Although
there were people who followed “profane and vane
babblings” and false teachings
in the days of Paul and Timothy, Paul gave instruction as to the
manner in which Timothy should work with them, “in
meekness instructing those that oppose themselves”. He knew
there was a possibility that God would
“give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth”, and
in chapter two and verse twenty-six of this final letter from him,
Paul continued his thought with the idea that they “may recover
themselves out of the snare of the devil” where we read:
who are
taken captive by him at his will.
The verse begins, “And
that they may
recover themselves out of the snare of the devil,...” Paul
began with the word, “And”
which is a conjunction word meaning his thought continued “that
they may recover themselves”
which is all one Greek word “ananēphō”
and
refers to those who are following false ways and teachings that they
may literally “return to soberness” “out
of the snare”
or “from the trap, noose and whatever brings peril, loss,
destruction” “of the devil”
which means “prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely,
calumniator, false accuser and slanderer”. Paul knew those who
followed the false teachers and doctrine were like birds caught in a
net or animals caught in a trap by the “false accuser” and most
“slanderous” one of all – the devil himself.
The
verse goes on to say, “...who are
taken captive by him at his will.” Paul
continued with, “who are taken
captive”
which is the Greek word “zōgreō”
which
means “to take alive, catch and capture” “by
him”
referring to “the devil” “at
his will”
or “wish, determination, choice, inclination, desire and pleasure”.
In other words, those who followed after the “profane and vain
babblings” promoted particularly by “Hymenaeus and Philetus”
were as those who were willingly captured by the devil and led astray
with their pernicious ideas.
As
we meditate upon Paul's words, we see the importance of continuing in
the word of God. These false teachers were being used at will by “the
devil” himself
to “snare, trap and bring to peril and destruction” those who
followed after them. When we imagine a literal “trap” set out for
prey, we begin to understand how these false teachers led people to
follow their doctrine, and it is not much different today. Timothy
was to instruct those who had fallen with a spirit of meekness
because God might work within their hearts and give them
understanding of the truth, and those who are “snared” by false
doctrine today should be handled in the same manner. May the Lord
Jesus help us to know the gravity of “the devil's” traps, and may
we always be willing to free someone from them.
Next
time we begin a new chapter as Paul tells Timothy “perilous
times shall come” “in the last days”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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