My dad used to say that we were given two ears and one
mouth for a reason. This was usually at times when me and my siblings were
talking without thinking and needed to listen with our brains in gear rather
than our mouths.
Silence is good advice for those who are in a place of
learning. A few weeks ago we sadly experienced two visitors in our church who
talked throughout the entire service. They did not sing with the rest of us nor
did they stop talking when anyone was speaking. I wondered why they came.
A Facebook video also made me wonder. Several graduating
students were asked questions that they could not answer. One of them was, “If
a man had 15 sheep and they all died but 8, how many sheep did he have left?”
The student was stumped. Even though the question was repeated several times,
he didn’t have a clue and could not answer. This interview revealed how some folks
do not know how to listen or learn from what they hear.
That said, I come to a very controversial passage in
Paul’s instructions to a young pastor. He is talking about a church setting and
how to keep order in that setting. Just as now, some people may have had
problems with listening. Not only that, in those days, the men and women sat in
different sections of the temple. I don’t know if that continued in the early
church, but if it did and a woman wanted to know what was going on, she had to
call out her question. Whatever the reasons, Paul wrote:
Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. (1 Timothy 2:11–15)
A young man once told me that he didn’t like women in the
room when he was watching football. He said, “They don’t know the game and ask
too many questions. We just want to watch it.”
I took that to heart because I didn’t want to be excluded.
I also discovered that if I paid attention, I can learn ‘what happened’ in the
game without saying a word. Maybe this attitude is what Paul had in mind. That
is how many interpret his words. It is a cultural problem with a principle implied
— not a total restriction but an attitude that women should have — don’t be a
noisy, authoritative person. Pay attention with my ears rather than assume that
I know everything. Eve did that and remember where her attitude led.
As for the last line about salvation through childbearing;
I have no clue what that means only that it uses a singular ‘she’ and a plural
‘they.’ This may indicate the person saved through childbearing (she) refers to
the promise made to Eve that salvation would come through her seed, Jesus. If
all women after her (they) believe in that promised ‘child’ they will show
their faith with love, holiness and a key word: self-control.
Self-control, as used in the New Testament, is not
self-effort as we often use this term. It is listed as a fruit of the Spirit
and unless I am filled with God’s Holy Spirit, I will not be able to control
the old nature and the sins of the flesh. In this context, I will not be able
to shut up and listen. My old self wants to talk, to tell others (including
men) what to do, and to lord it over them with my so-called knowledge. If this
analysis is correct, then it makes sense that God tells me to stop doing that
and use my ears instead of my mouth.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Lord Jesus, this is helpful. It explains why You bless me
when I speak something Your Spirit gives me to say, no matter who the audience
includes, and at other times You warn me to be quiet. It isn’t about total
silence but about speaking in a sinful, selfish way like an unsaved person
might. Faith, love and holiness is not that. It is waiting for Your Spirit’s
guidance and if You do not give me words, I’m to remain quiet — lest I am
deceived and sin — or worse, lead someone else to sin because I’ve not followed
the lessons given in the story of Eden.
Today’s thankful list . . .
Sunshine all day — finally.
A sew day with a few ladies from our local quilt guild.
Sharing skills and laughter.
Carrot muffins.
Chicken already roasted and ready to eat so I don’t have
to cook when tired.
The skills of talented people.
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