2 TIMOTHY 2:15 Study [spoudazon] to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [orthotomounta] the word of truth.
"Rightly dividing the word of truth" is not identical nor equivalent to "studying the scriptures". Translating the Greek word spoudazon as "study" throws a lot of confusion into this verse, causing many to assume that Paul is saying that as we sit down to study our Bibles with our concordances and lexicons, that we are then approved of GOD. Let's take an un-tethered look at this passage and see what Paul was indeed instructing Timothy to do and teach.
Of the twelve occurrences of spoudazon in the New Testament, only this once is it translated "study". It actually means to act with zealousness, or a diligent endeavor, as it is translated on the other two occasions in this same epistle (4:9, 21).
In the Apostle Paul's day, actual copies of the scriptures were rare, and study aids like concordances and lexicons were non-existent. If one was indeed fortunate enough to obtain some particular text, the best he could do was to just examine it, as the Bereans did.
ACTS 17:11 These [the Bereans] were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched [anakrino, examined] the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
It is indeed a noble work to examine the scriptures, and Concordances, Lexicons and Interlinears are a great aid in helping us arrive at what the original text might have said. But is this how we stand approved before GOD? Is this "studying" how we rightly divide the word of truth? And let us not forget that although all Scripture is given by GOD (2 TIMOTHY 3:16), not all the words of GOD are in Scripture. Many words of truth are never written down, as Scripture or elsewhere in literature.
MATTHEW 2:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
MATTHEW 27:9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;
HEBREWS 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
We must thus conclude that the "word of truth" of 2nd TIMOTHY 2:15 is not limited to the written Scriptures. Of course the Scriptures contain GOD's word, but HE is not limited to the Bible. Eternity cannot contain HIS words, let alone a single book, regardless how great that book is. Therefore, rightly dividing the words of truth definitely encompass rightly dividing the Bible, but we must also "rightly divide words of truth that happen to lie outside of the Bible. Howbeit, in this paper we shall be content to "rightly divide" what we find written in the Book.
With a diligent effort, as unashamed workmen, we are approved unto GOD by "rightly dividing", orthotomounta, the word of truth. Orthotomounta is used only on this one occasion in the New Testament, howbeit, the Septuagint gives us several occurrences in the Old Testament to better explain its meaning.
PROVERBS 3:6 LXX In all thy ways acquaint thyself with her [wisdom], that she may rightly direct [orthotome] thy paths.
PROVERBS 11:5 LXX Righteousness traces out [orthotomaei] blameless paths: but ungodliness encounters unjust dealing.
Orthotomounta has the essence of a straight path, a straight cut, or a path cut straight and right, hence a right cutting. There may be many wrong ways to cut something, many wrong paths to follow, but there is only one right cutting, only one right path. Notice what Alfred Edersheim wrote in his classic work about the Temple sacrifices in connection with the Apostle Paul's usage of this word, orthotomounta.
On the shedding of blood, which was of the greatest importance....followed the ‘flaying’ of the sacrifice and the ‘cutting up into his pieces.’ All this had to be done in an orderly manner, and according to certain rules, the apostle adopting the sacrificial term when he speaks of ‘rightly dividing the word of truth’.
The Temple-Its Ministries and Services, Chapter 5.
In other words, cutting up the pieces of the sacrifice into specific and precise parts, was to rightly divide it.
So only here in Paul's second letter to Timothy, in one of his final Epistles (if not the final one) GOD has inspired him to use this phrase of "rightly dividing" the word of truth. Here, Paul charges Timothy to remind the Believers of certain truths he had taught them (2:14). And further to "strive not about words to no profit", lest the hearers be "subverted" and that instead of striving about words to no profit, we should with a diligent effort, as unashamed workmen, rightly divide the word of truth. Then came the warning to "shun profane and vain babblings" which only increase unto more ungodliness (2:16), and further that the words of these babblers actually eat as gangrene (2:17). Their "erring from the truth" (2:18) is placed in the context of Paul's exhortation to "rightly divide the truth". And there you have the two ways. One "rightly divides the truth" while the other errs from the truth, "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (3:7).
The more we read the context around "rightly dividing the word of truth", the further removed we are from the idea of "studying". Hymenaeus and Philetus erred by teaching that the resurrection was past, resulting in the faith of some being overthrown. In perfect contrast, rightly dividing the truth must result in faith's establishment, and so it does. We rightly divide the truth when we take what we read (or hear) and place it in the correct context in which it was intended by its eternal Author. That is "rightly dividing the word of truth"!
Hymenaeus and Philetus (2:17) taught that the resurrection had passed because no longer were evidenced the signs miracles and wonders so common after the "Day of Pentecost". True, GOD was now dispensing differently than HE had during the days of the Book of ACTS. This was recognized by all. No longer was one healed simply by the shadow of Peter (ACTS 5:15) or the handkerchiefs of Paul (ACTS 19:12). Now we read of Paul encouraging Timothy to "use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities" (1st TIMOTHY 5:23) and how Epaphroditus was "sick, nigh unto death" (PHILIPPIANS 2:25).
The reason the Believers were no longer experiencing the same signs miracles and wonders that we find commonplace during the Book of ACTS, isn't because Yeshua (Jesus) had indeed returned and gathered His chosen unto Him, as Hymenaeus and Philetus taught. That would have required Israel's national repentance and conversion (ACTS 3:19,20), which it was becoming evident to Paul they had no inclination of doing. It was all the other way! It was because of Israel's stiff necked and hard heartedness, that the signs miracles and wonders finally ceased. GOD having judged them unworthy HE turned from Israel to the nations with HIS grace (ACTS 28:28). GOD then chose a new and better way to reveal HIMself beyond the signs miracles and wonders which had been especially for that particular age (HEBREWS 2:4), which was now past, or more accurately, held in abeyance.
This new dispensing was what Paul was endeavoring to reveal in his final seven Epistles. Probably the most vital aspect for us of rightly dividing the word of truth is to recognize the change GOD then made in HIS dealing with mankind, i.e. what went before ACTS 28:28 and what went after. Failing to recognize this one simple difference, this great dividing line (with the Great Mystery hid on one side and then revealed on the other, EPHESIANS 3:5), has issued in a tidal wave of misconceptions regarding GOD's will.
Most Christian groups encourage us to return to our roots, to the 1st Century, to the Book of ACTS, and with great pains try to duplicate the lifestyle of those Believers then. But their efforts always fail because that is an age of which GOD has closed. We now live in a new and better age of which Paul writes in his seven final Epistles. In this age GOD has "blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world" (EPHESIANS 1:3, 4). In this age HE has "raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (EPHESIANS 2:6), "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God" (EPHESIANS 3:9). What privileges, what rewards, what crowns are offered us far surpassing any offered in the ages passed!
Howbeit, aside from the Book of ACTS and Paul's Epistles, much of the rest of the Bible is in like manner wrongly divided. Let's consider the Bible's very assemblage. We have the Book handed down to us divided into two unequal parts, entitled the Old and New Testaments. Is this a right cutting or a wrong cutting, a right dividing or a wrong dividing?
"Testament" is from the Latin word testamentum and to us has the sense of one's last will and testament. Testament, taken in its modern sense has nothing whatever to do with this division of the Bible. For this and other reasons, testament is an unfortunate choice of words to describe these two divisions of the Bible. Although "Testament" was used by the early translators, the modern word "covenant" was meant.
Primarily, what was different about the New Testament from the Old were two things. For the most part, what we today call the Old Testament, is actually the original Jewish Bible. The New Testament was not accepted by the Judeans as authoritative, because, after all, they denied Yeshua as the Messiah, of Whom the New Testament proclaims. Therefore, the New Testament writings were never included in their Bible.
The second major difference in the two Testaments is the language in which they each were written and then translated from. Nearly all of the Old Testament was written in Hebrew (a small portion being written in Aramaic). Howbeit, most ancient texts of the New Testament from which our translations came, were from the Greek. Even today, most English Bibles are researched in the Hebrew for the Old Testament and in the Greek for the New Testament. These are primarily the only two real differences between the two divisions.
So why are the two parts of the Bible considered by most as the New and Old Covenants? Because, in the Old Testament Yahweh (GOD) gave to Israel a covenant (EXODUS 24:8). Then later, HE said that the covenant was old, and HE would someday give them a new one (JEREMIAH 31:31). When Yeshua came, He declared that He was indeed that New Covenant (MARK 14:24). Therefore, the translators who made these two divisions of the Bible, arranged all the scriptures written before Yeshua, calling them the Old Testament (or Covenant) and then their other division contains all the Scripture written after Yeshua, calling them the New Testament (or Covenant).
This all sounding reasonable, one wonders what's the problem with dividing the Bible into the New and Old Covenants? Well, the problem is that not all of the Old Testament deals with the "Old Covenant" and not all of the New Testament deals with the "New Covenant". In fact, long before Yahweh ever gave Israel the Old Covenant, HE was making other covenants with various peoples (GENESIS 6:19; 9:16). And in the New Testament, after Israel's final rejection at the end of the Book of ACTS, GOD sent HIS word to the Gentiles, with whom HE had no "New Covenant", for the New Covenant was strictly for "the house of Israel and with the house of Judah" (HEBREWS 8:8). Hence, as pointed out above, many of Paul's letters written after ACTS 28:28 can only be understood if read apart from any "covenant" relationship between Yahweh and man.
So it can easily be argued that the two divisions of the Old and New Testament have wrongly divided the Bible. What was (with the two covenants) Yahweh's will for Israel is wrongly thought to be Yahweh's will for the Gentiles. From that one basic examination, one can see that wrongly dividing the scriptures can lead to a great deal of confusion as one reads to understand GOD's will. This wrong dividing explains why we have so many factions in the Christian community today. Each striving about words to no profit while all the time wrongly diving the word of truth.
Since creation, GOD has chosen to reveal HIS will to various peoples. Sometimes what HE revealed was for that particular person in that specific age. Sometimes what HE revealed was for the people to whom HE spoke (i.e. Jews or Gentiles) but for a different age. Then at other times what HE revealed was for a different people in a distant age. Understanding to whom GOD speaks, and for what age HE is speaking, is to rightly divide the word of truth.
All Scripture can teach us truth, but we are not to read a verse written to others and pretend that it is written to us. Case in point; not all the Bible is written for all people. That may be disturbing to some, but that is the reality. At one time only Israel was considered by GOD to be HIS people, but then during the dispersion HE sowed them among the nations that the Gentiles might also believe. Eventually, the "children of the living God" were made up of a collection of people from every nation, chosen by GOD.
ROMANS 9:25-26 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
In that previous age the people of GOD were chosen from the foundation of the world (MATTHEW 25:34), but now it is revealed that we were chosen from before the "foundation [overthrow] of the world" (EPHESIANS 1:4). Obviously, things written to some cannot be read as if they were written to others.
Another superb example of this principle of rightly dividing the word of truth is concerning what food we are to eat. In the Garden of Eden, GOD instructed man that "every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat" (GENESIS 1:29). Hence, in the beginning man was to be a vegetarian. But, after the great flood, GOD then instructed Noah that "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you..." (GENESIS 9:3). They were then to include all meats in their diet. But afterwards, the law of Moses instituted many restrictions on that diet. No longer could they eat pork, many fowl and various insects that were allowed before. Then finally, in Paul's final epistles we are instructed to no longer "...abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving....For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving" (1 TIMOTHY 4:3-4). Thus, today there are no restrictions whatsoever.
Another good example of rightly dividing the word of truth is concerning marriage and divorce. Originally, the man and woman were to marry and remain married, as Yeshua testified (MARK 10:6-9). But because of the hard heartedness of the Judeans, Moses allowed them to divorce as Yeshua explained (MARK 6:2-5). Then, during the Book of ACTS, when the return of Christ was eminent and the end of that age was at hand, Paul wrote "Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife" (1 CORINTHIANS 7:27). His reason being that the national crisis was so near, the flood waters were rising and the dam was near being ruptured, that present urgency required Believers to apply themselves wholly to speak the word, not to start families. All their energies were required to spread the word of the gospel. But after that fateful day came and went (ACTS 28:28) and a new age was ushered in (EPHESIANS 2:13,19; 3:5), then everything changed. Then Paul could write, "I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house" (1 TIMOTHY 5:14).
Still yet another perfect example of this right dividing of the word of truth was to whom was which gospel sent. During Yeshua's ministry as recorded in the four Gospels, His instruction was to "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not" (MATTHEW 10:5). His message was to be declared first and foremost to the Judeans. Even during the Book of ACTS this is where they concentrated their efforts. Only to the Judeans and proselytes was the gospel preached and then only after these first rejected it was it offered to the Gentiles. Paul affirmed this when he wrote, "Now I say that Jesus was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers" (ROMANS 15:8). But, after the end of the Book of ACTS, when GOD's grace turned from the Judeans to the Gentiles, then we read "Unto me [Paul], who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (EPHESIANS 3:8). And then again, that "...there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all" (COLOSSIANS 3:11).
A few more examples of rightly dividing the words of truth are as follows. Yeshua said, "All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given" (MATTHEW 19:11). To rightly divide it, we must know to whom it was given.
Then He said, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now" (JOHN 16:12). The many things were not for the Gospel age but for a later period.
To the Samaritan woman He declared "Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father" (JOHN 4:21). Obviously, at some future date there was going to be some major changes regarding worship.
Yeshua repeatedly admonished them that "ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time...But I say unto you..." (MATTHEW 5). He Himself was initiating a change.
Finally, Paul declared that "the times of this ignorance GOD winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent" (ACTS 17:30).
From all this and more if we would have the time, it is irrefutable that the word of truth must be rightly divided to be understood. GOD is really not that difficult to understand if we will always do one thing, rightly divide HIS words.
