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`That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost
which dwelleth in us' (2 Tim. 1:14).
`And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same
commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also' (2
Tim. 2:2).
The structure of 2 Timothy 1:8 -18 is divided into three sections by the
words `not ashamed':
A
1:8 -12
Timothy - Be not ashamed of the testimony ... prisoner
A
1:12 -14
Paul - Not ashamed of suffering as prisoner
A
1:15 -18
Onesiphorus - Not ashamed of chains of prisoner.
There can be no doubt but that the prison ministry of the apostle is uppermost
in this passage, and faithfulness in spite of great opposition is encouraged.
We are concerned at the moment with the second of these subdivisions and so
will set out more fully the structure of that passage.
A
1:12 -14.
Paul -- Not ashamed of suffering as prisoner.
Subject -- The Good Deposit.
Time Period -- That Day.
a
12.
He is able to guard.
b
12.
The Deposit.
c
13.
Have a form of sound words which
thou hast heard of me.
a
14.
Do thou guard.
b
14.
The Good Deposit.
As we have introduced a new translation into the structure, we will deal
with that first. The words of the A.V., `that which I have committed unto Him'
(2 Tim. 1:12), are, in the original, ten paratheken mou, and those of verse 14,
`that good thing which was committed unto thee', are ten kalen paratheken. It
will be seen that, with the exception of the two words mou, `of me', and kalen,
`good', the same words are used in both passages. The R.V. margin informs us
that the Greek means `my deposit'. If we turn to 1 Timothy 6:20 we shall find
the same words used there, `O Timothy, keep that which has been committed to
thy trust', ten paratheken.
In 2 Timothy 2:2, where we read `the things that thou hast heard of me
among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able
to teach others also', the verb paratithemi is used. Moreover, in 1 Timothy
1:18, the apostle uses the same verb where he says: `This charge I commit unto
thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that
thou by them mightest war a good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience'
(1 Tim. 1:18,19).
It is evident that the apostle has some specific body of truth in view
when he uses this word paratheke. This is not only obvious by the way in which
he uses it, but in the way in which he hedges it round. He closely associates
it with what he calls `things heard of me', and even the gospel itself is that
gospel of which Paul was made the herald, and which, in 2 Timothy 2:8, he
denominates `my gospel'. We shall therefore be well advised to go on with our
search, so that we may have the full advantage of all the apostle has to say of
this `good deposit'.