“Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2Tim 2:7).
How many times have you wondered why you're doing something that just doesn't seem to make sense? It seems pointless. A total waste of time. I'm not talking about high school algebra. Necessarily.
Instead, think about a time somebody gave you some strange instructions. Maybe for some new age entertainment center from IKEA. Insert peg A into slot G and turn everything upside down before continuing. What the WHAT?!? Who needs these ridiculous directions. I’ll just do it MY way. Two hours later, I come to the harsh realization that there was a VERY good reason why.
Click. It all comes together.
Here in his second letter to Timothy, Paul tells his young friend that the instructions he's giving him may not make sense but hang in there. Jesus will make sure everything clicks into place. "Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything" (v7). Hang in there. Keep working out what you've been told.
Christ will make sure it all comes together.
This is probably the place where we need to zoom out for a wide shot and see what's going on and why Paul's writing to his buddy in the first place. The apostle is behind bars. If you're familiar with the former Pharisee's story, it's not the first time he’s done hard time. But this time it’s different. He's on Death Row in Rome's notorious Mamertine Prison (2Tim 4:6-7). You can almost picture Paul feverishly scribbling down instructions to Tim as he passes the baton of ministry.
You see, Paul and Tim go WAY back. They met back in Lystra when the apostle was on his second Good News world tour telling everybody who would listen about the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth (Acts 16:1-3). If you have your doubts whether Tim's commitment to Christ was legit, just know he had himself circumcised. As an adult. Admit it. You winced just a little bit, didn't you?
This is the second time the apostle has personally written to Timothy. The previous letter covers important instructions when Paul gave the young pastor the assignment of continuing to clean up the hot mess in Ephesian church left by bunch of fast-talking religious con artists (1Tim 1:3-7). Fast forward a couple of years. Now the man from Tarsus is back in prison and furiously writing his spiritual son again. He reminds Tim that following Jesus may not make sense at times, but He will ultimately help you grasp what’s important.
Paul says it all starts by reflecting on what he’s already said. “Think over what I say” (v7). He uses a Greek verb here (Gr. noeo) that means to understand, perceive, conceive, or consider carefully. I’m to ponder. Reflect. Ultimately comprehend after careful thought and consideration. I like how William Kelly sees this phrase: “Work out what I am getting at.”
Confession time. This kind of focused thinking doesn’t come easy for me. Life in the 21st Century is full of all kinds of digital distractions. TV. The interwebs. My iPhone. Instead of another round of Pokemon Go, turn it off. Turn EVERYTHING off…except your mind. Create some white space. Take some time to meditate, ponder, and consider.
Need a topic? In this case, Paul suggests what’s he’s been talking about. He might be talking specifically about his recent analogies of the soldier, athlete, and farmer (2Tim 2:3-6). He could also be talking about what he’s about to say in the following verses (2Tim 2:8-13). Or he might talking about all the stuff he’s written and said about Jesus over the years. Whatever it is, you can’t go wrong. Pick one and get to pondering.
Critics accuse the followers of Christ of being mindless robots. While every disciple doesn’t need to be a seminary grad (and most definitely shouldn’t!), Thinking is an important part of trusting in Jesus. Through Isaiah the prophet, God invites His people to join Him in figuring out their faith. “‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD” (Is 1:18).
Eastern religions like Buddhism encourage folks to empty your head. God tells us to engage our brains and think. As a matter of fact, Paul’s words here are actually a command. A closer look at the grammar reveals it’s actually in the present tense. That being the case, you could easily translate his charge as “continually be reflecting.” Keep chewing on God’s Word. Keep rolling Scripture around in your head.
The apostle tells the Timster that when we meditate on God’s truth something wonderful happens. “For the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (v7). A couple of important points we might miss. First of all, he’s talking about Jesus. I did a little research and found that the writers of the NT refer Him as “Lord” more than 600 times. That’s right, 600 TIMES! If you’re curious, they call Jesus “Savior” just 24 times. Jesus. Is. Lord.
Since Jesus is the Lord, He’s in charge. He’s the Boss. He’s the King. When we place our trust in Him as our Savior, we’re also placing our trust in Him as our Leader. In other words, we can’t simply buy the spiritual fire insurance of salvation without willingly submitting to His authority. He’s not just our Rescuer. He’s our Lord.
A big part of His leadership and lordship is His generosity. Paul reminds Tim what a lavish giver Jesus is. He “will give you understanding in everything” (v7). The pages of the Bible paint a portrait of the ultimate Giver! It’s almost like He can’t contain His overflowing goodness. He gives and keeps on giving. He particularly specializes in giving when it’s not deserved. Apart from His grace, we don’t stand a snowball’s chance.
We see here in Paul’s letter, that one of Jesus’ favorite things to give away is “understanding" (v7). The apostle uses the Greek word sunesis which only shows up in the Bible a grand total of eight times. It means insight or wisdom. Outside the NT, Homer (not Simpson) uses it in his classic story of the Odyssey. He uses it to describe rivers converging or flowing together. In other words, Jesus makes it all come together.
Remember the story of Joe and Mary leaving their little boy Jesus behind in Jerusalem when they headed home to Galilee? Gotta tell you, I would have been absolutely freaking out knowing I forgot the Messiah on a road trip. Leaving your wallet behind is one thing. But I digress. They find Him at the temple chatting it up with smartest dudes at the temple. “And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding (Gr. sunesis) and His answers” (Lk 2:47). It all came together when the little Boy from Nazareth talked.
Paul knows exactly what that’s like. After the resurrected Christ blindsided the apostle formerly known as Saul outside of Damascus, Jesus revealed God's plan to save people of every race and culture. Paul tells his friends in Ephesus, "When you read this, you can perceive my insight (Gr. sunesis) into the mystery of Christ" (Eph 3:4). Once they read this letter, the Good News will all come together.
When we continually engage our brains and ponder on His truth, the Lord generously unlocks spiritual insight “in everything” (v7). Okay, not EVERYTHING. I’m probably not going to unlock the secret to time travel. I may not figure out why abbreviation is such a long word (What’s up with that anyway?). But Jesus will begin giving us discernment and wisdom into His ways. His amazing grace. His unending mercy. His descending one-way love.
In the beginning, these things don’t make sense because He doesn’t think like we think (Is 55:8). That’s why He wants us to give us a godly mind makeover (Rom 12:2). The result is understanding and insight. CLICK! What once seemed like a puzzle suddenly locks into place. It not only makes perfect sense, but what you see is spectacular and beautiful.
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