Now we get into some tough/ticklish verses. Please know that
everything that I say comes from a heart of love: love for the Father and His
Word and love for the people God has given me the privilege of serving. The
tough stuff doesn’t start in v. 8 – this one is easy. Paul wanted everyone to
pray. That is a given. He has said that over and over. This time, he mentioned
that they should pray lifting up holy hands. The idea is that of the psalmist
who said, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord but he that has clean hands
and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:3-4). The only way to enter the Lord’s presence is
with our hearts cleansed from sin. It is all about holiness, and Paul was
telling his readers to pray with holy hands lifted before the Father as a symbol
of our pure and holy hearts that come from confession of our sin and
forgiveness through the shed blood of Jesus.
Paul’s point in these verses was to emphasize the need for
holy living in the midst of an unholy culture. We are to be so different, set
apart from the worldly culture, that no one could ever confuse us with the lost
world. What good is all the praying that we are to do for the lost world
(2:1-7) if we don’t model the Christian standards of holiness? Why would people
see the need to change if we look and act just like them? Understand, we may
take offense at the things Paul is about to say because in our culture, women
have the same rights as men, but we must understand Paul’s reasons for saying
these things. Let me give you the version according to Ben Hayes: “Women, don’t
be like the prostitutes serving in the pagan temples of Ephesus.” This is Paul’s
message.
You see, in the pagan worship rituals of that day (just like
in the Old Testament), the temples employed prostitutes to lure men in under
the guise that these false gods wanted to satisfy their every need. We could
talk about some of the things that went on in these temples, but then I would
have to rate this post NC-17 and check your ID before you continued to reading.
It was that bad.
It is very likely that Paul’s appeal to the women had more
to do with them being set apart from these pagan prostitutes. Don’t look like
them, dress like them, or act like them. We could stand a bit more of that in
our day, too. Men and women dressing modestly is pleasing to God. Men and women
looking more like Jesus and less like the world is pleasing to God. Men and
women acting more like Jesus and less like the world is pleasing to God.
But there is another angle that has to be considered. It is
obvious from Paul’s writing that there were women in the church at Ephesus that
came from wealthy families. Powerful families. And Paul reminded them that they
should not flaunt their wealth or their beauty because that can become an issue
of pride – setting themselves above others – and both Jesus and Paul teach that
we should esteem others better than ourselves. It can also drive those less
fortunate away from the gospel. So over the next few days, I want to look at
these verses knowing that there are two words Paul used that speak volumes:
propriety and moderation. Both of these words refer to matters of sex. The
first means to show reserve and the second means to master one’s appetites. Be
different! That is the key.
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