As Paul the
apostle continued to exhort Timothy, his “dearly beloved son”,
he told him, “For the time will come when they will not endure
sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears”. Rather than hearing
and obeying all the “holy scriptures”, Paul's warning was
that people will only desire pleasantries, good thoughts and things
that make them feel good. In chapter four and verse four of this
final letter from Paul, he tells Timothy how these will turn away
“from the truth”, and will be “turned to fables”
where we read:
And they
shall turn away their
ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
The
verse begins, “And they shall turn
away their
ears from the truth,...” Paul
began with the word, “And”
which shows a continuation of thought, and this is a good reminder
that the scriptures of the Bible were not originally divided into
chapters and verses but were written like a continuous letter or
book. In this case, Paul is continuing his thought concerning those
who began to listen with “itching
ears”. He
went on to write, “they shall turn
away”
which in the Greek is “men
apostrephō” which
means
“will surely and certainly remove, desert and defect” “their
ears” or
“sense of hearing instruction which is namely orally given” “from
the truth”
which means “separated from what is true in things appertaining to
God and the duties of man both morally and religiously”. In other
words, these apostate people will “turn
away” from
hearing “the truth”
of God's word and His “holy
scriptures”.
The
verse continues, “...and shall be turned unto fables.” Paul
continued with, “and shall be turned” or “twisted out,
turned off, turned aside and away” “unto fables” which
is a reference to “false speech, sayings, narratives, stories and
inventions”. In other words, these who forsake, turn their backs
upon, shun and avoid association with the word of God, will listen to
and follow false stories, speeches, and inventions of men.
When
we use our imaginations to think about people doing as Paul wrote, we
can understand his exhortation concerning these things unto Timothy.
Sometimes people do not want to hear “the truth”
of God and would rather hear a “good story” or something that has
a happy ending. The writer of Hebrews wrote in chapter four and verse
twelve of his letter,
“For the word of God is
quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints
and marrow, and is
a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
These
words declare the “word of God”
and “His truth” to
be penetrating to the point of discerning both the “thoughts”
and the “intents”
of the “heart”.
This can make us feel uncomfortable, shameful and sometimes guilty,
and yet, this is why the gospel of Jesus Christ is so wonderful. Even
though the word of God will have this effect upon its readers, Jesus
Christ demonstrates His grace by forgiving every charge that may be
brought against us. “The truth” should
not be avoided by us, and we should never turn to “false speeches
and narratives” rather than the word of God. As we meditate upon
these things, may the Lord Jesus reveal to us the importance of His
“truth”, and may He keep us
from following any other stories or words that will lead us away from
Him.
Next
time Paul tells Timothy to “watch in all things”,
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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