Scripture to Read: 1 Timothy 2:12
As we continue to unpack the line of authority that God has put in place, today we read 1 Timothy 2:12. God led Paul to explain that a woman was not allowed to have authority over a man but that she should remain peaceable. Some translations use the word “quiet,” but peaceable may be a better translation. God led Paul to use the same word translated “quiet” in 1 Timothy 2:2, but it means to live peacefully. The idea in 1 Timothy 2:2 and 1 Timothy 2:12 is to live without hostility and not total silence. As we saw in yesterday’s devotion, God has established an order of authority both in the church (1 Corinthians 11 and 1 Timothy 2) and in the home (Ephesians 5:23). God established this authority so that the husband is the picture of Christ in the home and the wife is the picture of the church (the body of Christ) in the home (Ephesians 5:22-33). For a woman not to teach was a reference to being under the authority of God's leadership in the church. It’s not that a woman could not or should not teach, but she was, and is today, to be submitted to the authorities God called to be the leaders in the church. We see today how Satan is seeking to undermine God’s line of authority. We see it in the corruption of authority and the rejection of authority. As believers, we must not surrender to the deception that Satan has laid out.
Challenge & Application
1. What did God teach you today about the authority He has put in place and how Satan seeks to destroy it?
2. How are you guarding your heart from the lies of Satan and instead willingly submitting to the authorities God has put in place?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!