Read with Me
1 Timothy 4:11-16 (HCSB)
Command and teach these things. Let no one despise your youth; instead, you should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, give your attention to public reading, exhortation, and teaching. Do not neglect the gift that is in you; it was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention to your life and your teaching; persevere in these things, for by doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Listen with Me
Timothy was younger than many of those who were touting themselves as teachers, but who were promulgating false doctrines. In Jewish tradition, gray or thinning hair automatically meant wisdom and authority. So, Timothy was at a bit of a disadvantage in trying to compete with those older men.
The key advantages that Timothy ha were that he taught the clear and biblically defensible truth, and that he had been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit so that his life itself was a solid testimony to the truth that he taught. Here Paul urges him to let both of those show.
Some young people point to the first phrase of verse 12 and say, “The Bible says that you’re not supposed to look down on me because I’m young.” But that emphasis is wrong on two points. First, Timothy was not a teenager, but more likely in his early thirties at this point, with years of experience sharing the gospel message and even being persecuted alongside Paul and Silas. And second, this is not a command to the people in the Church, but encouragement to Timothy.
Paul’s recommended tactic for Timothy to prevent people looking down on him was not to demand respect, but to live a life so Christlike and mature that he would be immune to any legitimate criticism. He was to set an example for the whole Church in his speech, his conduct or lifestyle, the agape love that flowed through him, his faith, and the purity of his life. When those things are in order, no one can legitimately look down on you simply because of your age.
Paul also warns Timothy to forget about trying to make a reputation for himself or defend himself. Instead, he was to focus his efforts on the things that would build up the Church: the public reading of Scripture, preaching the gospel, and teaching those who were in the body of Christ. Not only was Timothy specifically commissioned by the Church and gifted by God for those tasks, but as the Church was build up in the true, Bible-centered faith, there would be far less chance of them being led astray by false teachers.
Pray with Me
Father, thank You for this clarity. It is a good reminder, even to those of us with gray and thin or missing hair, that it is not our age or lack of it that determines our level of respect and credibility in the Church. Instead, it is the quality of our lives as we live and work in Your power and wisdom. Help us all to live lives worthy of the title of saint every day in Your power and wisdom. Help us to focus our efforts every day, not on trying to build or maintain our own reputation, but rather on using the calling and gifts You have given us to build up Your kingdom and Your people. If we do that, our reputations will take care of themselves.