Thursday, August 31, 2017

Proverbs 31 NLT

1 The sayings of King Lemuel contain this message, which his mother taught him. 
2 O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, 
3 do not waste your strength on women, on those who ruin kings. 
4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, to guzzle wine. Rulers should not crave alcohol. 
5 For if they drink, they may forget the law and not give justice to the oppressed. 
6 Alcohol is for the dying, and wine for those in bitter distress. 
7 Let them drink to forget their poverty and remember their troubles no more. 
8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. 
9 Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. 
10 Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. 
11 Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. 
12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. 
13 She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. 
14 She is like a merchant’s ship, bringing her food from afar. 
15 She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls. 
16 She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. 
17 She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. 
18 She makes sure her dealings are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night. 
19 Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fiber. 
20 She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy. 
21 She has no fear of winter for her household, for everyone has warm clothes. 
22 She makes her own bedspreads. She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns. 
23Her husband is well known at the city gates, where he sits with the other civic leaders. 
24 She makes belted linen garments and sashes to sell to the merchants. 
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.
26 When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. 
27 She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness.
28 Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her:
29 “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” 
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised. 

31 Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.
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1 Timothy 1 NLT

Outline

  • Greetings (1:1-2)
  • Warning against False Teachers (1:3-11)
    • The Nature of the Heresy (1:3-7)
    • The Purpose of the Law (1:8-11)
  • The Lord's Grace to Paul (1:12-17)
  • The Purpose of Paul's Instructions to Timothy (1:18-20)
  • Instructions concerning Church Administration (chs. 2-3)
    • Public Worship (ch. 2)
      • Prayer in public worship (2:1-8)
      • Women in public worship (2:9-15)
    • Qualifications for Church Officers (3:1-13)
    • Purpose of These Instructions (3:14-16)
  • Instructions concerning False Teaching (ch. 4)
    • False Teaching Described (4:1-5)
    • Methods of Dealing with It Explained (4:6-16)
  • Instructions concerning Different Groups in the Church (5:1;6:2)
  • Miscellaneous Matters (6:3-19)
  • Concluding Appeal and Benediction (6:20-21)



1 Timothy 1 NLT
1 This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus, who gives us hope. 
2 I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace. 
3 When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth. 
4 Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don’t help people live a life of faith in God. 
5 The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. 
6 But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions. 
7 They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently. 
8 We know that the law is good when used correctly. 
9 For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. 
10 The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching 
11 that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God. 
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him,
13 even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. 
14 Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. 
15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 
16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 
17All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen. 
18 Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles. 
19 Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. 

20 Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God.
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Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Proverbs 30 NLT

1 The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh contain this message. I am weary, O God; I am weary and worn out, O God. 
2 I am too stupid to be human, and I lack common sense. 
3 I have not mastered human wisdom, nor do I know the Holy One. 
4Who but God goes up to heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fists? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name—and his son’s name? Tell me if you know! 
5 Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. 
6 Do not add to his words, or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar. 
7 O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. 
8 First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. 
9 For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the LORD ?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name. 
10 Never slander a worker to the employer, or the person will curse you, and you will pay for it. 
11 Some people curse their father and do not thank their mother. 
12 They are pure in their own eyes, but they are filthy and unwashed. 
13 They look proudly around, casting disdainful glances. 
14 They have teeth like swords and fangs like knives. They devour the poor from the earth and the needy from among humanity. 
15 The leech has two suckers that cry out, “More, more!” There are three things that are never satisfied— no, four that never say, “Enough!”: 
16 the grave, the barren womb, the thirsty desert, the blazing fire. 
17The eye that mocks a father and despises a mother’s instructions will be plucked out by ravens of the valley and eaten by vultures. 
18 There are three things that amaze me— no, four things that I don’t understand: 
19 how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman. 
20 An adulterous woman consumes a man, then wipes her mouth and says, “What’s wrong with that?” 
21 There are three things that make the earth tremble— no, four it cannot endure: 
22 a slave who becomes a king, an overbearing fool who prospers, 
23 a bitter woman who finally gets a husband, a servant girl who supplants her mistress. 
24 There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise: 
25 Ants—they aren’t strong, but they store up food all summer. 
26 Hyraxes —they aren’t powerful, but they make their homes among the rocks. 
27Locusts—they have no king, but they march in formation. 
28Lizards—they are easy to catch, but they are found even in kings’ palaces. 
29 There are three things that walk with stately stride— no, four that strut about: 
30 the lion, king of animals, who won’t turn aside for anything, 
31 the strutting rooster, the male goat, a king as he leads his army. 
32 If you have been a fool by being proud or plotting evil, cover your mouth in shame.

33 As the beating of cream yields butter and striking the nose causes bleeding, so stirring up anger causes quarrels.
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Summary of the Book of 1 Timothy

Summary of the Book of 1 Timothy

This summary of the book of 1 Timothy provides information about the title, author(s), date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the Book of 1 Timothy.

Author

Both early tradition and the salutations of the Pastoral Letters (1,2 Timothy; Titus) themselves claim Paul as their author (1:1; 2Ti 1:1; Tit 1:1). Some objections have been raised in recent years on the basis of an alleged uncharacteristic vocabulary and style (see, e.g., notes on 1:15; 2:2), but other evidence still convincingly supports Paul's authorship. See essay, p. 2481.

Background and Purpose

During his fourth missionary journey (see map, pp. 2486-2487), Paul had instructed Timothy to care for the church at Ephesus (1:3) while he went on to Macedonia. When he realized that he might not return to Ephesus in the near future (3:14-15), he wrote this first letter to Timothy to develop the charge he had given his young assistant (1:3, 18), to refute false teachings (1:3-7; 4:1-8; 6:3-5,20-21) and to supervise the affairs of the growing Ephesian church (church worship, ch. 2; the appointment of qualified church leaders, 3:1-13; 5:17-25).
A major problem in the Ephesian church was a heresy that combined Gnosticism (see Introduction to 1 John: Gnosticism), decadent Judaism (1:3-7) and false asceticism (4:1-5).

Date

1 Timothy was written sometime after the events of Ac 28 (c. 63-65), at least eight years after Paul's three-year stay in Ephesus (see Ac 19:10 and note).
Recipient
As the salutation indicates (1:2), Paul is writing to Timothy, a native of Lystra (in modern Turkey). Timothy's father was Greek, while his mother was a Jewish Christian (Ac 16:1). From childhood he had been taught the OT (2Ti 1:5; 3:15). Paul called him "my true son in the faith" (1:2; see note there), perhaps having led him to faith in Christ during his first visit to Lystra. At the time of his second visit Paul invited Timothy to join him on his missionary travels, circumcising him so that his Greek ancestry would not be a liability in working with the Jews (Ac 16:3). Timothy helped Paul evangelize Macedonia and Achaia (Ac 17:14-15; 18:5) and was with him during much of his long preaching ministry at Ephesus (Ac 19:22). He traveled with him from Ephesus to Macedonia, to Corinth (see Ac 20:3 and note), back to Macedonia, and to Asia Minor (Ac 20:1-6). He may even have accompanied him all the way to Jerusalem. He was with Paul during the apostle's first imprisonment (Php 1:1; Col 1:1; Phm 1).
Following Paul's release (after Ac 28), Timothy again traveled with him but eventually stayed at Ephesus to deal with the problems there, while Paul went on to Macedonia. Paul's closeness to and admiration of Timothy are seen in Paul's naming him as the co-sender of six of his letters (2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1,2 Thessalonians and Philemon) and in his speaking highly of him to the Philippians (Php 2:19-22). At the end of Paul's life he requested Timothy to join him at Rome (2Ti 4:9,21). According to Heb 13:23, Timothy himself was imprisoned and subsequently released -- whether at Rome or elsewhere, we do not know.
Timothy was not an apostle. It may be best to regard him as an apostolic representative, delegated to carry out special work (cf. Tit 1:5).

Outline


  • Greetings (1:1-2)
  • Warning against False Teachers (1:3-11)
    • The Nature of the Heresy (1:3-7)
    • The Purpose of the Law (1:8-11)
  • The Lord's Grace to Paul (1:12-17)
  • The Purpose of Paul's Instructions to Timothy (1:18-20)
  • Instructions concerning Church Administration (chs. 2-3)
    • Public Worship (ch. 2)
      • Prayer in public worship (2:1-8)
      • Women in public worship (2:9-15)
    • Qualifications for Church Officers (3:1-13)
    • Purpose of These Instructions (3:14-16)
  • Instructions concerning False Teaching (ch. 4)
    • False Teaching Described (4:1-5)
    • Methods of Dealing with It Explained (4:6-16)
  • Instructions concerning Different Groups in the Church (5:1;6:2)
  • Miscellaneous Matters (6:3-19)
  • Concluding Appeal and Benediction (6:20-21)
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