As
Paul continued to exhort and encourage Timothy his “dearly
beloved son”, he told him, “the foundation of God stands
sure” even though false teachers named “Hymenaeus and
Philetus” were promoting “profane and vain babblings”
in the church. According to Paul, Timothy could be certain of God's
solid foundation because the Lord “sealed” it with His
knowledge of “them that are his”, and
because of this, “every one that names the name of
Christ” should “depart from iniquity”. In chapter
two and verse twenty of this final letter to Timothy, Paul uses the
example of “vessels of honor” and “vessels of
dishonor” to describe those within the church where we read:
But
in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver,
but also of wood and of earth;
and
some to honor, and some to dishonor.
The
verse begins, “But in a great house there are not only
vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth;” Paul
began with the word, “But”
which is a disassociation conjunction which means what is about to be
stated takes precedence over what was previously stated, and in this
case the word means, “however, moreover, and” “in a
great house” or “splendid,
prepared on a grand scale and stately inhabited edifice or dwelling
place” “there are not only” or “not solely and alone”
“vessels” which are “household utensils and domestic
gear” “of gold and silver” or “which are made or
overlaid with gold and silver”, “but also” or
“nevertheless, withstanding, having exception, even, indeed and
included” “of wood” or “made from wood” “and of
earth” which are “made from clay or dirt”. The idea is some
“vessels” within a house are extremely precious, durable
and more valuable than others. Those made with precious metals would
be carefully utilized and protected whereas those made of less
precious material would be frail, more likely to break and become
unusable.
The
verse goes on to say, “and some to honor, and some to
dishonor.” Paul continued,
“and some to honor”
or “value upon which a price, deference and reverence is placed”
“and some to dishonor”
which is “ignominy and disgrace”. In other words, some of
the vessels within a house are “highly esteemed” and others are
“shameful and not very valuable”.
As
we think through Paul's words, we can almost imagine him thinking
about the different utensils, pots, pans and such which are used in a
“great” household. Fine china pieces and gold and silver
goblets and dinnerware might have come to his mind, and he uses this
example to describe those within the church. To help us understand,
we might think of the “vessels” used within our houses.
Are there certain ones we treasure more than others? Are there
special meanings, sentimental values and precious thoughts attached
to certain vessels more than ones? If so, we will relate to Paul's
example. Paul desired for Timothy to understand that all of the
vessels were important and useful, however there were some that were
more durable, long lasting and more valuable than others. This may
provide more questions for us than answers at this point, however,
Paul doesn't end his thought with this conclusion because he goes on
share more later. In the meantime, let us examine ourselves with
Jesus Christ as our standard and ask honestly, would I be considered
“a vessel of honor” or “dishonor”, and may the
Lord Jesus help us to know the difference between the two.
Next
time Paul tells Timothy how to be a “vessel of honor”, 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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