SOLDIER, ATHLETE, AND FARMER
2 Timothy 2:3-7 NKJ
3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.
Paul is writing to his son in the faith, Timothy. Timothy is the pastor of the large church in Ephesus and has been having challenges. I read where someone estimated the church Timothy was leading to be over 30,000 people. I have no way of validating that number, but large churches were not uncommon in that day. In other countries right now, there are churches with hundreds of thousands of members. God can do big things.
Paul instructs Timothy by drawing a parallel with three different groups of people. These three groups would be familiar to Timothy and the culture of that day. Soldiers are the first group that Paul uses as an illustration. Timothy was instructed to endure hardships as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one could accuse soldiers of living a life of ease. Tough situations were simply a part of being a good soldier. As a soldier of Jesus Christ, there would be some difficulties that were part of the package—opposition from a society that was not warm toward Christians. Challenges from the Jewish sector and, of course, the enemy, Satan, was opposed to the gospel being spread. So Timothy was told to "soldier up."
Soldiers were not only tough, but they were also focused. A good soldier was single-minded on the task of soldiering. A good soldier could not afford to get tied up with the affairs of civilian life. If a soldier was going to please the one who enlisted him then he would have to remain as distraction free as possible. Paul wanted Timothy to stay focused on what God had called him to do.
Paul then instructs Timothy to play by the rules. An athlete was part of another group of people with a very specific task and focus. An athlete trained to win and trained according to the rules of his sport. A winning athlete did not cheat. If an athlete did not play by the rules, he would never receive the victor's crown. In Paul's day, there were no gold and silver medals. There was the winner who received the crown and then everyone else. Paul wanted Timothy to receive the crown of life, the reward the Lord gives, so he had to play by God's rules and God's ways.
The last group that was called to Timothy's attention was the hardworking farmer. Everyone I have ever known who grew up on a farm talked about how hard the work was. Many people swore when they were old enough, they would leave the farm and not look back. Farming is hard work. But farmers were the first to share in the crops, so the farmer had to ensure that the crops were good. Paul encouraged Timothy to work hard and produce something of value.
Timothy was told to consider what Paul had said. As he thought about the words of his mentor, the Lord would give him understanding.
APPLICATION
We can look at all three groups Paul mentioned and find appropriate parallels for our lives. Starting with a soldier's mentality. Good soldiers for the Lord are not scared off by hard times but remain focused and undistracted. Athletes run to win and stay conscious of doing things God's way, not just any way they want. And farmers are consistent in their efforts, planting seeds and tending to the harvest. Paul was talking about mentality and mindset when he referenced these three groups. Even though we live in a different day and culture, the principles still apply.