20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but others of wood and earth, and some which are honoured and some without honour.
The valued sons of Zion, whose price was the best gold, are looked on as vessels of earth, the work of the hands of the potter!
Or has not the potter the right to make out of one part of his earth a vessel for honour, and out of another a vessel for shame? What if God, desiring to let his wrath and his power be seen, for a long time put up with the vessels of wrath which were ready for destruction: And to make clear the wealth of his glory to vessels of mercy, which he had before made ready for glory,
You, as living stones, are being made into a house of the spirit, a holy order of priests, making those offerings of the spirit which are pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.
And make all its vessels, the baskets for taking away the dust of the fire, the spades and basins and meat-hooks and fire-trays, of brass.
And let the gold and silver vessels from the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the Temple at Jerusalem to Babylon, be given back and taken again to the Temple at Jerusalem, every one in its place, and put them in the house of God.
Belshazzar, while he was overcome with wine, gave orders for them to put before him the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar, his father, had taken from the Temple in Jerusalem; so that the king and his lords, his wives and his other women, might take their drink from them.
Do you not see that you are God's holy house, and that the Spirit of God has his place in you? If anyone makes the house of God unclean, God will put an end to him; for the house of God is holy, and you are his house.
But we have this wealth in vessels of earth, so that it may be seen that the power comes not from us but from God;
Who kept faith with God who gave him his place, even as Moses did in all his house. And it was right for this man to have more honour than Moses, even as the builder of a house has more honour than the house. For every house has a builder; but the builder of all things is God. And Moses certainly kept faith as a servant, in all his house, and as a witness of those things which were to be said later; But Christ as a son, over his house; whose house are we, if we keep our hearts fixed in the glad and certain hope till the end.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 2 Timothy 2
Commentary on 2 Timothy 2 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 2
In this chapter our apostle gives Timothy many exhortations and directions, which may be of great use to other, both ministers and Christians, for whom they were designed as well as for him.
2Ti 2:1-7
Here Paul encourages Timothy to constancy and perseverance in his work: Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, v. 1. Observe, Those who have work to do for God must stir up themselves to do it, and strengthen themselves for it. Being strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus may be understood in opposition to the weakness of grace. Where there is the truth of grace there must be a labouring after the strength of grace. As our trials increase, we have need to grow stronger and stronger in that which is good; our faith stronger, our resolution stronger, our love to God and Christ stronger. Or it may be understood in opposition to our being strong in our own strength: "Be strong, not confiding in thy own sufficiency, but in the grace that is in Jesus Christ.' Compare Eph. 6:10, Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. When Peter promised rather to die for Christ than to deny him he was strong in his own strength; had he been strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, he would have kept his standing better. Observe,
The apostle further commends what he had said to the attention of Timothy, and expresses his desire and hope respecting him: Consider what I say, and the Lord give thee understanding in all things, v. 7. Here,
2Ti 2:8-13
2Ti 2:14-18
Having thus encouraged Timothy to suffer, he comes in the next place to direct him in his work.
2Ti 2:19-21
Here we see what we may comfort ourselves with, in reference to this, and the little errors and heresies that both infect and infest the church, and do mischief.
2Ti 2:22-26