By Teena Myers

2Timothy 2:15 KJV Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  

Some Bible versions translate “rightly dividing” as “accurately handling the word of truth.”

In context, Paul was exhorting Timothy, a minister of the Gospel, to teach scripture accurately. Teaching is a gift of the Spirit. Not everyone has the gift of teaching, but everyone needs to know how to rightly divide the word of truth.

There are a lot of good people who spread error about God, because people they respect taught them error. The person teaching it and people repeating it believe they have the truth, or they would not be teaching it and repeating it. Most error comes from spiritually immature people who have no malicious intent. They don’t know what they don’t know. But it muddies the water and makes it hard to find the truth about God.

The truth about God is very important. God is looking for people who worship him in Spirit and truth. If the image of God in our hearts is not an accurate image of who he is, we are worshipping an idol fashioned by a lie. It is the lies we believe that will make us doubt God’s character. Doubting God’s character sets us up to sin.

To rightly divide the word of truth, we must pay close attention to what God said.

1Co 2:11 NLT  No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own Spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.

The only way to know God’s thoughts is for God to give them to us, so he did.

Hebrews 1:1 NLT Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son.

Today, in the Bible, we have in writing what God said through the prophets and Jesus. We also have in writing what God’s people said who lived when the prophets and Jesus spoke. To righty divide the word of truth, we must compare the words and deeds of God with the words and deeds of the people in the Bible and the things his people say, do, and write today.

Everything that God and Jesus said is the truth we need to worship him in Spirit and truth. It is impossible for God to lie (Heb 6:18). Their words are the standard by which we interpret the words God’s imperfect people say.   

We will examine three examples in order to understand how to properly divide between God and his people, accurately handle the word of truth, and build upon the foundation of Abraham’s faith in Jesus, which is pleasing to God and grants us salvation.  

FIRST EXAMPLE: Adam and Eve

Gen 3:1-5  Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”  

(2)  The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;  (3)  but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'”  

(4)  The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!  (5)  “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

To understand what happened in this conversation that questioned God’s integrity, we need to know what God said.

Eve said:God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'”  

Did God say they would die if they touched the fruit?

Before God created Eve. He put Adam in the garden and said to him,

Gen 2:17 “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely;  (17)  but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

God said eat three times, he never said if you touch the fruit you will die. Where did that come from and how did it become “God said.”

The things we add to God’s word DO NOT help us obey him. Eve believed God said don’t touch it or you will die. When she touched the fruit and did not die, she had a reason to believe the serpent was right. God lied to them, so he could withhold something good. That little addition to God’s word that he never said created doubt about God’s character and his intentions toward them that emboldened them to ignore his warning and eat from the forbidden tree.

God walked in the garden in the cool of the day. Why didn’t they wait and ask God to explain why Eve touched the fruit and did not die? Why were they willing to believe the worst of God without giving him an opportunity to face his accuser?

If their treatment of God had been fair, they would not have eaten the forbidden fruit or even touched it, until God had his say.

SECOND EXAMPLE: Jethro’s Counsel

Moses had sent his wife and sons back to Midian to stay with her father, Jethro, who was a priest, a religious leader. When Moses returned to Mt. Sinai with Israel, Jethro brought Moses his wife and children. While he was there, he saw long lines of people waiting for Moses to settle disputes and teach them about God. He rightly discerned the demand on Moses was too great a burden for him to bear alone.

Concerned about his son-in-law, he offered advice on how to lighten the load on Moses that Moses and the leaders of Israel thought was a good idea and implemented it. They appointed rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens to bear the burden with Moses.

Jethro said, “Let them judge the people at all times; and let it be that they will bring to you every major matter, but they will judge every minor matter themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will carry the burden with you. Exodus 18:22

Jethro also said do this if God commands. But we read in

Exodus 18:24 So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything that he had said.

Unlike Acts Chapter 15 when the disciples debated if Gentiles must obey the law God gave Moses, and said it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, there is nothing in this story that said they consulted God and Jethro’s solution seemed good to God.

Mathematically, Moses now had over 70,000 rulers to bear the burden of leadership with him. The only problems Moses dealt with were the ones too difficult for all these rulers to handle.

The heading over this story, in some Bibles, says JETHRO’S WISE ADVICE, implying it solved the problem. Did Jethro’s advice work? Did it make Moses’s burden lighter?

Let’s find out.

One year later, in addition to the 70,000 rulers, they had law, a tabernacle, a priesthood and were organized to travel to the land of their ancestors. They left Mt. Sinai and traveled three days into the wilderness, but the journey was difficult, so the people complained. God heard them complaining and sent a fire among them. People died. Moses interceded. God removed the fire.

People died the last time they complained, so what did they do again? They complained. They are sick of eating manna; the angel’s food God gave them to eat. They wanted meat like they ate in Egypt. This time, God and Moses were angry, so Moses did what the people were doing. He complained.

Numbers 11:14 NLT I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!”

Moses said he can’t carry the people; the load is too heavy!

He had 70,000 rulers helping him carry the burden of leadership. If Jethro’s wise advice worked, why, a year later, did Moses ask God to kill him because the burden was too heavy?

1 Cor 3:19-21 AMP

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness (absurdity, stupidity) before God; for it is written [in Scripture], “[He is] the one who catches the wise and clever in their craftiness;” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the [humanly] wise, that they are useless.” So let no one boast in men [about their wisdom, or of having this or that one as a leader].

Paul wrote this to address the problem tearing apart the Corinthian church. They were quarreling about their favorite leader. Some embraced Paul, others Apollos or Peter and some Christ when they should have all been sitting at the feet of Christ.

Thankfully, God does not do everything we ask him to do. Now that Moses knows the wisdom of his father-in-law, a religious leader he respected, did not work, God gave him wise advice. This is how I know they never consulted God about Jethro’s advice. God had a different solution to the problem.

Num 11:16 So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you that you may not bear it yourself alone.

Human wisdom produced thousands of people to relieve the burden of leadership and created a caste system to solve the problem. The guys at the bottom handle the minor problems. The higher you go up the chain of government, the greater the wisdom. Now everyone at the bottom will aspire to be a ruler of thousands, creating competition. All Jethro’s advice did was create a bloated government that failed to solve the problem.

God solved it with 70 equals. The problem with the 70,000 is they did not have the same Spirit that rested on Moses. Equals don’t need to compete. Working with your equal does not diminish you and your calling, it makes you more efficient and stronger.

We need to diligently search for God’s wisdom in everything we do instead of relying solely on a minister of God who may or may not have the Spirit and wisdom of God. There are many ministers who do, but there are also some who don’t. I am not telling you they are all bad. The Apostle Paul warned the Ephesians that grievous wolves would enter the church, and even those among us would abandon the faith and speak perverse things to draw disciple after them. These people who are not called to teach muddy the water (teaching) about God that keeps the church pure. We must pan for the gold that is God’s wisdom.

LAST EXAMPLE: THE NEW TESTAMENT LETTERS

2 Timothy 3:15-16 Paul wrote:  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.  (16)  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

When Paul wrote those words, he was not talking about the writings of the early Christians. And he was not talking about his own letter he sent to Timothy that we now call 2 Timothy. The Bible as we know it did not exist yet. He encouraged Timothy to pay attention to the Old Testament prophecies that Paul often quoted when he wrote his letters.

  Peter also had something to say about these prophecies. He wrote about hearing God’s voice from heaven when he was on the mount and saw Moses, Elijah and Jesus transfigured. Peter wanted to build a tabernacle for each of them. God rebuked Peter when he said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35 NLT)

God’s people are not perfect. Sometimes, like Peter, they don’t have the best ideas. In response to that experience, Peter wrote:

2 Peter 1:19 So we have the prophetic word made more sure,

What Peter saw on the mountain and heard God say confirmed that the Old Testament prophecies are reliable. He witnessed the fulfillment of what God said to Moses in the life of Jesus. God was talking about Jesus when he said to Moses,

Deu 18:18-19  ‘I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.  (19)  ‘It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.

Jesus’ words were not his thoughts and ideas. He only spoke what God told him to say. Then Peter said,

to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place,…

 To rightly divide the word of truth, we need the light in the Old Testament prophecies and the light Jesus’ words give us.

Then Peter gave us a good reason we should pay attention to the prophecies.

 (20)  But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,

 The prophecies in the Old Testament are not an interpretation of what God said. The prophecies are God himself speaking.

(21)  for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.  

The prophecies in scripture and everything Jesus said is God expressing his thoughts to us without the filter of human wisdom, human desires, and human bias that distort those thoughts.   

When I was studying for a bachelor’s in theology, one of the required courses was Church Government. The teacher and the curriculum he wrote taught that women cannot hold places of leadership over men. The teacher and I disagreed on that topic.

His justification for that belief was based on the writings of Paul. I pointed out to him that Paul said some of his advice were his own opinions, not God’s thoughts.

1Co 7:8 NASB (8)  But I say (“I say,” not God said. This is Paul’s judgment about how the people of his generation and culture should live the Christian life) to the unmarried and to widows that it is good for them if they remain even as I (meaning unmarried).  

Now let’s rightly divide the word of truth.

Paul thought it was good to remain unmarried.

Did God think it was good to remain unmarried?

Gen 2:18  Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

The suitable helper was a woman to be his wife. If someone remains single because Paul thought it was a good idea, they had done nothing wrong.

But I think God is smarter than Paul about what is good for us. Why settle for human wisdom when God’s foolishness is wiser than the wisdom of the wisest human who ever lived?

1 Cor 7:10-11 (10)  But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband  (11)  (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife.

Paul made it clear this was not his judgment. It’s God’s.

 (12)  But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her.

Verse 12 is Paul’s wisdom not God’s wisdom.

1Co 7:25  Now concerning virgins I have no command of the Lord, but I give an opinion as one who by the mercy of the Lord is trustworthy.

Can it be any clearer that everything Paul wrote was NOT God’s wisdom, some of it was human wisdom. Paul’s best judgements to help Christians who had questions about living their new life in Christ.

Are we in agreement that everything Paul wrote is NOT “Thus saith the Lord.”

Now let’s look at Paul’s wisdom that created a stumbling block, making it difficult for women to fulfilling their callings for thousands of years.

1Ti 2:12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.  

Who does not allow a woman to teach and exercise authority over a man? Paul does not allow it. Then he backed up what he does not allow with three reasons.

1Ti 2:13-14 For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression (she sinned).

Paul listed the woman being created second, being deceived, and sinning as his three reasons for why a woman should not teach or exercise authority over a man.

I find his reasons to justify what HE does not allow incredibly weak.

FIRST REASON: CREATED SECOND

There are only two men who do not have a human father. God formed Adam from dirt. He was the first. Then he formed Jesus in Mary’s womb. He was the second and Paul called Jesus the last Adam. So, we have a first Adam and a second Adam. If being second disqualifies you from leadership, should Jesus be disqualified for being created second? 1 Cor 15:45

Why does being created second disqualify a woman from a place of leadership but not a man?

SECOND REASON: BEING DECEIVED

Is being deceived worse than having a man who was not deceived, knows the truth from God himself, and consciously betrays God with eyes wide open? Is it better for men who do not fear and respect God when he speaks to be in authority over others?

If men were incapable of being deceived, I could agree with Paul. But men get deceived, just like women do.

Why does being deceived disqualify a woman from a place of leadership, but not a man?

            THIRD REASON: TRANSGRESSION/SHE SINNED

Was Paul saying Adam did not sin against God when he ate fruit from the forbidden tree? Paul was a Pharisee before he embraced faith. He sounds a lot like those Pharisees who brought the woman before Jesus for committing adultery to be judged, but not the man. The woman did not commit adultery by herself. And Eve did not sin by herself.

It would be easier to accept Paul’s reason for excluding women from being leaders if men were incapable of sinning against God. Regardless of the reason Adam and Eve sinned, they both committed the same sin. They ate fruit from the tree that God told them “do not eat.”

 So how does that justify excluding women from leadership but not men?

We have Paul’s thoughts. We have my thoughts about Paul’s thoughts. Are my thoughts enough to settle the issue? NO.

We need God’s thoughts to settle the issue of women in leadership.

Let’s look at the inspired holy scriptures that the prophets were moved by God to say that are free from human desires and human bias. What we are about to read is not an interpretation of what God said, it is God himself speaking.

Micah 6:4 “Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt and ransomed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam.”

God’s Word / Good News Translation: “I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you.”

New International Version: I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.

Contemporary English Bible: I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to be your leaders.

God sent two men and a woman to lead what Stephen called the church in the wilderness (Acts 7:38). Unless you do what Adam and Eve did. Add your thoughts and claim “God said.”

If you add “and Miriam to lead the women,” you are doing what Adam and Eve did that open the door to death. Many a woman’s ministry has been suppressed or never developed because men added their ideas and claim God said.

Where did the idea that women should not be in places of authority over men originate?

In Egypt where they integrated the religion of the world into their religion. When God came to Egypt to deliver them, he told them to get rid of their idols and make him their one and only God. God told us through the prophets they never abandoned the way the world worships. There were some exceptions. In Elijah’s generation, 6000 out of over a million refused to worship idols. They never stopped worshipping the way the world worships. They included God into their worship, and then lied, more than one time, when they told God he would be their one and only God.

In Egypt where they lived for 215 years, women were regarded as the equals of men in every aspect save that of occupation. The man was the head of the household and nation. They held positions of authority such as king, governor, general.

Women ran the home and contributed to the stability of the nation as doctors, musicians, scribes, and many other jobs, sometimes even those involving authority over men. A few women ruled as Pharaoh either in their own right or as regents for their sons. But their social standing depended on the support and approval of men and, in some cases, was denied or challenged.   (World History Encyclopedia worldhistory.org)

Why do we ignore what God said to act like Egyptians?

I asked the teacher who built his theology on Paul’s wisdom to explain Micah 6:4. He repeated the things Paul said, and never addressed or even acknowledged Micah 6:4 exists and told me it’s scary when people don’t believe the word of God.

I agree, but he was the one ignoring what God said to embrace what Paul “does not allow.” God is talking in Micah 6:4. I believe the word of God. What God said trumps what anyone else says. God said he sent a woman to lead what Stephen called the church in the wilderness.

I rejected the teacher’s interpretation of Paul’s teaching because he refused to address what God said. It’s scary when we ignore God to establish our beliefs on human wisdom. Who do we worship, God or his flawed people?

The scriptures that justified the teacher’s belief was Paul talking, not God. Paul did not say this is from the Lord like he did in 1 Cor 7:10, he said, “I do not allow.”

This teacher is very critical of the Catholics because they believe when the Pope speaks on matters of doctrine, he is infallible. Yet he treats the Apostle Paul as infallible, just like the Catholics treat the Pope.

Human wisdom, exalted above God’s wisdom will make you a hypocrite. The teacher’s actions spoke louder than his words. He told me he supports women pastors and named a few mutual acquaintances and what he had done to help them.

He said one thing, but did another. Why is he supporting women pastors when he believes the Bible says women should not have authority over men? Why is he supporting women who he believes are rebelling against God’s divine order? His actions spoke the truth, his mouth refused to acknowledge.

To his credit, even though we ended the disagreement with neither one of us changing our minds, he gave me an A in Church Government.

In Sum, I DID NOT teach you there is error in the Bible. I said there is God’s wisdom in the Bible and there is some human wisdom in the Bible. The Bible is accurate history and the only book that contains God’s thoughts without human desires and human bias, and that is what makes it HOLY. God’s words make this book holy. We rightly divide the word of truth, accurately handle scripture, correctly interpret its meaning, when we exalt God’s wisdom above human wisdom.

It is my prayer that you will take this principle of interpretation and build on the faith of God’s friend, Abraham, who saw Jesus afar off and was willing to die in faith believing God will raise us from the dead to share in everything he gave to Jesus, to Abraham and to those who walk in the steps of Abraham’s faith.

©Teena Myers 2024