1Ti 2:13-14 | KingComments | STEP | . After the particular commandment for the men as a group a particular commandment for the women follows now, also as a group. The word “likewise” with which Paul starts to address the women, refers to ‘I want’ in . The phrase is therefore: ‘In like manner I want …’ He doesn’t mean that the women ‘should pray in like manner’. No, he wants that the women also deliver a contribution to the testimony to God in the world. The men are to deliver an audible contribution. Regarding the woman Paul says that her appearance ought to be a visible contribution. When Paul starts talking about women’s appearance, no fashion prescription follows. He wants to tell her that the power of her testimony lies in her appearance and her conduct. The point here is that there should be a consistency between her apparel and her Christian character and testimony. This concerns the radiance she has not only in the gatherings, but also in public life. In that context there are two significant characteristics: “modestly” and “discreetly”. The Christian woman ought not to want to draw attention to herself. She could do that “with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments”. You do not read a prohibition on braiding of the hair or wearing gold or pearls or costly clothing. What she must not do is draw attention to herself through these things. The long hair is her glory ( ) and it is shameful if she has her hair cut off ( ), but it is just as much an anti-testimony if she spends a lot of money and time on braiding her long hair in all kinds of artful hair braiding, in order to show off with it. . After having dealt with the things that should not characterize her appearance we hear about the things that are proper for her, namely, “good works”. These are works that come forth from faith. They are a fruit of the new man ( ). They are beneficial to their character and others experience the benefit of it. Examples of women who have done good works you find in Mary ( ), Phoebe ( ), Lydia ( ) and Dorcas ( ). You also read about women who served the Lord with their goods ( ). Paul is addressing “women making a claim to godliness”. He can expect them to have a conduct that suits to their confession. Doctrine and life should be in harmony, otherwise false notes will be heard in life. If you as a Christian woman make a claim to Godliness, if you say that your heart is filled with reverence for God, it ought to be seen in your clothing and deeds. . After the general conduct of the woman in public as a testimony to God, Paul then says something about her conduct toward the man. He starts by saying that she should be ‘quiet’. You should also see this in the context of performing in public (cf. ) and not in the context of personal conversations or in the domestic environment. By nature women will not predominate. But the spirit of the world certainly doesn’t pass by the Christian woman either, encouraging her to do come forward and assert herself. Also the attitude and mind “with entire submissiveness” will not find approval in the world. However, the point is not how the world values something, but how God values it. Through her submissiveness it becomes clear that her being ‘quiet’ is not a sign of bitterness or bondage, but that it comes from a willing acceptance of and living in an atmosphere that is given to women by the Scripture. It is not about subjection to the man but to the truth of the Scripture. That’s what will make her want “to receive instruction”. She will want to listen and pay attention to take in everything that serves her spiritual growth and blessing. . Then a new apostolic commandment is to be heard in the words “I do not allow” with regard to the behavior of the woman at public occasions. The commandment implies that the woman is not supposed to have the role of a teacher and she is not supposed to have authority over a man. The prohibition on teaching is general and applies also in situations where there are only women. She is certainly allowed to prophesy, as long as she covers her head ( ), for that is the application of the truth of God’s Word in daily life. She is also allowed to teach “what is good” ( ). A woman is also not permitted to exercise authority over a man. If a woman exercises authority over a man, then the roles that God has established, are being reversed. Teaching and exercising authority are not permitted to her. The power of her testimony lies in her remaining “quiet” (cf. ). The phrase started in with ‘quiet’ and ends here in with ‘quiet’. This does put a special emphasis on it. By the way, men may ask themselves why women ultimately want to teach and exercise authority. Is it because men do not take up their responsibilities? . In these verses Paul gives two reasons for the command of . He finds those two reasons at the very beginning of the Bible. Then God determined things and things happened that He ordered to be documented in His Word, so that reference could always be made to them. The Lord Jesus also refers to the beginning when He is questioned about the man-wife relationship ( ). The first reason that Paul gives for his commandment is the ranking in which Adam and Eve are created ( ). Adam, the man, was the first independent living creature with a specific commandment. Only when God had everything in order, with regard to creation and the task of Adam, He created Eve. This is how He determined the feminine to be dependent on the masculine. As second reason Paul mentions the fall of man ( ). The order of creation shows how God has determined it. The fall of man shows the character of the man and the character of the woman. The woman is easily to be tempted. Leading up to the fall of man Adam did not play the main role. Satan did not address him. He certainly was dragged into the tragic event, but not as a result of temptation. The man considers things in a more rational way than the woman and is therefore more fitted to teach. That the woman is not to teach is not because she would be more credulous than the man. The point is that when she teaches she abandons her place and the consequences are then disastrous, as it appeared at the fall of man. The fall of man doesn’t show her credulity, but the abandoning of her place as woman. This is how she distorted the Divine order and Adam accepted with open eyes her leadership with the disastrous consequences. God has determined the woman to be dependent on the man. Her attitude toward the man is that of “someone weaker” ( ). The devil found an access to deceive her by appealing to her feeling and “the woman was deceived” ( ). It is for a good reason that John addresses a woman in his second letter that is about false teachers ( ). She has to be careful not to be deceived. Eve crossed the border that God had drawn around her. She “fell into transgression” literally means that she ‘crossed a border’. Man and woman are under God’s protection as long as they remain within the borders that God has set for them. . The section of the woman ends with an exceptional expression of God’s grace that can only be experienced by the believing woman. Since the fall of man, which happened due to her, God connected pain and sorrow to the giving birth to children ( ). Nevertheless there is a way for her to be preserved through the bearing of children. However, there is the condition “if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint”. This refers to the atmosphere she entered when she came to faith. Her ‘self-restraint’ means that she continues to think sound about this atmosphere and that she doesn’t allow to be tempted to take again a place that is not fitted to her. This is not all that is to be said about this last verse. It has been noted that this verse is one of the most difficult verses of the New Testament to explain. This verse causes to raise questions which cannot be simply responded to. Consider a lot of Godly women who were not preserved through the bearing of children, but died. And what about women who cannot bear children or who remain unmarried. Paul is giving a general instruction here, with a view to the particular place that is given to woman by God in creation. As a counter balance to what is previously said, Paul wants to make the woman realize why God has created her. She finds the meaning of her life in the fulfillment of God’s goal for her: her role as woman and mother. Therein she is supposed to find her greatest satisfaction and not in taking over the role of the man. It is certainly true that God also has a plan for the childless woman (cf. ) and for the unmarried woman ( ), but that is not the point here. Now read 1 Timothy 2:9-15 again. Reflection: Where do you recognize the power of the woman’s testimony?

‏ 1 Timothy 2:13-14

Women

1Tim 2:9. After the particular commandment for the men as a group a particular commandment for the women follows now, also as a group. The word “likewise” with which Paul starts to address the women, refers to ‘I want’ in 1Tim 2:8. The phrase is therefore: ‘In like manner I want …’ He doesn’t mean that the women ‘should pray in like manner’. No, he wants that the women also deliver a contribution to the testimony to God in the world. The men are to deliver an audible contribution. Regarding the woman Paul says that her appearance ought to be a visible contribution.

When Paul starts talking about women’s appearance, no fashion prescription follows. He wants to tell her that the power of her testimony lies in her appearance and her conduct. The point here is that there should be a consistency between her apparel and her Christian character and testimony. This concerns the radiance she has not only in the gatherings, but also in public life.

In that context there are two significant characteristics: “modestly” and “discreetly”. The Christian woman ought not to want to draw attention to herself. She could do that “with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments”. You do not read a prohibition on braiding of the hair or wearing gold or pearls or costly clothing. What she must not do is draw attention to herself through these things. The long hair is her glory (1Cor 11:15) and it is shameful if she has her hair cut off (1Cor 11:6), but it is just as much an anti-testimony if she spends a lot of money and time on braiding her long hair in all kinds of artful hair braiding, in order to show off with it.

1Tim 2:10. After having dealt with the things that should not characterize her appearance we hear about the things that are proper for her, namely, “good works”. These are works that come forth from faith. They are a fruit of the new man (Eph 2:10). They are beneficial to their character and others experience the benefit of it. Examples of women who have done good works you find in Mary (Mt 26:7-10), Phoebe (Rom 16:1-2), Lydia (Acts 16:14-15) and Dorcas (Acts 9:36-39). You also read about women who served the Lord with their goods (Lk 8:2-3).

Paul is addressing “women making a claim to godliness”. He can expect them to have a conduct that suits to their confession. Doctrine and life should be in harmony, otherwise false notes will be heard in life. If you as a Christian woman make a claim to Godliness, if you say that your heart is filled with reverence for God, it ought to be seen in your clothing and deeds.

1Tim 2:11. After the general conduct of the woman in public as a testimony to God, Paul then says something about her conduct toward the man. He starts by saying that she should be ‘quiet’. You should also see this in the context of performing in public (cf. 1Cor 14:34) and not in the context of personal conversations or in the domestic environment. By nature women will not predominate. But the spirit of the world certainly doesn’t pass by the Christian woman either, encouraging her to do come forward and assert herself.

Also the attitude and mind “with entire submissiveness” will not find approval in the world. However, the point is not how the world values something, but how God values it. Through her submissiveness it becomes clear that her being ‘quiet’ is not a sign of bitterness or bondage, but that it comes from a willing acceptance of and living in an atmosphere that is given to women by the Scripture. It is not about subjection to the man but to the truth of the Scripture. That’s what will make her want “to receive instruction”. She will want to listen and pay attention to take in everything that serves her spiritual growth and blessing.

1Tim 2:12. Then a new apostolic commandment is to be heard in the words “I do not allow” with regard to the behavior of the woman at public occasions. The commandment implies that the woman is not supposed to have the role of a teacher and she is not supposed to have authority over a man. The prohibition on teaching is general and applies also in situations where there are only women. She is certainly allowed to prophesy, as long as she covers her head (1Cor 11:5), for that is the application of the truth of God’s Word in daily life. She is also allowed to teach “what is good” (Tit 2:3-5).

A woman is also not permitted to exercise authority over a man. If a woman exercises authority over a man, then the roles that God has established, are being reversed. Teaching and exercising authority are not permitted to her.

The power of her testimony lies in her remaining “quiet” (cf. 1Pet 3:1-6). The phrase started in 1Tim 2:11 with ‘quiet’ and ends here in 1Tim 2:12 with ‘quiet’. This does put a special emphasis on it. By the way, men may ask themselves why women ultimately want to teach and exercise authority. Is it because men do not take up their responsibilities?

1Tim 2:13-14. In these verses Paul gives two reasons for the command of 1Tim 2:12. He finds those two reasons at the very beginning of the Bible. Then God determined things and things happened that He ordered to be documented in His Word, so that reference could always be made to them. The Lord Jesus also refers to the beginning when He is questioned about the man-wife relationship (Mt 19:3-4).

The first reason that Paul gives for his commandment is the ranking in which Adam and Eve are created (1Tim 2:13). Adam, the man, was the first independent living creature with a specific commandment. Only when God had everything in order, with regard to creation and the task of Adam, He created Eve. This is how He determined the feminine to be dependent on the masculine.

As second reason Paul mentions the fall of man (1Tim 2:14). The order of creation shows how God has determined it. The fall of man shows the character of the man and the character of the woman. The woman is easily to be tempted. Leading up to the fall of man Adam did not play the main role. Satan did not address him. He certainly was dragged into the tragic event, but not as a result of temptation. The man considers things in a more rational way than the woman and is therefore more fitted to teach.

That the woman is not to teach is not because she would be more credulous than the man. The point is that when she teaches she abandons her place and the consequences are then disastrous, as it appeared at the fall of man. The fall of man doesn’t show her credulity, but the abandoning of her place as woman. This is how she distorted the Divine order and Adam accepted with open eyes her leadership with the disastrous consequences.

God has determined the woman to be dependent on the man. Her attitude toward the man is that of “someone weaker” (1Pet 3:7). The devil found an access to deceive her by appealing to her feeling and “the woman was deceived” (2Cor 11:3). It is for a good reason that John addresses a woman in his second letter that is about false teachers (2Jn 1:1). She has to be careful not to be deceived.

Eve crossed the border that God had drawn around her. She “fell into transgression” literally means that she ‘crossed a border’. Man and woman are under God’s protection as long as they remain within the borders that God has set for them.

1Tim 2:15. The section of the woman ends with an exceptional expression of God’s grace that can only be experienced by the believing woman. Since the fall of man, which happened due to her, God connected pain and sorrow to the giving birth to children (Gen 3:16). Nevertheless there is a way for her to be preserved through the bearing of children. However, there is the condition “if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint”. This refers to the atmosphere she entered when she came to faith. Her ‘self-restraint’ means that she continues to think sound about this atmosphere and that she doesn’t allow to be tempted to take again a place that is not fitted to her.

This is not all that is to be said about this last verse. It has been noted that this verse is one of the most difficult verses of the New Testament to explain. This verse causes to raise questions which cannot be simply responded to. Consider a lot of Godly women who were not preserved through the bearing of children, but died. And what about women who cannot bear children or who remain unmarried.

Paul is giving a general instruction here, with a view to the particular place that is given to woman by God in creation. As a counter balance to what is previously said, Paul wants to make the woman realize why God has created her. She finds the meaning of her life in the fulfillment of God’s goal for her: her role as woman and mother. Therein she is supposed to find her greatest satisfaction and not in taking over the role of the man.

It is certainly true that God also has a plan for the childless woman (cf. Isa 54:1) and for the unmarried woman (1Cor 7:34), but that is not the point here.

Now read 1 Timothy 2:9-15 again.

Reflection: Where do you recognize the power of the woman’s testimony?