Tag: 1 Timothy 1:18

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1 Timothy 1:18b – Personal Prophecies

“Pentecost” by Sandro Botticelli (c. 1490s), Public Domain
“Pentecost” by Sandro Botticelli (c. 1490s), Public Domain

… in keeping with the prophecies once made about you …

Summary: Paul’s reference to the “prophecies once made about you” leads us to wonder what they might have been and how they came about.   

To understand what Paul is saying in this passage, we really need to talk about personal prophecies. 

In Old Testament times, prophets were people who were selected by God to speak to the people of Israel. Some of the big names included: 

  • Moses — Deuteronomy 34:10, Numbers 12:6–8
  • Aaron — Exodus 7:1
  • Miriam — Exodus 15:20
  • Deborah — Judges 4:4
  • Samuel — 1 Samuel 3:20, Acts 3:24
  • Nathan — 2 Samuel 7:2, 1 Kings 1:8
  • Elijah — 1 Kings 18:36, 2 Kings 1:8
  • Elisha — 2 Kings 3:11, 2 Kings 5:8

While there were sometimes hundreds of false prophets (1 Kings 22:6) the Lord would choose one person to speak for him at a time. When the prophet spoke, whether to one person or many, it was generally about something that affected the whole of Israel. 

After Jesus lived, died, rose, and went up to heaven, something very important changed. The prophet Joel, speaking for God, says: 

“And afterward,
    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
    your old men will dream dreams,
    your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
    I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” (Joel 2:28-29)

Jesus speaks to this directly when he says:

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26)

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes about the “manifestations of the Spirit” and how they are given for the “common good.” Then Paul describes what these look like. Some he calls a “message of wisdom,” while others are a “message of knowledge.” He also explains that one of the manifestations of the Spirit is “prophecy.” (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)

Before Jesus, God used Israel as a “light for the Gentiles” (Isaiah 49:6). After Jesus fulfilled the law (Romans 13:8), God changed tactics. He pours out his Spirit on “all people.” First to convict (John 16:8), and then for those who acknowledge Jesus as Lord, to “teach you all things” (John 14:26). 

It would appear that “all things” includes the prophecies made about Timothy. 

Application: Learn to listen to the Holy Spirit’s teaching.  

Food for Thought: Where would Christianity be without the Holy Spirit? 

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1 Timothy 1:18a – Fighting God

Cartoon picture of a man using a hammer on the foot of the statue "David." The statue says "Ouch!"

Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command …

Summary: The reason for Paul’s command to Timothy is that others were teaching false gospels. Why they were doing this is open to speculation, so let’s speculate!  

“As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies.” (1 Timothy 1:3-4a) 

It is helpful to pause once more and reflect on Paul’s “command.” 

As we have discussed in prior meditations, there was a problem with people teaching “false doctrines.” Why would anyone do this? 

The answer, it turns out, is as old as humankind itself. 

The Tenth Commandment gives us a clue: 

“And you shall not covet … anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Deuteronomy 5:21)

People covet. They are often envious and jealous of what others have or have accomplished. When people feel this way, their expression of envy can be ugly. 

In doing research for our recent meditation, “Glory” (1 Timothy 1:17f), I was shocked to read that when the statue “David” was moved from  Opera del Duomo, where Michelangelo did his work, to the Piazza della Signoria, where it was displayed, it was attacked by envious artists. 

Apparently, a guard had to accompany the giant statue during its four-day journey “to protect it from violence by other artists … who had hoped for the commission.”*

They actually threw stones at it! To this day, there are marks on the statue’s back where stones flung at the statue chipped the marble. 

Even as recently as 1991, a deranged artist snuck a hammer into the museum and started banging on David’s left foot. Before guards could stop him, he had broken off several chunks of marble (some of which were later recovered from tourists trying to sneak them out of the museum!). 

Envy is an ugly thing, and jealousy is an evil master. 

We don’t know exactly why people pushed false doctrines, but it is not hard to imagine that they were envious and wanted to “throw stones” at the work Paul had done. 

What they failed to see was the man behind Paul — Jesus. They weren’t fighting against Paul; they were fighting against God.

Application: Guard your heart against coveting.  

Food for Thought: What message does tearing down what others have built send to the world? 

*Wikipedia. “David (Michelangelo)” Wikipedia, 18 February 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_(Michelangelo)

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