from? Where is he currently residing? (8) Who is this letter addressed to? What was Timothy’s position in the church at Ephesus? Since 2 Timothy is one of the pastoral epistles, how do its instructions apply to pastors, church members, and the church today?
3. Compare the greeting of 2 Timothy (1-2) to the greeting of 1 Timothy. How does Paul present his credentials, describe Timothy, and invoke God’s blessings in each greeting? What are the similarities and differences in each of these?
4. Read 3-18, noticing the repetition of three words, one in 8 & 12, one in 12 & 14, one in 8, 12, 16. What are these three words? What can these words help us understand about a general theme of this chapter and the letter as a whole?
5. Look closely at Paul’s personal remarks to Timothy in 3-7. Describe the ways Paul serves and encourages Timothy, personally, in this section. How can this section inform the church that pastors need encouragement? What might your own pastor(s) be in “tears” about? (4) Are you praying for your pastor(s)? (3) What specific words of encouragement could you offer your pastor(s) this (and every) week? (5-7)
6. What word does verse 8 start with? Backtrack into verses 6-7 to see what that “therefore” is there for. Would Timothy be able to carry out what Paul said in verse 8 without “girding up his loins” with the instructions in 6-7? Why is it important for us to prepare, spiritually, for future persecution?
Consider the context (6-7) of verse 8. What might Timothy have been “fearful” (7) of (hint: How was society/government treating Christians at that time in history?), and how does that inform our understanding of his being “ashamed” of the “testimony about our Lord” and about Paul? Does “ashamed” mean mere social embarrassment in this context? What would the consequences have been of Timothy aligning himself with the gospel and with Paul? (8b) (Compare with Peter’s “shame” over aligning himself with Jesus.)
Explain how a professing Christian today might be “ashamed” of the “testimony about our Lord” or of aligning herself with Christians who are suffering the consequences of being bold in the faith.
9. In verses 9-10 we have one of our recurring motifs (see lesson 5 question 9 – link above – if your memory needs jogging). What is it? Take a few moments to revel in this passage, soak up the beauty of the gospel, and thank God for it. Can you list all of the theological concepts alluded to in this passage? (eg. predestination, sola gratia, etc.)
10. Compare Paul’s “I am not ashamed,” and “I am suffering” in 11-12 with his instructions to Timothy not to be ashamed and to join in suffering in verse 8. How was Paul leaving an example for Timothy to follow? What are some ways we can follow Paul’s example today?
11. Examine the concept of “guarding the deposit entrusted to you” as it pertains to Paul and to Timothy in 12-14. Why did Paul say he was not ashamed – he did not fear or shrink back – to align himself with Christ and the gospel? (12b- remember that in this context, “for” means “because”). Who is the “he” in verse 12? (see v. 14) When Paul says “what has been entrusted to me,” what does he mean? What is the thing, the “good deposit” (14) that has been entrusted to him and to Timothy? (13) Who entrusted this good deposit to Paul? (11-12) To Timothy? (13) What does Paul mean by “guarding” this good deposit? (12,14) Have Christians received this “good deposit” today? Who entrusted it to us, and how are we to “guard” it? (14)
12. Read 15-18. Who does Paul mention that were “ashamed” of him? (15) Why do you think they “turned away” from aligning themselves with Paul? Who was not ashamed of aligning himself with Paul and the gospel (15), and how did he demonstrate this (16-18)? What are some ways you can demonstrate, through the good works God has ordained for you, that you are not ashamed of being aligned with Christ and the gospel?
Homework
Review 3-7 again. Examine the specific ways Paul encouraged Timothy in this section. Think of someone who is a true child in the faith to you, maybe your own child, a younger woman at church, etc. Drop her a card, e-mail, or text this week to encourage her in her walk with the Lord and to let her know how you’re praying for her.
I recently finished reading through the life of David during my quiet time. When we think of David, the first thing to jump to mind is probably “and Goliath” or “and Bathsheba” or maybe that he was a king or a psalmist. But have you ever thought of David and the first thing to come to mind was “lousy father”? I haven’t. And the Bible doesn’t explicitly tell us that he was a bad dad. And, let’s face it, even the most godly parents in the world can have a kid or two who turn out to be prodigals. But if you look at how some of David’s children turned out, you have to at least wonder about his parenting skills.
First you’ve got Amnon – as disgusting a specimen of a human being as ever walked the planet. He makes himself physically ill lusting day after day for his half sister, Tamar. That’s a lot of lust. But at least – at least – he keeps it to himself. For a while, that is.
Amnon’s got an equally disgusting cousin, Jonadab – who, instead of smacking him senseless when Amnon shamelessly confesses his dastardly daydreams – devises a scheme to help Amnon indulge his foul and festering flesh by tricking David into making Tamar available to him. David sends Tamar to Amnon’s house, and Tamar pleads with him not to force himself on her.
(While Tamar is pleading with her pustule of a brother, she says something interesting: “Please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” Now, arguably, it’s likely she was just saying whatever she could think of in the moment to get away from Amnon and didn’t really believe David would allow Amnon to marry her. But if she did believe that to be true, that definitely says something about David. Because, by that time in Israel’s history, intermarriage between two people who shared a parent was big-time illegal with severe consequences for the offenders. And David and everybody else in the kingdom knew that. Did David’s children think he would break the law for them and excuse them from punishment? And for such a nauseating reason?)
But Amnon ignores Tamar’s heartbreaking pleas and forcibly rapes her. He rapes his sister. David finds out what happened and is understandably angry. But does he follow the law and have Amnon executed? Nope. (So we at least have our answer to the question of whether or not David would break the law for his children.) If David did anything about the situation, the Bible doesn’t record it.
Fast forward two whole years. David has still not made his rapist son face the music, so Absalom, Tamar’s full brother, metes out his own brand of justice, putting Amnon to death.
Fast forward a few more years and Absalom thinks, “I believe I’d make a better king than dear old Dad.” So he sets about manipulating and stealing the hearts of his countrymen away from David and stages a bloodless coup. David ends up having to flee for his life from his own son. Meanwhile, Absalom moves into the palace, sets up a love nest on the roof where everybody can see, and sleeps with David’s concubines. Then, Absalom gathers up an army to hunt David – his father – down in order to kill him and secure his throne.
David’s men fight valiantly for him, risking their own lives. Joab, the commander of David’s army – perhaps considering David’s command to “deal gently” with Absalom as ludicrous after all Absalom has done – seizes an opportune moment, and kills Absalom. David flips out in grief, so much so that Joab has to rebuke him: all these men risked their lives to save you, David, and you’re crying and moaning over this wretch who was trying to kill you! Snap out of it or they’re going to turn on you! Fortunately, David has the sense to listen to him.
After some more wars, some famine, and a “sin-sus,” Adonijahdecides he can pull off the coup his brother Absalom so spectacularly failed at. David is old and sickly, and it should be easy for Adonijah to make a grab for the throne. And in the description of Adonijah, here’s what was said that initially got me thinking David wasn’t Dad of the year:
His [Adonijah’s] father [David] had never at any time displeased him [Adonijah] by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?”
Are you picking up what the author of 1 Kings is laying down? David was an indulgent father. He had never at any time questioned his son’s actions or intervened in a way that upset him. He let Adonijah run wild and do what he wanted to do. And the way Amnon and Absalom acted, it’s reasonable to surmise that David raised them the same way, along with all the rest of his children. It’s a miracle Solomon turned out as well as he did (at least until his wives drew him away from the Lord into idol worship). Reading the first nine chapters of Proverbs, I can’t help but wonder if Solomon observed David’s parenting and was determined not to follow his poor example. Listen to my instructions, son. Get wisdom. Don’t be a fool.
Sometimes Bible characters set a great example for us. David, a man after God’s own heart, set many. But sometimes God lets us see their poor and sinful behavior so we can learn not to follow their example. Moms and Dads, let’s make sure we are men and women after God’s own heart when it comes to parenting our kids.
Happy Father’s Day, y’all.
If this article sounds familiar, it’s because you just read it in last Friday’s Random Ramblings, Ruminations, and Resources. A reader asked if I would make it a stand-alone article for easier sharing. :0)
My flesh is in a bad 👏mood 👏 today. (Do you like the claps? I like the claps. Some people don’t like the claps. What can ya do?) It’s one of those rainy days where it doesn’t just rain and get it over with and then the sun comes out. It stays grey all 👏day 👏long 👏 and rains just lightly and intermittently enough to make you crazy. That is, if the heat and the million per cent humidity hasn’t already put you over the edge. Good ol’ summertime in south Louisiana.
But God is good even on the yuckiest of days and Random Ramblings, Ruminations, and Resourcesis a fun way to cheer up and focus on stuff that’s way more important than the weather. Let’s dive right in, shall we?
Listen Up, Feed Back
I dropped the word on Facebook and Twitter a couple of days ago that Amy Spreeman (yes, that Amy Spreeman from Berean Research, Fighting for the Faith, etc.) and I are looking into doing a podcast together. So I need some feedback from y’all on two questions:
1. If we did do a podcast, would you listen?
2. Can you help us think of a name for the podcast? (We will be talking about a variety of biblical topics.)
A while back, I had said a great name for a podcast like this would be Discerning Women, a play on the title of the 80’s sitcom Designing Women. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized a significant portion of our potential listeners have probably never heard of that show (I’ve only seen a few episodes myself), so it wouldn’t work. So help us think of a good title and drop it into a comment here or on social media.
Bad Dad David?
I recently finished reading through the life of David during my quiet time. When we think of David, the first thing to jump to mind is probably “and Goliath” or “and Bathsheba” or maybe that he was a king or a psalmist. But have you ever thought of David and the first thing to come to mind was “lousy father”? I haven’t. And the Bible doesn’t explicitly tell us that he was a bad dad. And, let’s face it, even the most godly parents in the world can have a kid or two who turn out to be prodigals. But if you look at how some of David’s children turned out, you have to at least wonder about his parenting skills.
First you’ve got Amnon – as disgusting a specimen of a human being as ever walked the planet. He makes himself physically ill lusting day after day for his half sister, Tamar. That’s a lot of lust. But at least – at least – he keeps it to himself. For a while, that is.
Amnon’s got an equally disgusting cousin, Jonadab – who, instead of smacking him senseless when Amnon shamelessly confesses his dastardly daydreams – devises a scheme to help Amnon indulge his foul and festering flesh by tricking David into making Tamar available to him. David sends Tamar to Amnon’s house, and Tamar pleads with him not to force himself on her.
(While Tamar is pleading with her pustule of a brother, she says something interesting: “Please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” Now, arguably, it’s likely she was just saying whatever she could think of in the moment to get away from Amnon and didn’t really believe David would allow Amnon to marry her. But if she did believe that to be true, that definitely says something about David. Because, by that time in Israel’s history, intermarriage between two people who shared a parent was big-time illegal with severe consequences for the offenders. And David and everybody else in the kingdom knew that. Did David’s children think he would break the law for them and excuse them from punishment? And for such a nauseating reason?)
But Amnon ignores Tamar’s heartbreaking pleas and forcibly rapes her. He rapes his sister. David finds out what happened and is understandably angry. But does he follow the law and have Amnon executed? Nope. (So we at least have our answer to the question of whether or not David would break the law for his children.) If David did anything about the situation, the Bible doesn’t record it.
Fast forward two whole years. David has still not made his rapist son face the music, so Absalom, Tamar’s full brother, metes out his own brand of justice, putting Amnon to death.
Fast forward a few more years and Absalom thinks, “I believe I’d make a better king than dear old Dad.” So he sets about manipulating and stealing the hearts of his countrymen away from David and stages a bloodless coup. David ends up having to flee for his life from his own son. Meanwhile, Absalom moves into the palace, sets up a love nest on the roof where everybody can see, and sleeps with David’s concubines. Then, Absalom gathers up an army to hunt David – his father – down in order to kill him and secure his throne.
David’s men fight valiantly for him, risking their own lives. Joab, the commander of David’s army – perhaps considering David’s command to “deal gently” with Absalom as ludicrous after all Absalom has done – seizes an opportune moment, and kills Absalom. David flips out in grief, so much so that Joab has to rebuke him: all these men risked their lives to save you, David, and you’re crying and moaning over this wretch who was trying to kill you! Snap out of it or they’re going to turn on you! Fortunately, David has the sense to listen to him.
After some more wars, some famine, and a “sin-sus,” Adonijahdecides he can pull off the coup his brother Absalom so spectacularly failed at. David is old and sickly, and it should be easy for Adonijah to make a grab for the throne. And in the description of Adonijah, here’s what was said that initially got me thinking David wasn’t Dad of the year:
His [Adonijah’s] father [David] had never at any time displeased him [Adonijah] by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?”
Are you picking up what the author of 1 Kings is laying down? David was an indulgent father. He had never at any time questioned his son’s actions or intervened in a way that upset him. He let Adonijah run wild and do what he wanted to do. And the way Amnon and Absalom acted, it’s reasonable to surmise that David raised them the same way, along with all the rest of his children. It’s a miracle Solomon turned out as well as he did (at least until his wives drew him away from the Lord into idol worship). Reading the first nine chapters of Proverbs, I can’t help but wonder if Solomon observed David’s parenting and was determined not to follow his poor example. Listen to my instructions, son. Get wisdom. Don’t be a fool.
Sometimes Bible characters set a great example for us. David, a man after God’s own heart, set many. But sometimes God lets us see their poor and sinful behavior so we can learn not to follow their example. Moms and Dads, let’s make sure we are men and women after God’s own heart when it comes to parenting our kids.
Happy Father’s Day, y’all.
And Speaking of David…
It seems like there’s never anything decent on TV in the summertime – I need something to watch while I’m folding the laundry to make it bearable – so I’ve taken to watching old movies in the summer instead of TV. David and Bathsheba (1951) happened to be on recently, so I recorded it, thinking, “The Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, The Robe, etc. were all good. Gregory Peck and Susan Hayward…how bad could it possibly be?”
Well let me just tell you – it was a stinkeroo from the word go.
I’m really going to date myself here, but…remember when the newspaper used to have those fun little puzzles in the comics section? One of them was a picture and you were supposed to look at it and find everything that was wrong with the picture: a car with a doughnut in place of a tire, a swing with only one chain, etc. That’s what this movie was like. So much ridiculous and crazy stuff thrown in, and even the parts that were true to Scripture were chronologically out of order.
I like Bible story movies, and I have no objection to the writers “filling in the blanks” of a Bible story as long as whatever they fill in is biblically and culturally plausible and doesn’t conflict with anything in Scripture. God already wrote the script – stick to it!
I give David and Bathsheba five boos and a hiss, because it was also very monotone, too long, and just plain dull much of the time. (How anybody can make that story dull is beyond me, but they managed it somehow.) If you’re looking for a more biblical version of this story, even VeggieTales’ King George and the Ducky would fit the bill. If you like those “what’s wrong with this picture” puzzles and you want to work one for two hours straight, knock yourself out:
But honestly, read the book. It was so much better than the movie.
One word of caution – just like when you walk into the “Christian” section of a bookstore, you’ll need to have your discernment radar on full alert. Some of the “Christian” videos at Prime are materials put out by false teachers, Mormons, New Agers, etc.
Ladies and Gentlemen
In the midst of the war on the biblical roles of men and women that’s raging right now, a thought occurred to me that I don’t believe I’ve heard anybody else bring up.
As complementarian women, we’re not only blessed that God has not burdened us with teaching men, He has also blessed us by allowing us to receive biblical instruction from both men and women.
Think about that. As a godly woman, you can attend a conference where the speakers are all male, all female, or a mix of both. You don’t need to worry about whether your Sunday School teacher is a man or a woman. You’ll of course, need to concern yourself with other issues, like whether the woman teacher is also teaching men, or is teaching false doctrine, but as far as the sex of the person teaching you, there’s nothing to worry about. Godly men don’t have that option. When the Bible is being taught in the church setting, their only option is a male teacher. Ever think about that? It’s a pretty nice perq!
Last week, we finished up the book of 1 Timothy. Today, we’re doing our preliminary background work on the book of 2 Timothy before diving into the text. You might want to review lesson 1 (link above) and compare the background information on 1 Timothy to the background information on 2 Timothy. How are they similar? How are they different?
Introduction to 2 Timothy
Before we begin studying a book of the Bible, it’s very important that we understand some things about that book. We need to know…
Who the author was and anything we might be able to find out about him or his background.
Who the audience of the book is: Jews or Gentiles? Old Testament Israelites or New Testament Christians? This will help us understand the author’s purpose and approach to what he’s writing.
What kind of biblical literature we’re looking at. We approach books of history differently than books of wisdom, books of wisdom differently than books of prophecy, etc.
What the purpose of the book is. Was it written to encourage? Rebuke? Warn?
What the historical backdrop is for the book. Is Israel at war? At peace? In exile? Under a bad king? Good king? Understanding the historical events surrounding a piece of writing help us understand what was written and why it was written.
When the book was written. Where does the book fall on the timeline of biblical history? This is especially important for Old Testament books which are not always arranged in chronological order.
So this week, before we start studying the actual text of the book of 2 Timothy, we need to lay the foundation to understanding the book by finding the answers to these questions.
Read the following overviews of the book of 2 Timothy, taking notes on anything that might aid your understanding of the book, and answer the questions below:
1. Who wrote the book of 2 Timothy? How do we know this?
2. Approximately when was 2 Timothy written? What is the geographical setting of the book of 2 Timothy? Here are some maps (scroll down to “2 Timothy”) that may be helpful as you study through the book of 2 Timothy.
3. Who is the original, intended audience of the book of 2 Timothy? Describe the historical setting (historic events, politics, sociology of the time, etc.) of 2 Timothy.
4. Which genre of biblical literature is the book of 2 Timothy: law, history, wisdom, poetry, narrative, epistles, or prophecy/apocalyptic? What does this tell us about the approach we should take when studying this book versus our approach to books of other genres?
5. What is the theme or purpose of the book of 2 Timothy?
6. What are some of the major topics of instruction in the book of 2 Timothy? How do these topics relate to the theme of 2 Timothy?
7. What are some ways 2 Timothy points to and connects to Jesus?
8. What else did you learn about 2 Timothy or the setting of this book that might help you understand the text of the book better?
Take some time in prayer this week to begin preparing your heart to study 2 Timothy. What are some ways your pastor and church could be encouraged by the instruction of 2 Timothy? What might you learn that could make you a healthier church member? Do you have any areas that need improvement when it comes to the way you serve God or your brothers and sisters in Christ? Ask God to grow you in those areas as we continue to study 1 & 2 Timothy: The Structure and Spirit of the Church.
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Richard Swartz, host of the Scripture Matters podcast. Listen in as we talk about some of the major issues in women’s ministry today, women’s discipleship, false teachers, and “golden calf tipping”. Richard and I also discussed the importance of husbands, fathers, and pastors protecting the souls of the women in their lives, so there’s something edifying for everyone!
Got a podcast of your own or have a podcasting friend who needs a guest? Need a speaker for a women’s conference or church event? Click the “Speaking Engagements” tab at the top of this page, drop me an e-mail, and let’s chat!
Read 2 Timothy 1
A while back, I had said a great name for a podcast like this would be Discerning Women, a play on the title of the 80’s sitcom 
David and the first thing to come to mind was “lousy father”? I haven’t. And the Bible doesn’t explicitly tell us that he was a bad dad. And, let’s face it, even the most godly parents in the world can have a kid or two who turn out to be prodigals. But if you look at how some of David’s children turned out, you have to at least wonder about his parenting skills.
David 
available to you. 
