1 Timothy 1:20
20 Of whom [hos] is [esti] Hymenaeus [Humenaios] and [kai] Alexander; [Alexandros] whom [hos] I have delivered [paradidomi] unto Satan, [Satanas] that [hina] they may learn [paideuo] not [me] to blaspheme. [blasphemeo] KJV-Interlinear
20 Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered over to
Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme. NASB
And finally Paul
mentions two men, by name.Two men that were spreading false information, and as a result,
causing trouble among the Christians.
Nothing is known about Hymenaeus or Alexander.
Hymenaeus is mentioned one more time in 2 Tim 2:17, along with another false
teacher, Philetus. And a man named Alexander is mentioned as an
opponent of the Christian faith in 2 Tim 4:14-15, which may or may not be the
same man.
However, the purpose of
this mentioning of these two men has nothing to do with their names, but with
the repercussions they will be made to experience as a result of their actions
of promoting false ideas.
By implication, Paul
has tried to straighten them out in their thinking, but after so many tries,
and we are not told how many, Paul simply gave up on them and in effect has
given them up to learn from life s experiences.
Satan is the ruler of
the world.
In this world, you
learn from academic teaching, and you learn from experience. Sometimes we call it being book smart or
educated, or street smart.And this is
an expression which Paul uses.These two
men refused to listen and learn from Pauls
instruction, so, Paul is going to let them learn from life.
Whenever you have the
choice to learn, learning from an organized instructional approach is usually
far better than learning from life s experiences. That does not mean that experience is a bad
way to learn, because experience is a great way to learn when it is complimented
by an academic learning approach, or when it is a positive approach.
However, when your mind
is closed to good advice, and when you think you know it all, then you leave
yourself open for learning the hard way.
And that is generally not the preferred way to learn anything, because
learning the hard way means trouble, pain, suffering, anxiety, loss, and so
forth.
Paul tried his best,
but these men would not listen, so Paul simply gave up on them. There is only so much that you can do, and
then you have to let God deal with them in His own way, in His own time.
Learn, paideuo, means to learn from life s experiences. And that is what Paul is going to let them
do.They will learn the hard way, and
now God will be the instructor.
When you suffer in life, that does not mean that you have been bad and deserved
your suffering.Life is full of
hardships.It is the devils world. But there is enough suffering to go around in
a normal day to day life, without looking for it.
Blasphemy is any form
of slander against God.It is not
limited to verbal language.Any sin, any
attitude, any disobedience, etc., certainly qualifies as blasphemy. Even neglect in your mandated daily bible
study, is a form of blasphemy, in that you are not pursuing truth, but coasting
along in the views of the world.
And feeling that what
you are doing is right, is not good enough, if you are
not obedient to Gods mandate to listen, to learn, and to grow up. And thus life enters into your space and that
can mean trouble.
Certainly being
indifferent is bad enough, but when you promote false ideas, attitudes, and opinions,
then that is even worse in that you are attempting to lead others down the path
of your incorrect beliefs, thus misleading them.
And every now and then,
God will step into the picture and drop the hammer on your life, in order to
get you to wake up.
For some people it
works, but for most, it does not work.
And when masses of society drift away from truth, then the magnitude of
suffering grows exponentially.And in
that case you will see regional or national or international trouble of some
type, as well as individual difficulties in ones
life.
Everyone has the
opportunity to make their life better or worse.
You can assume
responsibility and control over your own life, by becoming proactive in your
life, and going after, seeking out, pursuing that which you need to learn, or
you can sit back and wait for someone else to bring things to you. But that is what an infant does.
The infant can t do
anything for itself.It has to cry to
get attention, it has to wait for someone else to care
for it.All it can do, or even wants to
do, is be happy and let the world drift by.
And as such, the infant has nothing to show for its existence.
So, you can remain a spiritual
infant and have nothing to show for your life, even learning the hard way, or
you can take charge of your destiny, and place yourself under Gods control, and
accomplish a life beyond your imagination.
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