POOR LITTLE TIMOTHY

POOR LITTLE TIMOTHY

In what many consider to be the last epistle written by the apostle Paul, the aging soldier of the Christ wrote to Timothy, his son in the faith, "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:14,15).
At some point in his life little Timothy began to learn "the holy scriptures." Just when was that? The Bible’s answer is "from a child." The word "child" is from the Greek word "βρέφος” (“brephos”), which means “a. an unborn child, embryo, fetus: Lk. 1:41,44 . . . b. a new-born child, an infant, a babe” [Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2002), p. 105]. That same Greek word translated as "child" in reference to Timothy, is also used in the following instances in the New Testament in reference to children [all underlining for emphasis is mine, rdc]:
"Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes" (Luke 2:12). "And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them" (Luke 18:15). "The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live" (Acts 7:19). "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2). As the above examples of the usage of the term "brephos" (child) show, if Timothy knew the word of God since the time he was a "brephos," then he certainly did not wait until he was in his late teens to begin learning God’s truth!
The point to be made about Timothy is that he became acquainted with the word of the living God from the time that he was very young. Poor little Timothy, he must have had somebody cramming the Bible down his throat. You know, if you force a kid to read and memorize scriptures, he most likely will rebel and never want to become a Christian when he grows up. Just what became of Timothy later in life? Was he a discontented rebel? Not hardly. As an adult he was a faithful disciple of the Lord about whom Paul said, ". . . he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do . . . For I have no man like-minded, who will naturally care for your state" (1 Corinthians 16:10; Philippians 2:20). Looks like his early training in the scriptures was not a hindrance to him after all, wouldn’t you agree?
Poor little Timothy, his mom, Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5), probably drug him off to services when he would rather have been out playing with his buddies. You "make" a kid go to services and he’ll hate you and the church for it, you just see. Is that what happened with Timothy? What was it that Timothy turned out to be? A faithful follower of the Lord Jesus that "was well reported of by the brethren" (Acts 16:2). He served with Paul in the gospel as a devoted evangelist (Philippians 2:22; 2 Timothy 4:5).
Poor little Timothy, he lived a sheltered life. As a boy he never enjoyed the real fun things in life. He never played a video game, never played on a little league team, and never rode on a four-wheeler or roller coaster. What a bummer, his life as a kid must have been so boring. Yet, Timothy knew the scriptures from his early childhood and that helped prepare him for his later years of service to the Lord God. God bless those parents that see to it that at home their kids get the real education that counts – being grounded in the truth that
sets men free (John 8:32).
Poor little Timothy grew into a teen. Poor thing, as a teen he never got to go with other teenagers to an amusement park. He never saw a movie, and so he wasn’t educated by Hollywood. Yet, he learned some things. 2 Timothy 3:14 says so: "But continue thou in the things which thou has learned." He had learned the scriptures, and they were his guide for life, serving as a light for his path (Psalm 119:105).
Poor little Timothy grew up. Then, of all things, as an adult he was expected to take responsibility for his actions. Poor big Timothy, he was expected to be a good example for others (1 Timothy 4:12). He was expected to keep himself pure (1 Timothy 5:22). He was expected to be a good servant (1 Timothy 4:6). He was expected to endure hardship (2 Timothy 4:2). He was expected to teach others what he had learned himself (2 Timothy 2:2). He was expected to be a stickler on doctrine, charging others to teach only the one doctrine of the Christ (1 Timothy 1:3).
In Timothy’s family, at least three generations of people possessed an "unfeigned faith." Such a faith was first in Lois (his grandma), then in Eunice (his mom), and finally in Timothy himself (2 Timothy 1:5). We often hear it stated that Lois and Eunice are the ones that trained Timothy, since his father was evidently not a member of the church (Acts 16:1). That very well may have been the case. The truth is, though, the Bible simply records these facts: (1) There was an unfeigned faith in both Lois and Eunice, and, (2) Timothy knew the holy scriptures from his childhood. Whether or not Lois was even still alive in Timothy’s formative years is not stated in the scriptures. No doubt, her influence and that of Eunice on the young man Timothy, either directly or indirectly, was a positive one. The great blessing in Timothy’s life was that someone loved him enough to take the time to help him learn the word of Jehovah.
Do we really feel sorry for Timothy? Not at all. In all honesty, do we really think that he was mistreated because his little mind was filled with God’s word from his earliest days on the earth? No, sir. Do we really feel like he missed out on a "normal" life because he lived without the luxuries and fun things of the 21st century? No way. Do we really consider it to be unfair that he was held accountable for his speech and actions? Not at all.
Moms and dads, Timothy’s life was a success story. How can we be so sure? Because the Holy Spirit called him "faithful in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 4:17). Let’s make sure that we do not lose sight of the training that helped him become and remain a faithful servant of the Lord God. May the Lord give us more folks like Timothy and more Timothy-trainers.
-- Roger D. Campbell