I Timothy 2:1-15
Although the second paragraph in today’s reading (vv. 8-15) is mostly about women, I was struck by verse 8: I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling… I wondered what it was about Ephesus (Timothy’s church at that time) that made for anger and quarreling. You may recall from Acts 19 that Paul had spent 2-3 years preaching and teaching in Ephesus, so the church there should have had a good foundation. But Ephesus was also where a near-riot formed when Demetrius, the silversmith galvanized the people against Paul and his followers (also Acts 19). Or maybe Paul was just making a general comment about churches anywhere. I’m taken back to our own church in 2019 when we saw a number of our friends leave St. Andrew’s. Surely there was anger and quarreling back then – a really sad situation. There’s probably no getting around anger and quarreling in churches today, except for that the beginning of that same verse precedes the anger and quarreling: I desire then that in every place the men should pray…
See also: September 17 / I Timothy 2:1-7; September 18 / I Timothy 2:8-15
My Bible study had an interesting point about vv. 14-15. In v. 14, Paul says that the woman, clearly Eve, was deceived. Then in v. 15 SHE will be saved through childbearing, meaning Eve through the birth of Christ. Then Paul says, provided they, women plural, continue in faith and love with modesty. Women are not saved through childbearing, but through Jesus and their response to Him.