WORD
5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple . . . PSA 19:8
Rashi
And there is nothing hidden from its heat on the day of judgment, as is stated in Mal 3:19: “The day that is coming shall set them ablaze.” But the law of the Lord is perfect; it restores the soul to ways of life and it protects those who study it from that burning, as is stated (ibid. verse 20): “For you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing.”
The law of the Lord is perfect—That too illuminates like the sun, as is written at the end of the topic: “enlightening the eyes,” and Scripture states (in Pro 6:23): “For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light.”
Reviving the soul—It the law restores it the soul from the ways of death to the ways of life. The law, the testimony, the orders, the commandments, the fear, and the judgments total six, corresponding to the six orders of the Mishnah. Between each name of God are five words including the name itself, corresponding to the Five Books of the Pentateuch. And so the Psalmist concludes: “true, and righteous altogether.” They are altogether devised with kindness and truth.
The testimony of the Lord is sure—It is sure to testify for those who study it.
Making wise the simple—It gives wisdom to the simple.
Yoma 72b:17
In the same Psalm the verse states: “The testimony of God is sure” (Psa 19:8). Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said: This alludes to the fact that the law is sure to testify about those who study it and those who do not.
9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher,
12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.
13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
. . . an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth . . . ROM 2:20
14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. 2TI 1:5-14
Paul went through many hardships as he carried out his mission of preaching the gospel. This was causing people to abandon him and the mission. But relying on God as he went through these trials enabled him to impart valuable lessons to the next generation. He wrote this letter to Timothy, the young leader of the church in Ephesus, encouraging Timothy to stand firm and endure. Sometimes the hardship of pursuing God’s mission can deter us from pressing forward. What did Paul tell Timothy, and what can we learn from it?
Timothy received a legacy of faith
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 2TI 1:5
Timothy came from a godly family. Paul mentioned that both his mother and grandmother had a sincere faith in Christ, and he believed that they had left this legacy to Timothy. Paul called upon this faith to help Timothy endure even if he felt like falling away. Though we don’t all have a direct legacy of faith passed to us by our immediate family, we are all recipients of the legacy of faith and obedience passed down through history. Every believer was first told the gospel by someone else. With this faith, we can endure, knowing that our hope is in God. How did you first hear about the gospel?
As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me. PSA 18:45
Rashi
As soon as they heard—Even in my absence, as long as they heard my message.
They obeyed me—They shall give heed to my bidding and obey my orders.
Came cringing to me out of fright.
Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. ACT 16:1
I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. ROM 15:14
Timothy received the gift of the Holy Spirit
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2TI 1:6-7
Paul also encouraged Timothy to stand firm because he had the gift of God in him, which was the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit is within believers even now, and he is not a spirit of fear, but one of power and love and self-control. This is why we can stand firm in troubling times: We have the same Spirit within us, and he is not a spirit of fear. How has the gift of the Spirit helped you endure? How can you fan this into flame?
Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. LUK 8:35
17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. NUM 27:18
Bava Kamma 92b:10
Rava said to Rabba bar Mari: From where is this matter derived whereby people say: While the wine belongs to its owner, the gratitude is given to the one who pours it? Rabba bar Mari said to him that the source is as it is written with regard to God commanding Moses to transfer his authority to Joshua: “So the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take you Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him . . . that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey” (Num 27:18-20). And it is written: “And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses” (Deu 34:9). Although the spirit of God was not given to Joshua by Moses, as Moses was only a conduit, he was given credit for it.
Rashi
Take—Encourage him through fine words, saying, “Fortunate are you that you have merited to lead the children of the Omnipresent!” (cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 92 on 11:16).
For yourself—Someone who has been examined by you, someone with whom you are familiar.
A man in whom is the Spirit—As you requested; someone able to deal with the character of each one (Sifrei Bamidbar 140:1).
And lay your hand on him—Give him an interpreter, so that he will hold halachic discourses during your lifetime—in order that people may not say about him if he does this only after your death: he dared not raise his head during Moses days (cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 140:1).
18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money . . . ACT 8:17-18
Timothy received a calling to preach the gospel
9 . . . who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began . . .
14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. 2TI 1:9, 14
Paul reminded Timothy that he had been saved by God’s grace and called for his eternal purposes. In verse 14, he admonished Timothy to guard the good deposit entrusted to him, by the Holy Spirit who dwelt within both of them. We have also been saved by God and called to his mission, and this good deposit, which is the gospel, has been entrusted to us as well. This includes making sure that the gospel is heard and understood by those we preach it to, and that they too will be able to communicate it accurately to others. According to Mat 28:19, what are we called by Christ to do?
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit . . . MAT 28:19
28 All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
Rashi
Shall remember and turn to the Lord—The nations shall remember the evil that befell us when they see the good and turn to the Lord.
29 For kingship belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations. PSA 22:28-29
Rashi
For kingship belongs to the Lord—For they will see that the kingship and the rule has returned to you.
Draw near to me, hear this:
from the beginning I have not spoken in secret,
from the time it came to be I have been there.
And now the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit. ISA 48:16
Moed Katan 16b:8
The Gemara asks: But isn’t it written: “From the beginning I have not spoken in secret” (Isa 48:16), implying that the law should be taught and proclaimed in public? The Gemara answers: That verse is referring to the days of the kalla, the gathering for law study held during Elul and Adar, when many people come to listen to law discourses. During this time, it is not only permitted but even recommended to teach the law to the masses. In this way, the verse can be explained in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi.
16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;
17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” MAT 3:16-17
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
2 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
Rashi
And make his face to shine—To show a laughing countenance, to give dew and rain.
3 that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations. PSA 67:2-3
Rashi
That your way may be known on earth—To make known that your trait is to benefit your people, and because of this, kingdoms will rejoice and sing praises.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans,
6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. MAT 10:5-6
John Gill
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel—To whom he himself was sent (Mat 15:24). By “the house of Israel” is meant the whole Jewish nation; for though this phrase, when distinguished from the house of Judah, designs only the ten tribes; yet here it intends all the Jews, then living in the land of Judea, among whom there were some of all the tribes: and by “the lost sheep” of this house, are meant either all the people of the Jews in general, who were wandering, and were lost in error and sin, and to whom the external ministry of the gospel came; or rather the elect of God among them, for whose sake particularly the apostles were sent to them. These are called “sheep,” because they were chosen of God, and given to Christ to be redeemed, looked up, sought out, and saved by him; and “lost” ones, not only because lost in Adam, and by their own transgressions, so that neither they themselves, nor any mere creature, could save them from eternal ruin and destruction; but also, because they were made to go astray, and were lost through the negligence and errors of their pastors, the scribes and Pharisees: and this character is the rather given of them, partly to reflect upon the characters of the shepherds of Israel: and partly to magnify the grace of God, in having regard to such ruined and miserable creatures; and also to excite the compassion and diligence of the apostles, to preach the gospel to them: respect seems to be had to (Jer 1:16).
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. MAR 16:15-16