May 15 - Parenthesis

May 15 - Parenthesis - 1 Timothy 5:21-25

Diane says:
After telling Timothy how to handle elders in the church and how to deal with any possible opposition within the church, Paul speaks very strongly to him about actually doing this. He brings out the big guns, 'God, Christ Jesus, and the elect angels' (who generally are involved in righteous judgment (Matt. 25:31; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; Rev. 14:10). Maybe Timothy was being too passive in his management of the situation. We aren't certain. Paul goes on to tell Timothy that the best way to avoid having to call out a lousy leader is to be absolutely sure of their qualities before laying on hands to raise them up. And, it will be easier for Timothy if he keeps himself quite separate from partying with the crowd.

Timothy may have been a bit of an ascetic and tried to keep himself pure. Drinking water in that day and age was dangerous, clean water was not to be found very often. Adding a little wine to his stomach might help settle some of his physical ailments, but would not get in the way of keeping himself pure.

1 Timothy 5:23 was a parenthesis ... so, we see that 1 Timothy 5:24-25 follow verse 22. As Timothy seeks to choose qualified candidates for leadership within the church, he should not be hasty. Given enough time, a person's qualities, whether good or bad will become apparent.

Rebecca says:
I love parenthesis in a sentence. Whenever I see or use one, I picture what is written between them to be the words or side notes whispered into an ear as a person hugs you. It is a moment when the formality of the writer takes a break and the person behind the pen pops in for a peek. When Diane mentioned that verse 23 was in parenthesis, it grabbed my attention. Why in the middle of a bunch of verses about discernment would Paul peek out from behind the pen and advise Timothy about a stomach ailment? What in the world would that have to do with discernment?

Have you ever been sick? Not the horrible stuck in bed sick but just that nauseated icky gray gravy kind of sick? It’s a terrible feeling and it wears you down. When I am sick I am not running on all four cylinders. My work is not as sharp as it could be and in general my judgment is off. The rose colored glass I usually try to look through turns a foggy shade of green, my closest friends become annoying and anyone with a full pack of Rolaids becomes my savior for the moment. I cannot even begin to imagine doing half of what Timothy was asked to do in perfect health let alone with an upset stomach!

Sometimes we make great strides internally. We can feel emotionally, mentally, and spiritually prepared to do what God has asked us to do, but if our physical selves aren't taken care of properly they become a stumbling block and hinder the work that lies before us. Timothy had a huge task at hand. It would take every part of him operating at optimal levels to carry it out. Paul knew it was a plateful and he also knew what Timothy’s thorn in this flesh was and so in the midst of all this instruction, Paul took a moment to whisper a little friendly advice in the parenthesis.

One thing to keep in mind was that Timothy was not purposely unhealthy. He was attempting to remain pure by drinking water and unfortunately that good intentioned direction was causing some dire stomach problems. We all have moments like that when we set out with the best of intentions, and impair ourselves in the process. Sometimes we over commit because we have a desire to serve and run our bodies ragged in the process, other times we fast when we aren’t called to it or stay on a fast too long and deprive our bodies of vital nutrients. One of the things I am most guilty of is staying up far too late reading or studying or writing, when I should be in bed. After a few days, I wear myself down and get either physically sick or just exhausted. These are all done with the best of intentions but when we don’t use a little wisdom and take the necessary precautions it winds up doing more harm than good.

I know that the better we are physically the more alert we are mentally and the more on point we are spiritually. When we are taking care of all three parts of this body we are powerhouses for God and can be used greatly by Him. So I wonder if Paul had written this letter to me or you, what would be found in our parenthesis, and better yet would we take the advice and run with it? I hope my answer is yes but I guess we will just have to wait till tonight when the sandman starts calling my name!