Day 290 Bible Readings – 1 Timothy 2: 8-10 (ESV)

Jeremiah 35-37, 1 Timothy 2, Proverbs 6: 20-29

1 Timothy 2: 8-10 (ESV)

“I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.”

Verses 8 through 10 from 1 Timothy 2 shows Paul explaining to his protégé Timothy who is at the Church in Ephesus, what are the roles of men and women in church. Paul says men need to pray and lift their hands, not in anger or because they are quarreling. Paul says women must dress with modesty and self-control, and not as they say in our current day “dress to impress”. Paul tells us that only “good works” is what impresses God, and we need to only be impressed by someone “good works” and not anything else. Some might be offended by the comments on how women need to dress, but I think it makes sense. In every church I’ve attended, there have always been women who treat dressing up in church as a fashion show. I’ve also seen where dressing up for church becomes a competitive thing for many women, especially for Easter and Christmas. And of course, there are always women in any church who dress so they can attract a man and sometimes they bare a little too much of their body parts to stand out. I scolded a guy friend of mine once for staring at scantily clad woman, and he told me as a man he couldn’t stop his hormones from getting excited. I don’t blame these women for trying to attract a partner in church, because if you’re a churchgoer you want to marry a churchgoer so you can worship God together as a couple.

I think what Paul told Timothy makes sense to create an environment in church that is conducive for worship and prayer to God. If men are arguing in church against God in their prayers and women are dressing to compete against one another or to attract a partner, they all become a distraction for the group of people who have gathered to worship and pray to God. Paul wanted to make sure that when people are gathered for church, they are focused on God and his word and nothing else. When we are focused on God, we will hear and pay attention to what the Holy Spirit may be trying to tell us to deepen our relationship with God.