1 Timothy 4:13
Till I come
To Ephesus; where the apostle hoped to be shortly, but was
prevented; he afterwards came to Miletus, and sent for the elders
of Ephesus thither, when he took his final leave of them. He
mentions this circumstance, not as if Timothy was to attend to
the following things no longer, but to quicken him to an
attendance to them from the consideration of his being shortly
with him. Give attendance to reading;
that is, of the Scriptures, which the Jews call (arqm) , "reading". F12
``Says R. Tanchum Bar Chanilai, for ever let a man divide his
years or life into three parts; one third (let him spend) in the
Mikra, (the Scriptures, and the reading of them,) another third
in the Misna, and the other third in the Talmud.''
And this is to be understood, not of the reading of the Scriptures
in public, for the advantage of others, a custom which obtained in
the Jewish synagogues; see (
Acts 13:15 ) (
15:21 ) but in private,
for his own use and service, that he might be more perfect, and
more thoroughly furnished to the work and office to which he was
called; for the Scriptures are the fund of spiritual knowledge, as
well as the test and standard of doctrine, out of which all must be
fetched, and by which it must be tried; and if Timothy, who had
known the Scriptures from a child, had been trained up in them, and
was always conversant with them, had need to give diligent
attention to the reading of them, then much more others: as also
to exhortation, to doctrine;
as he was privately to read the Scriptures, for his own benefit, he
was publicly to expound them, or preach from them, to the advantage
of others; for these two, exhortation and doctrine, are branches of
the ministerial work, which reading furnishes and qualifies for.
"Exhortation" intends the stirring up of believers to the exercise
of grace, and the discharge of duty; and is a considerable part of
the work of the ministry, and on which a minister of Christ should
much insist; and it becomes the saints to suffer every word of
exhortation from them, and receive it kindly,
2Ti 4:2 Ro
12:8. Heb 13:22.
The word signifies also "consolation", and which is another branch
of the ministry. Believers are oftentimes disconsolate through the
prevalence of corruptions, the power of Satan's temptations, and
the hidings of God's face, and need comfort; when the ministers of
the Gospel should be Barnabases, sons of consolation, and should
speak comfortably to them; for which they are qualified by the God
of all comfort, who comforts them in all their tribulations, that
they might be capable of speaking good and comfortable words to
others. "Doctrine" designs the teaching and instructing of the
church in the mysteries of the Gospel; opening and explaining the
truths of it; defending them against all opposers, and refuting
errors and heresies contrary to them. This is the evangelic Talmud;
and these three, "reading", "exhortation", and "doctrine", may
answer to the above three things the Jew advises men to divide
their time among, the Mikra, Misna, and Talmud: reading answers to
the Mikra, and indeed is no other; and exhortation to the Misna, or
oral law; and doctrine to the Talmud, and which also that word
signifies: but the apostle would have Timothy spend his time in,
and give his attention to that which might be truly beneficial to
himself, and profitable unto others.