Both when exhorting others, and when speaking of himself, the apostle often speaks of

"working with the hands" and although, so far as we can gather, he was under no

necessity before conversion thus to earn his living, he was glad to find that his craft of

tent-making was of service when the necessity arose (Acts 18: 3). Service in the gospel

or among believers is often denominated "work". Timothy is exhorted to do the "work"

of an evangelist (II Tim. 4: 5) and the equipment, by the Word, of the man of God, is a

thorough outfitting "unto all good works" (II Tim. 3: 17). So also, under the figure of a

"vessel", the separated servant is meet for the master's use, and prepared "unto every

good work" (II Tim. 2: 21). As an example of the difference between the approval of

God and the approval of men, compare the joyous consciousness of the Lord's approval

in II Tim. 4: 8, 9 with the estimate of man in II Tim. 2: 9, "I suffer as an evil worker,

kakourgos", and, in contrast to the suggestion of denial and shame of II Tim. 2: 12 & 15,

see the confidence of II Tim. 4: 18, "The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work".

In this chapter the apostle has already brought before us three figures, and, together with

those that follow, they all focus attention on this one element of being ashamed. We

have seen how the word "ashamed" dominates the section 1: 8-18. Timothy is exhorted

not to be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord nor of Paul, His prisoner, but to suffer

afflictions with the gospel (1: 8). Paul declares that, in spite of unprecedented sufferings,

he is unashamed, and associates "that day", to which he looks forward, with the sacred

trust "committed" to him (1: 12). Onesiphorus is commended for his "diligence" and

because he was not ashamed of Paul's "chain" (1: 16, 17). With these examples on the

one hand, and II Tim. 2: 15 on the other, we can easily see that the three figures

introduced into II Tim. 2: 3-6 carry on the same message. The good soldier who

endures hardness, will "please" his Lord, and will therefore be unashamed. The athlete

who strives for masteries and who keeps the rules, wins a crown and so will be

unashamed. The husbandman labours before partaking of the fruits, but the partaking is

the very reverse of being ashamed.

To have to say of a servant that he is one who has drawn back under affliction and

denied the Lord (II Tim. 2: 12) is but another way of saying that he is ashamed of the

testimony of the Lord's prisoner. And those servants of the Lord who "shun", "avoid',

"turn away", and "purge themselves" are "meet for the master's use", are "unto honour",

and so unashamed. Timothy therefore was exhorted to consider these various figures and

apply the principles involved to his own work. In chapter 1: there is an anticipation of

the great principle of right division, for the apostle emphasizes "The testimony of the

Lord and of me His prisoner". He refers to that calling that goes back "before age times"

but is manifest "now" that he is a prisoner. He draws attention to his own special

ministry to the Gentiles and the "good deposit" entrusted to him and afterwards

committed to Timothy, when he urged upon him the importance of having a pattern of

sound words which he had heard of him, and in chapter 2: he exhorts Timothy to

commit to faithful men "the things he had heard of him". What is all this but the

application of right division? Here a distinction between the apostle's earlier ministry

and his "prison ministry" is intimated. Here is a recognition of the distinctive calling of

Eph. 1:--"before the foundation of the world".  Here is the claim that the apostle,

preacher and teacher of the Gentiles, is Paul, and here the distinction is made between

"that good deposit" and other parts of God's purposes. If Timothy is to be unashamed of