Run with the Horses

Run with Horses

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Run with the Horses

Text: Jeremiah 12:5

Text

5 “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?” (NIV)

Sermon Statement

God is with you, will give you strength and will not let you face problems more than you are able to overcome

Context

Translation[1]

Jeremiah:

18 The Lord made it known to me, and so I knew; then You showed me their evil deeds.

19 But I was like a gentle lamb led to slaughter; I had not known that they devised plots against me:

“Let us destroy the tree with its sap, and let us cut him off from the land of the living,

that his name be remembered no more.”

20 O Lord of Hosts, who judges righteously, who tries the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.

The Lord:

21Therefore thus said the Lord concerning the men of Anathoth, who seek your life, and say, “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord or you will die by our hand,” 22Therefore thus says the Lord of Hosts, “Behold, I will punish them; the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine; 23 and none of them shall be left, for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, the year of their punishment.”

Jeremiah:

12:1 Righteous are you, O Lord, even when I contend with you, nevertheless I would present my case to you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive? 2 You plant them and they take root; they grow and bring forth fruit; You are near in their mouth but far from their heart.

3 But you, O Lord, have known me; you see me; and you try my heart toward you. Pull them out like sheep for slaughter; and set them apart for the day of slaughter. 4 How long will the land mourn? And the grass and every field wither? Because of those who dwell in it, the beasts and birds are swept away. Because they said, “He will not see our latter end.”

The Lord:

5 “If you have raced on foot and they have wearied you, How will you compete with horses? And if you trust in a safe land, How will you do in the jungle of Jordan?

6 For even your brothers and the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you. They are in full cry after you; do not believe them, even though they speak good words to you.”

Introduction

Jeremiah’s Times

686 Manasseh becomes sole king

648 Josiah born

642 Amon succeeds Manasseh as king

640 Josiah becomes king

633 Josiah at 16 seeks after God

628 Josiah at 20 begins reforms

627 Jeremiah at 20 called as prophet

621 Mosaic Law found in the temple

612 Nineveh destroyed as Nahum prophesied

609 Josiah slain in battle at Megiddo; Jehoiakim becomes king

605 Babylon defeats Egypt at Carchemish;

Daniel, others taken hostage to Babylon;

Nebuchadnezzar becomes king of Babylon

604 Nebuchadnezzar receives tribute in Palestine

601 Nebuchadnezzar defeated near Egypt

598 Jehoiakim set aside; Jehoiachin rules from December 9 to March 16, 597 and is deported April 22 to Babylon

597 Zedekiah becomes king in Judah

588 Babylon lays sedge to Jerusalem on January 15

587 Jeremiah imprisoned (Jer. 32:1–2)

586 Zedekiah flees July 18; destruction of city begins August 14; Gedaliah killed and Jews migrate to Egypt against God’s command October

Today passage involves Jeremiah’s fourth message focused on Judah’s broken covenant with her God. Though the message itself is undated, several markers help date the passage to 621 BC., six years after Jeremiah began his ministry around the time of King Josiah death by Pharoah Neco. Prior to that the temple was being repaired as part of King Josiah’s reforms, and a copy of the Law was discovered in the renovation (2 Chron. 34:14-33). Several of Jeremiah’s references seem to allude to this discovery of God’s Law and the realization of the broken covenant. Jeremiah called on the people to heed the words of the covenant that Josiah read to them (11:6; 2 Chron. 34:19-32). The specific portion of the covenant God mentioned was the terms that regarded obedience and disobedience to His Law (cf. Deut. 28).

Though King Josiah forced an outer conformity to the covenant, his reform did not penetrate the hearts of the people in a lasting way. Thus, under Josiah, the ancient feasts and worship were reinstituted. Thus too Habakkuk, the troubled Levite whose thoughts are recorded in the book that bears his name, came to Jerusalem and took a leading role in the revival of public worship. But Habakkuk was a worried, deeply concerned man. In spite of the outward signs of revival under Josiah, Habakkuk sensed the deep-seated evil which still revealed itself on the hills of Judah and in the injustices which marred his society. There were even rumours of royal child sacrifice to Chemosh.

After Josiah died the people returned to their idolatrous ways. Among the people was a conspiracy to abandon the covenant. Instead of heeding the warning of Jeremiah they returned to the sins of their ancestors to serve false gods. The people responded to Jeremiah’s rebuke by trying to kill him. This is the first episode in their continuing opposition to his ministry.

Challenges			People	Lessons for us
(a) The plot on Jeremiah’s life (11:18-20) (b) The refusal of the people to listen to Jeremiah and repent (11:21-23) and “Why does the wicked prospers?” (12:1-4) (c) Idolatry	“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out,	If you stumble in safe country,	(a) Jeremiah’s family and the men of Anathoth (b) The nation of Judah and the nation of Judah and the surrounding nations (c) Spiritual warfare
(a) more suffering for Jeremiah as he continue to prophecies (b) God’s judgment on Judah (12:7-13) and God’s judgment on the surrounding nations (12:14-17) (c) Idolatry	how can you compete with horses?	how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?	(a) Jeremiah’s family and the men of Anathoth, the royal household, the nation of Judah (12:6) (b) The nation of Judah and Chaldeans, Arameans, Moabites, Ammonites, Babylonians (c) Satan

“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out,

how can you compete with horses?

If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?

Jeremiah was tired and burnt out. Ministry during the peaceful reign of King Josiah and the state support of religion has worn him out. He is not seeing fruits in his ministry. People are not repenting but making a great show of religiosity.

Jeremiah is worn out by contenting or racing with men and stumbling in a safe country.

He is tired and he started complaining to God.

What is God’s response?

“Poor Jeremiah, working so hard, you need a break.”

“Don’t worry, things will be easier than now on.”

“It’s okay, just do your job.”

Actually God said,

“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out,

how can you compete with horses?

If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?” (Jer.12:5)

“Jeremiah, you think what you have suffered is bad, wait till you experience what will be coming for you!”

What is next is that you will be racing with horses and walking through the thickets of Jordan.

Future challenges for Jeremiah

(1) conflicts with false prophets

(2) into the stocks by priest Pashhur

(3) threat of death (cistern) and imprisonment by King Zedekiah’s officials

(4) taken to Egypt

(5) acting out prophetic parables

i. buying and burying a linen belt – how God wishes to ruin Judah’s pride

ii. buying a jar of clay and smashing it – how God will smash Judah

iii. make and wear a yoke of wood – Babylonians will enslave Judah

Is God being nasty to Jeremiah?

Reverend Doctor George Campbell Morgan D.D. (9 December 1863 – 16 May 1945) was an evangelist, preacher and a leading Bible scholar. Morgan was the pastor of Westminster Chapel in London from 1904 to 1919, and from 1933 to 1943. His preaching and weekly Friday night Bible classes were attended by thousands. Known as prince of expositors, Preaching Magazine ranked him among the ten greatest preachers of the 20th century. His paramount contribution to the Christian faith lay in teaching the Bible and showing people how to study it for themselves. Superbly gifted, he dedicated his insight and eloquence to a single objective: communicating God's truth with scholarly integrity, rhetorical lucidity, and arresting relevance. Morgan published over 60 books and booklets, many of which are still available today.

G. Campbell Morgan notes,

“God never calls a man to content with horses until He has practiced him with footmen; that God has never yet send a man into the wilds of Jordan until He has trained him in the land of peace. It is a great principle, always obtaining in God’s method with His servants, and in all His dealings with His people” (G. Campbell Morgan, Studies in the Prophecy of Jeremiah, 1994, Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company, 91).

Lessons for us

1. God has helped we in our struggle with our problems in the past and is helping us in the present

“God is with you, will give you strength and will not let you face problems more than you are able to overcome”

At the beginning of his ministry, God has promised to make Jeremiah a fortress, an iron pillar and a wall of bronze. Jer. 1:18, 19

18 Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.

Morgan proclaims,

“Victories won where they seem impossible, are assurances that they will be won where they seem impossible” (G. Campbell Morgan, Studies in the Prophecy of Jeremiah, 1994, Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company, 93).

“The one thing no man can take away from us is our victory of yesterday, and its prophecy of victory tomorrow” (G. Campbell Morgan, Studies in the Prophecy of Jeremiah, 1994, Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company, 93).

2. God is sovereign (God has his own timing ) (12:7-17)

“Can God suffers?”

“Can God feels pain?”

The divine lament portrays God as also suffering because of evil, evil from the hand of his own people. This passage gives us a rare glimpse into the consternation and anguish that evil causes God. The anguish is especially acute for him when his own people are responsible for it. In these verses the Lord expresses both love and hate for his people, emotions we usually consider mutually exclusive, at least for God. When the Lord opened himself up to his people in love, he also opened himself to the possibility of hurt.

These verses present an image of God as passionately involved with his world and his people. It is amazing to think that evil can cause God the same anguish that it causes man. Passages such as this forever discredit the image of God as dispassionate and removed from his world.

God would forsake and abandon Judah and turn her over to her enemies. By describing the nation as His house, His inheritance, and the one He loved, God was indicating that the judgment was not coming from the hardened heart of a capricious king. Though He wanted to do just the opposite, God was forced to judge because of the people’s sin. The nation had become like a lion who had raised her voice (roars) in opposition to Him.

3. God is with us

We are involved in spiritual warfare. One of the most powerful weapons the Enemy has against us is discouragement and despair. It is his WMD (weapon of mass discouragement). Paul writes to the Ephesians,

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

(Eph. 6:12-18)

4. God will help us in our struggle with our problems in the future

“God is with you, will give you strength and will not let you face problems more than you are able to overcome”

5. God’s judgment is just

A note about the destruction of the men of Anathoth: The account of the return from exile recorded in Ezra-Nehemiah states that 128 men of Anathoth returned with the exiles (Ezra 2:23; Neh 7:27), so the destruction was not complete[2]

Issues			People	Lessons for us
(a) The plot on Jeremiah’s life (11:18-20) (b) The refusal of the people to listen to Jeremiah and repent (11:21-23) and “Why does the wicked prospers?” (12:1-4) (c) Idolatry	“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out,	If you stumble in safe country,	(a) Jeremiah’s family and the men of Anathoth (b) The nation of Judah and the surrounding nations (c) Spiritual warfare	(a) God has helped we in our struggle with our problems in the past and is helping us in the present (b) God is sovereign (God has his own timing) (c) God is with us
(a) more sufferings for Jeremiah as he continue to prophecies (b) God’s judgment on Judah (12:7-13) and God’s judgment on the surrounding nations (12:14-17)	how can you compete with horses?	how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?	(a) Jeremiah’s family and the men of Anathoth, the royal household, the nation of Judah (12:6) (b) The nation of Judah and Chaldeans, Arameans, Moabites, Ammonites, Babylonians	(d)God will help us in our struggle with our problems in the future (e)God’s judgment is just

Conclusion

“God is with you, will give you strength and will not let you face problems more than you are able to overcome”

If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses?

Morgan:

“In my contending with horses, I shall also and again be weary; but I shall win, for I have already won by Thy strength in running with footmen” (G. Campbell Morgan, Studies in the Prophecy of Jeremiah, 1994, Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company, 93).

If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?

Morgan:

“that He is God, though in the wilds I shall oftentimes be assaulted by fear, yet I shall win, as I have won in the land of peace” (G. Campbell Morgan, Studies in the Prophecy of Jeremiah, 1994, Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company, 93).

Soli Deo Gloria

---

[1] Craigie, P. C. (2002). Vol. 26: Word Biblical Commentary : Jeremiah 1-25. Word Biblical Commentary (174). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

[2] Craigie, P. C. (2002). Vol. 26: Word Biblical Commentary : Jeremiah 1-25. Word Biblical Commentary (179). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.

The Lamentations of Jeremiah

Knowing the God of Lamentation's Jeremiah

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The Lamentations of Jeremiah and the God of Jeremiah

Lamentations 3:21-25

Sermon Statement

Justice and love comes together in our Holy God in perfect balance. The unfailing love of God goes beyond judgment to new life because He is a God of hope, love, faithfulness and salvation

Text:

LA 3:21 Yet this I call to mind

and therefore I have hope:

LA 3:22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

LA 3:23 They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

LA 3:24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;

therefore I will wait for him."

LA 3:25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,

to the one who seeks him;

Introduction
I visited Rijksmuseum Amsterdam - Museum for Art and History in 2006, the 400 anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth. The museum has a special exhibit of many of Rembrandt’s paintings. I remember enjoying examining the paintings. It was a bittery cold day in Amsterdam but the museum was nice and warm. The painting that haunts was one about the prophet Jeemiah.

The Prophet Jeremiah Mourning over the Destruction of Jerusalem by Rembrandt van Rijn was completed in 1630, the same year he completed his oil on panel Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver, as well as Samson Betrayed by Delilah, Self-portrait with Wide-open Eyes and The Raising of Lazarus.

That year Rembrandt's father died. “The Prophet Jeremiah Mourning over the Destruction of Jerusalem” is among the early works of Rembrandt in which his leitmotif of conceptual structure was a single or totally dominant figure
that is totally bound up in the course of an historical event. Rembrandt masterfully turns an individual person, their expressions and posture, into a history painting. Seated at the base of a large column, Jeremiah mourns the destruction of Jerusalem. It was an event he had prophesied. The light falls almost exclusively on the old man and his immediate surroundings. His bushy beard, wrinkled forehead and fur-lined cloak are depicted with great precision.

Jeremiah's pose, his head supported by his hand, is a traditional attitude of melancholy: his elbow rests on a large book which is inscribed 'Bibel' on the edge of the pages, probably a much later addition to the painting. The book is presumably meant to be his own Book of Jeremiah or the Book of Lamentations. Rembrandt is a master of light in art. The lighting of the figure is particularly effective with the foreground and the right side of the prophet's face in shadow and his robe outlined against the rock. Jeremiah’s hands rested on a few pieces of gold and silver vessels which he must have managed to salvage from the burning temple.

Away from the light, on the left in the background, was the fall of Jerusalem. The Babylonian troops of King Nebuchadnezzar II are marching into the city and putting it to the torch. These events occurred in the year 586 BC. Zedekiah, King of Judah, is standing outside the city, his head in his hands. Nebuchadnezzar ordered his eyes to be gouged out.


Background
Traditions have it that the prophet Jeremiah wrote the Book of Jeremiah and Lamentations. The central theme is the fall of Jerusalem to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 586 BC. Jerusalem fell because of God’s judgment on the Israelites who had turned away from God. The Israelites turned to idolatry and self-dependence.

Jeremiah ministered under seven rulers
• Josiah (Judah’s last Godly king)
• Jehoiakim (ungodly, scripture burning king)
• Jehoiachin (a ninety-day wonder judged by God)
• Zedekiah (Judah’s last king)
• Nebuchanezzar (Babylon conqueror)
• Gedaliah (Babylonian appointed governor of occupied Jerusalem)
• Johanan (successor of Gediah who was assassinated)

God’s judgment on the Israelites (Judeans) was because of
• Ungodly kings
• False prophets, priests and wise men
• Idolatry of the people (return to worship of Baal)
• Refusal to listen to God

The book of Lamentations is written during the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 586 BC. Jeremiah was never exiled to Babylon so it shows the agony of the people left behind after the military devastation. The horrors of the conquest include
• Wholesale devastation and slaughter of kings (2:6,9: 4:20), princes (1:6; 2:2,9; 4:7-8; 5:12), elders (1:19; 2:10; 4:16), priests (1:4,19; 2:6, 20; 4:20), prophets (2:9, 20) and people (2:10-12; 3:48; 4:6)
• Starving mothers are reduced to cannibalism (2:20; 4:1)
• Judah’s people are dragged into exile (1:3, 18)
• Elaborate ceremony and worship rituals came to an end (1:4, 10)

The book of Lamentation has a chiastic structure. The chiastic structure shows the main theme of the book. Though the book is mainly about God’s anger and judgement, it also reveals some important attributes of God.


The chiasm structure of Lamentations

Right in the middle of the book, amongst all the desolation and judgements is this few wonderful passages – Lam. 3: 21-25. Jeremiah reminds us that
LA 3:21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

LA 3:22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

LA 3:23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

LA 3:24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

LA 3:25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;




Attributes of God
1. God of hope (3:21, 24-25)
2. God of love (3:22)
3. God of faithfulness (3:23)
4. God of salvation (3: 22-23)

God of hope (3:21)
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

Action words
• call to mind (remember)
• hope

God of love (3:22)
LA 3:22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

Action words
• great love
• not consumed
• never fail


God of faithfulness (3:23)
LA 3:23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Action words
• new every morning
• faithfulness
A new start. Every morning is a new beginning after a night of darkness.

God of salvation (3: 24-25)
I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;

Action words
• wait
• hope
• seeks
Seeks for God as David did in Psalm 16
Psalm 16

A miktam of David.

PS 16:1 Keep me safe, O God,
for in you I take refuge.

PS 16:2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing."

PS 16:3 As for the saints who are in the land,
they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight.

PS 16:4 The sorrows of those will increase
who run after other gods.
I will not pour out their libations of blood
or take up their names on my lips.

PS 16:5 LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.

PS 16:6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.

PS 16:7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.

PS 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

PS 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,

PS 16:10 because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

PS 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Our response
In difficult and adverse times, we have to remember as Jeremiah did that God is a
• God of hope (3:21, 24-25)
• God of love (3:22)
• God of faithfulness (3:23)
• God of salvation (3: 22-23)


I have written my response to Rembrandt painting in my blog post here:
“The painting has a powerful effect on me. As I gaze on Jeremiah’s face and hands, I felt the pain and disappointment of a man who served God but met with much opposition and ridicule. No one listened to him. Everyone did what seemed right in their own eyes. Jeremiah had talked and scolded and cajoled but it all fell on deaf ears. And because of this, he had to watch as his beloved country was sacked, Jerusalem burnt and the temple destroyed. He had failed as a prophet of the Lord to convince his people. Though the fault was not his, the guilt must have weighted heavily on his mind. The guilt and the pain of a prophet as revealed in this painting.

The painting also spoke to me of the many parents who had to watch their children go astray. They have tried their best to teach them right from wrong. However, that is no guarantee that the children will follow and make correct informed decisions. I am sure the pain in the hearts of these parents resonates with the lamentation in Jeremiah’s heart. The guilt and pain of these parents as reflected in this painting.

The painting also revealed to me the heart of God. How the heart of God must have been broken by the people He loved. He loved so much that He was willing to send His only Son to die for them. These people were so fickle minded and ungrateful. He had given opportunity after opportunity to return to Him yet they continued to spurn Him. They have chosen to chase after other gods who promised immediate gratification. The same pain and sorrow in His heart as reflected by Jeremiah and the newly blinded Zedekiah. The pain of the broken heart of God as ingrained in this painting.

Often, we take for granted, God’s love for us. Looking at Rembrandt’s painting is a graphic reminder of the danger of taking His love and God, Himself for granted.”

Soli Deo Gloria

Growing Sincere Faith

A Grandmother, a Mother and a Son: Growing Sincere Faith

A grandmother, a mother and a son

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Text: 2 Timothy 1:5

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also (NIV).

Sermon statement

Timothy’s sincere faith was nurtured and developed by his grandmother, Lois and mother Eunice. The matrix of faith formation is by teaching about the faith, living out the faith, and growing one’s own faith.

Introduction

While it is right to celebrate Mother’s Day because mothers everywhere and of every generation from the time of Eve is to be recognized and appreciated. However, I believe it is too narrow to limit it to only biological mothers. How about thousands of women who are married but do not children, aunties, grandmothers, godmothers, babysitters and guardians of children who are not biological mothers but look after children? Don’t they deserve recognition even though they are not biological mother? I wish to make a case for Motherhood Day instead of Mother’s Day. Happy Motherhood Day!

I thought it fitting, on this Motherhood's Day, that we remember two mothers: Lois, who was grandmother of Timothy, and Eunice, Timothy's mother. In particular, I want to honor the heritage given Timothy because a mother and a grandmother loved him enough to give him their most precious possession: the gift of sincere faith. This faith, according to Paul was first in Timothy’s grandmother Lois, then in his mother, Eunice, and is now to be found in Timothy himself.

2 Timothy was probably written during Paul’s second Roman imprisonment. Here the old apostle is waiting for his execution and longs of the company of Timothy. In this letter he would ask Timothy to join him in Rome (cf. 4:9, 21). Paul had longed for Timothy’s companionship which was such a joy to him. Even the great apostle at times became lonely, discouraged, and in need of support from fellow Christians. In his long ministry, Paul has experienced the betrayal of many friends and colleagues. He remembers fondly of Timothy’s sincere (anypokritou, “unhypocritical”) faith which he attributes to the influence of Lois and Eunice. References to Timothy as Paul’s son in the faith (cf. 1:2; 2:1; 1 Tim. 1:2) could therefore probably be understood to mean a mentor-protégé relationship.

Lois and Eunice were first mentioned in Acts 16:1. We know Timothy's real father was a Greek and his mother a Jewish Christian. Timothy’s father was a Gentile and probably an unbeliever; hence no mention of him is made here.

Eunice, Timothy’s mother was a woman of notable faith (2 Tim. 1:5). She was Jewish (Acts 16:1) and pious, for Timothy’s biblical instruction had begun early (2 Tim. 3:15), but her husband was a Gentile and her son uncircumcised (Acts 16:3). In view of Jewish intermarriage with leading Phrygian families such things may represent her family’s social climbing, not personal declension. Some Latin mss and Origen on Rom. 16:21, call her a widow, and hypērchen in Acts 16:3 might support this. She lived at Derbe or Lystra (linguistically a case can be made for either). Her name is Greek, and does not seem common. It is sometimes suggested that Paul refers to Jewish faith, but the most natural interpretation of 2 Tim. 1:5 (and of Acts 16:1) is that Christian faith ‘dwelt’ (aorist, perhaps alluding to the event of conversion, doubtless in Paul’s first missionary journey) ‘first’ in Lois and herself (i.e. antecedent to Timothy’s conversion).^[1]

Lois, Timothy’s grandmother is presumably the mother of Eunice (2 Tim. 1:5). Paul doubtless alludes to her Christian faith: had she been simply a godly Jewess, her devotion is less likely to have been known to him.

(1) Teaching about the Faith

How powerful is the teaching of scripture in the lives of our children and grandchildren? Note again what Paul said to Timothy:

"Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:12-15).

How important to the lives of our children and grandchildren is the learning of scripture? This cannot be emphasized enough. But what is more important, as the apostle Paul stated next is the foundation of our teaching.

"All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16).

How then do we teach our children scripture?

• Age appropriate teaching
• Read the Bible together
• Discuss the sermon
• Relate it to their everyday life
• Memorise the Scripture

(2) Living Out the Faith

One day four ministers stood talking and, as so often happens, the conversation soon drifted to shop talk. "I prefer the King James Version of Scripture," said one, "for its eloquent use of the English language." A second minister gave forth that no Bible could match the New American Standard for its faithfulness to the original Greek and Hebrew text. "That may well be," said the third, "but I prefer the New International Version for its contemporary language and easy readability." There was a thoughtful period of silence, and then the fourth minister said, "I like my mother's translation best." It was with some surprise that the others said: "We didn't know that your mother had translated the Bible." "Yes, she did," he replied. "She translated it into her daily life, and it was through her translation that I came to faith."

We are the walking Bible. Our children cannot see Jesus but they see us. We are the demonstration of the faith to our children. Timothy must have been building up his faith by watching how his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice lived. How they interact with each other.

Deut. 6: 6-9

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

(3) Nurturing the Faith

Paul mentions Timothy as co-sender of six of his letters. He also spoke highly of Timothy in his letter to the Philippians. So confident was Paul of Timothy's faith that, in his first letter to Timothy, he called Timothy "my true son in the faith." Timothy became for Paul what Barnabas could not be -- the inheritor of Paul's mission. In Paul's final letter to Timothy, written near the end of his life, he speaks without reserve, calling Timothy "my beloved child," for Timothy was truly part of Paul's lineage, wealth and crown.

In essence Paul said: "Timothy, I know your grandmother, and her faith is authentic. It is the same faith I have observed in your mother, and after having watched you all this time I am convinced of your faith also." To describe that faith, Paul used a word which means literally, "without hypocrisy." (quote from Wood, D. R. W. (1996, c1982, c1962). New Bible Dictionary (p. 694). InterVarsity Press).

Timothy was a native of Lystra (Acts 16:1) and was highly esteemed by his Christian brethren both there and in Iconium (Acts 16:2). When he became a Christian is not specifically stated, but it is a reasonable inference that he was a convert of Paul’s first missionary journey, which included Lystra in its itinerary, and that on that occasion he witnessed Paul’s sufferings (2 Tim. 3:11). It is not certain when Timothy’s mother Eunice became a Christian, perhaps before Timothy, but certainly before Paul’s second missionary journey.

• He was first entrusted with a special commission to Thessalonica to encourage the persecuted Christians. He is associated with Paul and Silvanus in the greetings of both Epistles directed to that church
• was present with Paul during his preaching work at Corinth (2 Cor. 1:19)
• is next heard of during the apostle’s Ephesian ministry, when he was sent with Erastus on another important mission to Macedonia
• whence he was to proceed to Corinth (1 Cor. 4:17). The young man was evidently of a timid disposition, for Paul urges the Corinthians to set him at ease and not to despise him (1 Cor. 16:10–11; cf. 4:17ff.). From the situation which resulted in Corinth (see 2 Cor.) Timothy’s mission was not successful, and it is significant that, although his name was associated with Paul’s in the greeting to this Epistle, it is Titus and not Timothy who has become the apostolic delegate
• accompanied Paul on his next visit to Corinth, for he was with him as a fellow-worker when the Epistle to the Romans was written (Rom. 16:21)
• went with Paul on the journey to Jerusalem with the collection (Acts 20:4–5)
• when Paul, then a prisoner, wrote Colossians, Philemon and Philippians. In the latter Epistle he is warmly commended and Paul intends soon to send him to them in order to ascertain their welfare
• When the apostle was released from his imprisonment and engaged in further activity in the E, as the Pastoral Epistles indicate, it would seem that Paul left Timothy at Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:3) and commissioned him to deal with false teachers and supervise public worship and the appointment of church officials.

The question that is important to us is how did Timothy develop this sincere faith that is Paul trust so much? We knew that Timothy received teaching and lived in a household of faith. So how did he develop his own faith?

Many of us who grew up in a household of faith may be living the faith of our parents instead of our own faith. While our parents’ faith is good enough for us when we are children, it will no be enough for us when we are adults.

"Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it (We tend to believe the values our parents give us, don't we?), and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:12-15).

We all have to move from the “faith our parents have in Christ Jesus” to “faith in Christ Jesus.” How do we do that? Against Paul has provided the answer.

"All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16).

We are taught the scripture, we live the scripture and the scripture forms us.

The Holy Spirit is given to us to help his develop sincere faith. This sincere faith is based upon the scripture. The Holy Spirit uses the scripture to help us develop our own faith in Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

Timothy’s sincere faith was nurtured and developed by his grandmother, Lois and mother Eunice. The matrix of faith formation is by teaching about the faith, living out the faith, and growing one’s own faith.

Soli Deo Gloria

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^[1]Wood, D. R. W. (1996, c1982, c1962). New Bible Dictionary (346). InterVarsity Press.