A Torah Verse By Verse Commentary Of Paul's Epistles by Re'tzon Ha'El - HTML preview

Chapter 2

V1 Bearing in mind that the original epistle would not have had chapter breaks, Paul carries on with his train of thought from chapter one, of exhortation to Timothy to not be fearful of persecution during the trying times that they were in, but to be strong as exemplified by Onesiphorus in the grace of Yeshua. This fits perfectly with Phil 4:13; 2 Cor 12:9-10 The grace of Elohim in us through His Son, works in us to will and to do what is necessary to survive even in testing times.

V2 This is further reinforcement of the words expressed in 1:13. Paul’s ministry had been witnessed by multitudes of Gentiles and Israelites from all walks of life. Timothy was to present this to equally faithful Christians, who walked in love and not in fear i.e. those who would not forsake the gospel. This was to encourage the dissemination and passing down of the gospel of truth to others by them, as much as Lois had done for Eunice, and Eunice for Timothy.

V3 Timothy was to be battle ready as his Saviour cf Heb 12:2-3. The crown of life awaits such overcomers cf Jm 1:12. The war would be spiritual cf 2 Cor 10:3-5.

V4 We should not be like the seed sown among thorns Mk 4:7,18,19. The Christian walk requires one to turn a blind eye on the secular world and focus wholeheartedly on the spiritual battle at hand. Being entangled in the affairs of the world carries the risk of not only forsaking the walk, but actually declining to an even lower state than before cf 2 Pet 2:20.

V5 Atheo translated masteries is Greek for contending in public games, such as the Olympics. One can only win the crown/prize if they contest legitimately. If an earthly contender trains diligently and focuses intensely over a fleeting earthly crown that perishes, how much more should we intensely engage in spiritual warfare if we are to attain an imperishable heavenly crown cf 1 Cor 9:24-27. In the spiritual realm we are to not only know but also follow the spiritual laws of warfare if we are to be victorious e.g. Matt 18:18; Jn 14:12-15

V6 Georgos translated husbandman is Greek for a farmer or vine dresser. Kopiao translated laboureth is Greek for ‘to labour with wearisome effort’. Our Christian battle is not a walk in the park, but demands that we fight each battle tirelessly until victory is achieved cf Heb 10:36.

V7 All understanding comes from YHVH. It is essential to seek understanding as Solomon did, if we are to be wise in strategizing our battles against the enemy cf 1 Ki 3:9; Jm 1:5; 1 Jn 5:20.

V8 By saying ‘my gospel’ Paul is not claiming that the gospel ushered from him, but rather that the gospel which was entrusted in him by Yeshua, who lives in him, was by default his. We as Christians who spread the true gospel, free from guile, may also refer to the gospel as ours, provided Yeshua’s Spirit in us is the only source of our guidance in preaching it. In these times of difficulty, Paul was encouraging Timothy to not even fear the prospect of death, as Yeshua was also a man, of the seed of David, yet was resurrected from the dead, having conquered Satan in spiritual warfare. Yeshua’s humanity is expressed here to encourage the downtrodden. This, we should always bear in mind as we engage in what may seem at times to be a losing battle, especially when other fellow Christians desert us in our greatest hour of need.

V9-10 The days are coming and have already come for others, where Christianity shall be considered a criminal offence. The saints as of times past, shall be shackled and cast into prison for their faith. However, we are to always remember that our bodies may be bound, but our souls shall never be imprisoned by the emissaries of Satan, provided we endure until the end. It is impossible to shackle the word of Elohim. Paul having been the chief suppressor of the saints, was now most suppressed. He was prepared to die for the promotion of the gospel, despite having partaken in the death of former saints in his previous life of spiritual blindness. Even in prison, Paul never let an opportunity slip to preach the gospel Eph 6:19-20; Acts 28:23.

V11-12 Timothy was further encouraged to endure even unto death as Paul’s gospel in Yeshua faithfully upheld the belief in the resurrection of the saints unto eternal life, becoming co-regents with Messiah. If the Spirit of Messiah is in us, then surely if Messiah was raised from the dead, we too shall follow suit, as logic would infer cf Rom 6:5,8; Col 3:1-4; Rev 3:21. Facing persecution is a litmus test for Christians which determines our eternal fate. Denying Yeshua in such circumstances carries an irrevocably dire consequence: loss of salvation. 

V13 This is a truly stern warning against those who throw in the towel when faced with affliction, because Messiah cannot deny and go against his words stated in Matt 10:33-40. The sad reality of life is that Satan and his host of spiritual wickedness, have, do and shall in their persecution bring our loved ones into the fray. We may have to choose between them or Messiah. If one’s wife or child or mother for instance were to be threatened with execution, and their only source of release were to be our denial of Yeshua, would we be able to choose Messiah? As tough an option as this is, saints of old have managed to endure the death of their loved ones for Messiah’s sake. The Roman Catholic church purged millions of believers over the last 2 millennia, utilizing all manner of torture in their endeavours to break the resolve of the believers of Messiah. Those dark days are on the horizon, as this decadent wicked world increasingly ramps up their anti-Christian rhetoric.

V14 The ‘them’ being referred to are the elect mentioned in verse 10, to whom Paul had been giving admonition in verses 11 to 13. The elect was being exhorted not to ‘logamacheo me logamacheo’ which is translated ‘that they strive not about words’. A better translation would simply be that the elect desists from wrangling about empty and trifling matters. Such conduct would be completely superfluous, and even worse would be destructive to the recipients of such vain disputations. We are to use what little time we have wisely, and every word we utter shall be judged. If only mankind knew how important it is to watch every single word uttered and were to weigh them in the balance in determining whether the words would deny or permit them entry into the kingdom of heaven cf Tit 3:9-11; Eph 5:15-17; Matt 12:36-37.

V15 Spoudazo translated ‘study’ is Greek for giving diligence or endeavouring. We indeed should endeavour to present ourselves acceptable unto Elohim as this is our reasonable service. This entails following His laws and commandments and living a holy life cf Rom 12:1; Pro 3:1-7. True workmen/labourers of Yeshua, must never be ashamed to preach Torah truth, expounding it accurately without contradiction, rightly lined up with scripture. I pray that these commentaries have managed to stand this test for your edification dear reader cf 1 Thes 2:4; 2 Cor 4:1-2.

V16 Bebelos translated profane may also be rendered heathenish. The Christian faith over the last 2 millennia has attracted much fruitless pagan and worldly debates, conferences and councils, which have progressively allowed for pagan doctrines and festivals to creep in and be permanently established within the churches under the guise of godliness. Easter, Lent, Christmas and even more worryingly Valentine’s Day and Halloween have become well established and are celebrated by many a denomination.

They all stem from the pit of hell, whose source, if anybody cared to casually investigate is readily discovered to be from false god worship and pagan rituals. Eastern mysticism and new age teachings have also found their way into churches, allowing for practices such as yoga, martial arts, and the kundalini spirit to be deemed acceptable amongst greatly deceived church goers. All this leads to destruction of the soul, which is brought about by apathy amongst self-professed Christians, who own Bibles that have gathered dust and still appear brand new, being never read nor studied for real truth.

V17-18 Gaggraina translated canker is old English for gangrene, which kills living tissue with greater expediency than cancer, ultimately necessitating amputation. Corrupt interpretation of the logos/word is spiritually gangrenous as exemplified by Hymenaeus and Philetus who were known heretics, who lacked understanding of the concept of resurrection of the righteous dead unto eternal life. Hymenaeus’ teachings were so perfidious and blasphemous that Paul even felt entrusted to deliver him unto Satan cf 1 Tim 1:20. 

V19 Paul expresses the sturdiness of the foundation of the ecclesia which Yeshua, the cornerstone built upon a firm rock in his disciples cf Rev 21:14; Matt 16:18. Those belonging to Yeshua are sealed by the Holy Spirit cf Eph 1:13; 2 Cor 1:21-22. Those who know and are known of Yeshua, are sealed by the Holy Spirit and are encouraged to not associate themselves with such vain babblers, who try to corrupt gospel truth through false doctrinal teachings Num 16:5; Isa 52:11.

V20 Every congregation in the body of Messiah is bound to have varying degrees of sanctity amongst its followers. This would range from the holiest as precious as gold, to the barely saintly as fragile earth. Within the ecclesia are also found the honourable who are heaven bound, and the dishonourable destined for damnation. This imagery typified by Paul is congruous with that of Yeshua’s parable of the dragnet Matt 13:47-50.

V21 Yeshua can only work through us via His Holy Spirit to do wondrous works such as healing, casting out demons, prophesying and being in fullness of the gifts of the Spirit, if we are to thoroughly cleanse ourselves. This can only be achieved through renewing of the mind and presenting our bodies blameless for Him to operate in fullness through us. We must detach ourselves from all ungodliness meaning disassociation from dishonourable people and shunning all manner of evil cf Rom 12:1-2; 2 Cor 7:1. Many Christians fail to be utilized by Messiah due to their refusal to detach themselves from the world and its bright lights. 

V22 It is a great shame that so much scandal rocks many churches of today. Pastors are found bed-hopping, sleeping with congregants, living ostentatiously in obscene wealth sporting fleets of expensive vehicles, jewellery, and mansions. Additionally, church leaders are found addicted to drugs, alcohol and pornography. All these are indeed representative of teenage desires, referred to by Paul as youthful lusts. Despite teenagers brought up by good parents, being prepared to grow out of such desires once in their twenties, many a senior church congregant through false doctrines leading to destruction, find themselves embroiled in these puerile lusts whose end is damnation cf 1 Pet 2:11-12. A katharos/pure, clean heart is one that exhibits:

a. Dikaiosune-integrity, righteousness defined as law-abiders in the Old Testament cf Habb 2:4 where tsaddiq translated righteous is Hebrew for the lawful.

b. Faith-which as we have seen in Josh 1:5-8 is defined as being courageous and strong to observe Torah which results in prosperity of spirit, soul and body.

c. agape/brotherly love i.e. loving thy neighbour as thyself upon which all Torah hinges Matt 22:37-40; Lev 19:18

d. Peace-harmony and lack of contention amongst brethren

V23 Moros/godless, foolish and apaideutos/ignorant, uneducated arise from those who do not bother reading scripture, yet think they know it all. Many churches waste time and find themselves in a greater state of apostasy by virtue of their leaders entertaining prolonged debate over anti-biblical topics such as homosexuality, abortion, non-discipline of children and the like, which should not even be allowed to see the light of day in the house of Yah.

V24 The counter measures to be taken by a true saint faced by such malcontents in the ecclesia, should be to calmly and patiently open scripture in its full truthfulness, and immediately shut down any form of ignorant babblings that may engender disputes within the ecclesia. There is truly power in the word of Elohim, which if used wisely, will save a congregation from the dark path of false doctrine that leads to destruction. This is the method that Yeshua used to even shut down the very arguments of Satan during His 40-day temptation in the wilderness. He simply used scripture to counter every lie by quoting scripture cf Matt 4:1-11.

V25 It is important never to be sucked into screaming matches against those that choose to oppose biblical truths to justify the lusts of their flesh. Gentle teaching and correction through rightly dividing scripture is of paramount importance if there is to be any hope of convicting the heart of the deluded soul. Only after a first and second admonition are we to detach ourselves from them lest they suck us into temptation cf Tit 3:10; Gal 6:1; 1 Jn 5:16. Ultimately, whether or not their hearts will be open to receiving truth, lies with Elohim who shall have mercy on whomever He wishes. We need to be fully aware of the sad reality that some people’s hearts are hardened by Elohim, particularly those who are insincere and proud, whom Elohim knows will never seek repentance no matter how much evidence of truth is laid before them. This is endemic of present-day scientists, doctors and other worldly scholars fooled in their false sense of intelligence, trapped in the lies of science falsely called cf 1 Tim 6:20-21; Rom 9:8,14-24.

V26 ananepho translated ‘that they may recover themselves’ in the Greek actually means to return to a sober state. A deluded mind stuck in the false lies of Satan is indeed comparable to a man in a deep stupor of inebriation. Satan not only has them in a snare but also, they find comfort in this deadly trap through great slumber. One cannot be convinced of truth until they actually realize what deep spiritual slumber they are in. This requires conviction by the Holy Spirit, despite our duty to preach the gospel of truth. It must be remembered that the gospel is not for everybody. Many shall choose to scorn it and prefer the beguiling slumber that Satan uses to fulfil the lusts of the flesh. I thank Yeshua the Messiah, that He dragged me out of so great a furnace of delusion and ignorance and I live each day in the hope of leading but one extra soul towards the path of righteousness.