As Paul began
to wind down his final directions to Timothy, he told him to “Preach
the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.” Paul knew “the
word of God” could not be improved upon for guidance within
everyone's life, and because many false teachers and doctrines would
creep into the church, Timothy was to stay steadfast within the
scriptures to overcome them. In chapter four and verse three of this
final letter from Paul, he wrote of people who “will not endure
sound doctrine” but will rather have “itching ears”
where we read:
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;
The verse begins, “For
the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;” Paul
began with the word “For”
which means “because, since, on account of, no doubt and seeing
then” “the time”
or “in due measure or at a fixed and definite time” “will
come” or
“will be, have and follow” “when”
which means “where, while and as long as” “they
will not endure”
which is the Greek phrase “anechō
ou anechō” and
means “will not hold up, erect, make firm, sustain or bear”
“sound” or
“well, good, strong, free from error and within the graces”
“doctrine” which
means “teaching, instruction and precepts”. In other words, there
will be a time when people will not desire or keep “good, strong
and free from error” teaching.
The
verse goes on to say, “but after their own lusts shall they heap
to themselves teachers, having itching ears;” Paul continued
with the word, “but” which is a disassociation conjunction
that means what is about to be stated takes precedence over what was
just written, “after” or “down from, through out,
according to, toward and along” “their own” or
“pertaining to one's self, one's own and belonging to one's self”
“lusts” which means “desires, cravings and longings for
what is forbidden” “shall they heap” or “accumulate in
piles” “to themselves” or “toward their own selves”
“teachers” which refers to “those fitted to teach or
thinks themselves so or instructors” “having itching ears”
which means “ears that need scratching, tickling or are desirous of
hearing something pleasant”. The idea is that people who reject
“sound doctrine” want their “ears” tickled with
something pleasant to hear. They do not want to be taught the truth
or something convicting or that which makes them feel shameful or
guilty, but would rather hear nice, enjoyable and gratifying doctrine
instead. They gather to themselves teachers who only say what they
want to hear rather than listen to the full council of the word of
God.
While
we meditate upon Paul's words, we can think of many people who do not
want to hear “sound doctrine” of the “word of God”.
Rather than hear the truth about sin, judgment, hell and corruption,
they would rather only hear teachings about the “goodness of man”,
the “grace of God”, and the “joy” that comes from living a
life of prosperity and abundance. We must be careful to listen to and
follow the “full council” of God's word rather than only
portions we like, lest we become as teachers with “itching
ears”. Certainly it is more enjoyable to taste the sweet
portions of the Bible, and many would rather know those doctrines
alone, however, the reality of sin, error and judgment to come may be
the very medicine that keeps us from being “ungodly” and
guards us from following “after” our “own lusts”
rather than following after God. May the Lord Jesus help us to desire
and follow the “full council” of His word.
Next
time Paul tells Timothy there will be people who will “turn
away their
ears from the truth”,
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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