2 Timothy 2.6-Paul Uses Agricultural Metaphor to Encourage Timothy He Will Rewarded For His Hard Work
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday April 7, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 2:6-Paul Uses Agricultural Metaphor to Encourage Timothy He Will Be Rewarded For His Hard Work
Lesson # 30
2 Timothy 2:6 The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. (NASB95)
Second Timothy 2:6 The farmer who is hard-working must be the first to receive a share of the crops. (My translation)
Second Timothy 2:6 contains the last of three metaphors which the apostle Paul employs in Second Timothy 2:3-6.
The purpose of these metaphors is to exhort Timothy to continue to remain faithful to Paul’s apostolic teaching.
The first is a military metaphor, the second is an athletic metaphor and the third is an agricultural metaphor.
The military metaphor shows the duty of singleness of purpose.
The athletic one emphasizes the need for Timothy to abide by the rules.
The agricultural one emphasizes the certainty of some reward for the hard work involved.
All three metaphors, drawn from everyday life, complement each other.
So therefore, verse 6 contains an agricultural metaphor which would of course appeal to Timothy’s frame of reference and of course the Ephesian Christian community because their society was an agricultural one.
The language Paul uses in this verse is emphatic.
The farmer who is hard-working must receive first priority when receiving a share of the crops.
In other words, the hard-working farmer has a legitimate claim to the first share of the harvest.
The point would be clear to Timothy.
If, in the natural realm, the hard-working farmer is rewarded by receiving first priority partaking of the harvest, then how much more will this be the case in the spiritual realm in that the Lord will reward him at the Bema Seat for his hard-work on behalf of the gospel.
In other words, if the hard-working farmer is rewarded in the natural realm for his hard-work, so the hard-working communicator of the gospel will be rewarded for his hard-work on behalf of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The hard-working farmer always takes his share of the produce he raises for others.
When he plants crops and harvests them, he is the first one to take a share before he sells it to others to enjoy.
In the same way, the hard-working pastor, like Timothy, who diligently studies, teaches, prays and exemplifies godliness is the first to share of that which he produces for the church.
He first benefits from his diligent work in prayerfully studying the Word of God and then the body of Christ benefits from this prayerful study of the Word of God.
He is the first to benefit spiritually from this prayerful study of the Word of God.
Then the church benefits in that it provides the necessary spiritual nourishment for her individual members to grow up spiritually.
If the farmer in the natural realm does not first partake of the crops before others, then he will soon cease being a farmer.
So the pastor must first partake of the benefits of his prayerful study of the Word of God and its application in his own life before he can minister to the body of Christ with the Word of God.
All of this hard work by the pastor in diligently studying, teaching, praying and exemplifying godliness for the body of Christ will be rewarded by the Lord Jesus Christ at the Bema Seat.
Lenski writes “Also the fact that he toils so that other people may have produce lies in the nature of the case. The whole world lives on the farmer’s produce. The point that Paul wishes to make is the fact that the farmer himself must ever be the first ‘to take his share,’ durative present, i.e., of every crop, year in and year out, whether he does this by eating or by selling his share. A peasant or a renter may have to turn over a share to the owner, an independent owner of a farm must pay his taxes; but every farmer must first have his share, otherwise his farming ceases quite promptly. The application lies on the surface. This is not the truth that Timothy and Paul and preachers generally must have physical sustenance to do their spiritual work, the farmer takes his share of the very produce he raises for others. So Timothy and Paul, who toil for spiritual fruit for others, must ever and ever, as the very first ones, take of this spiritual fruit for themselves. They toil by preaching and teaching the gospel (1:11), and this toil produces faith, love, godlines, etc., precious ‘fruits’ indeed. But unless they are the first to appropriate their share of these fruits they soon cease to be the Lord’s farmers to produce anything for anybody. Yet the point which Paul would here make is the value, the blessedness of the fruits, and the joy of having one’s share in them. Also this truth: there must be farmers to sustain the life of the world; there must be preachers to sustain the life of the church. Since this is a necessity in fact, the preachers sit at the very fountain, their very profession compels them to be the first to partake.”
Some commentators have interpreted this metaphor in Second Timothy 2:6 as an appeal that a pastor who works hard studying and teaching must receive a salary commiserate with his hard work.
However, there is nothing in the context that would indicate this is the case.
The metaphor is simply to encourage Timothy that he will be rewarded at the Bema Seat by the Lord for his hard work on behalf of the gospel.
Lea and Griffin write “Hanson believes the emphasis in the verse stresses that the pastor should also expect proper financial support from a diligent ministry. He does not rule out that the remuneration may include joy in ministry and also eternal reward, but he stresses the anticipation of salary. The context, however, is not discussing earning a livelihood from the gospel, although Paul did broach that subject in other passages (e.g., Gal 6:6). This passage emphasizes the anticipation of a final reward from the Lord for earnest, steady work in Christ’s service.”
Therefore, the metaphor is designed therefore, to encourage Timothy and to assure him that his hard-work with all of its physical, mental and spiritual struggles will not go unrewarded by the Lord at the Bema Seat.
Thus, Timothy would identify with the hard-working farmer.
He is the hard-working farmer who will most assuredly be rewarded at the Bema Seat by the Lord Jesus Christ for his hard-work and faithfulness.
D. Edmond Hiebert has an excellent comment on this agricultural metaphor in Second Timothy 2:6, he writes “Farming is an essential occupation but it has no spectacular appeal or exciting glamour. Paul makes the hard work of the farmer central in his picture. The participle κοπιῶντα (“hardworking”) denotes toiling to the point of weariness and exhaustion. Some innocent souls may harbor the illusion that the farmer simply sits under his vine or fig tree and lets the ripe fruit fall into his lap. But anyone having any acquaintance with farming knows that if there is to be fruit there must first be hard, exhausting toil. This image gives emphasis to the fact that Christian service is hard work. Stott makes this remark: ‘This notion that Christian service is hard work is so unpopular in some happy-go-lucky Christian circles today that I feel the need to underline it.’ Clearly Paul expected the willingness to work hard to be a normal characteristic of the Christian leader. Human hearts are the soil where the Christian leader sows the seed of the Word of God and where the fruits of his labors are produced. While never easy work, it is for the sake of the harvest that the Lord’s husbandman gladly engages in the demanding toil. But the intended point in Paul’s figure of the farmer is the fact that the toil of the Christian worker has its present rewards. Because of his persistent toil, the farmer ‘ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.’ ‘Ought’ (δεῖ) indicates that his partaking of the fruit is a moral necessity. By the very nature of his occupation the farmer toils to produce food for others. But if he does not himself profit from the harvest produced, he will soon cease farming. The Christian worker toils to produce food for others through his study and teaching of the Word. But to remain spiritually effective, he must first nourish his own spiritual life with the food he produces. In 1 Timothy 4:16 Paul urges Timothy, ‘Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching.’ The order is significant: ‘yourself…your teaching.’ So the Christian worker has the duty and privilege of being the first to partake of the fruit produced. He must be willing to engage in hard and difficult toil in fulfilling his duty. But he also has the rewarding privilege of first nurturing his own spiritual life from the results of his labors. Faithful toil in the Lord’s service has its rewards for the worker both here and hereafter. The faithful Christian worker experiences blessings from his work now vastly more rewarding than anything the world has to offer. Paul’s fourth figure, that of the hardworking farmer, sets forth two qualities needed by the Christian leader. He must be willing to engage in difficult and exhausting toil in fulfillment of his assignment. But he must also be sure to nurture his own spiritual life from the results of his toil.”
This type of encouragement that appears in Second Timothy 2:6 is expressed in other places in Scripture.
Galatians 6:9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. (NASB95)
1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. (NASB95)
2 Thessalonians 3:13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good. (NASB95)
James 5:7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. (NASB95)