"Soldiers of Jesus Christ" Today we are going to look into the fuller meaning of two verses, gaining more in depth understanding than what we would normally get just by reading over it. Paul told Timothy HOW he was to do it, that he was to have the mindset of An excerpt from Matthew Henry Commentary on 2 Timothy 2:3-4 =====================================================
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of life;
that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
II Timothy 2:3,4
"Thou therefore endure hardness"
In the Greek "endure hardness" is the Greek word: sunkakopatheo - Which means literally "with evil suffer/afflicted". It means to endure hardship with someone else. This was Paul's LAST letter he wrote while he was in prison, expecting to be executed. He was exhorting Timothy to be prepared as he, too, would also suffer evil (i.e., persecution) as Paul and others had. It would be like a missionary in a persecuted country writing you from prison and saying I've suffered evil "endured hardness", now it's your time to take your part in suffering evil, too (persecution). Soldiers expect to endure hardship for their cause; that's why the best soldiers understand and value their cause. The reason why so few Christians are willing to endure hardship for Jesus is that they don't understand or value His (Jesus Christ) cause.
"No man that warreth"
Paul goes on to tell Timothy in verse 4,
"entangleth himself with the affairs of life"
"entangleth himself" Greek is "empleko" - to connect, tie, weave.
"with the affairs" Greek = pragmateia - to transact business, occupation.
"of life" Greek - bios - means/manner of life, or course of life. Together empleko, pragmateia, and bios mean we are not to get ourselves weaved/tied into the pursuits and occupations pertaining to civilian life.
Paul is explaining to Timothy that as a good soldier of the Gospel Timothy must be well-trained and willing, AND of necessity, have nothing else on his mind. He cannot have his attention divided with the things of the world (civilian affairs) and still expect to win the battle (spiritually). A good soldier must concentrate on one thing, and that is winning the war.
"that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier"
or to accommodate one's self to the desires and interests of others (spiritually speaking Jesus Christ).
"him who hath chosen him to be a soldier". The Greek is "stratologeo" - to draft, enlist, enroll, chosen as a soldier.
If we don't become soldiers and keep ourselves untangled from the world, then we won't please Jesus who has enlisted/enrolled us into His spiritual army.
Closing comments:
A soldier, when he has enlisted, leaves his calling and all the business of it, that he may attend his captain’s orders. If we have given up ourselves to be Christ’s soldiers, we must sit loose to this world; and though there is no remedy, but we must employ ourselves in the affairs of this life while we are here (we have something to do here), we must not entangle ourselves with those affairs, so as by them to be diverted and drawn aside from our duty to God and the great concerns of our Christianity. Those who will war the good warfare must sit loose to this world. That we may please him who hath chosen us to be soldiers.
but also EXPECT to win. No losers in God's army!!!
This devotion by Jim (BibleFood@aol.com)