v. 4" ... That they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, v.5
to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands,..."
Okay, I know what you're thinking, "Titus 2 Women" with a big question mark.
Maybe you even have somewhat of resentment toward the scripture. Or perhaps wonder what more could one add to the many, I'm sure, studies or retreats done on it.
Trust me, I've asked myself the same questions and felt the same way till just recently when it was brought up by a friend and she shared her interpretation of it. Great, I thought, another Titus 2/Proverbs 31 women talk. But this time instead of becoming tight jaw and clenched fist I decided to look up what exactly does this scripture mean. OK, actually I did get tight jaw and clenched fist upon hearing it but it didn't last long. I was almost instantly able to let it go. Okay, so the reason I decided to look up the real meaning was because my jaw was getting sore and my nails were digging into my palm at this point! But be that as it may, it got me to dig in and figure this thing out once and for all! For me the part I struggled with was the second verse, "...To be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands,..." So I took it apart word by word and here are the treasures I found!
Maybe you even have somewhat of resentment toward the scripture. Or perhaps wonder what more could one add to the many, I'm sure, studies or retreats done on it.
Trust me, I've asked myself the same questions and felt the same way till just recently when it was brought up by a friend and she shared her interpretation of it. Great, I thought, another Titus 2/Proverbs 31 women talk. But this time instead of becoming tight jaw and clenched fist I decided to look up what exactly does this scripture mean. OK, actually I did get tight jaw and clenched fist upon hearing it but it didn't last long. I was almost instantly able to let it go. Okay, so the reason I decided to look up the real meaning was because my jaw was getting sore and my nails were digging into my palm at this point! But be that as it may, it got me to dig in and figure this thing out once and for all! For me the part I struggled with was the second verse, "...To be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands,..." So I took it apart word by word and here are the treasures I found!
"Discreet" ~ "SOPHRON" (this is the greek word for it)
of a sound mind, sane, in one's senses, curbing one's desires and impulses, self controlled, temperate, (moderate as to opinion or passion). Hearing this reminded me of a phrased used in the Esther study, by Beth Moore, "It's tough being a women who can balance passion with patience."
Now this word "SOPHRON" is taken from "SOZO" which means: to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction. Which happens to come from the word "PHREN" meaning, the parts of the heart, the mind, the faculty of perceiving and judging. Okay last word, and this also comes from the word "PHRASSO" meaning: to fence in, block up, stop up, close up, to put to silence.
Now this word "SOPHRON" is taken from "SOZO" which means: to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction. Which happens to come from the word "PHREN" meaning, the parts of the heart, the mind, the faculty of perceiving and judging. Okay last word, and this also comes from the word "PHRASSO" meaning: to fence in, block up, stop up, close up, to put to silence.
"Chaste" ~ "HAGNOS"
exciting reverence, venerable, sacred, pure - pure from carnality, chaste, modest, pure from every fault, immaculate, clean. This is from the the word "HAGIOS" meaning, most holy thing, a saint. Now you might be getting a little discouraged at this point but stay with me here. This word is taken from the word "HAGOS" meaning: awful thing; which happens to be closely related to the word "THALPO" which means: to warm, keep warm, to cherish with tender love, to foster with tender care. Now this all seems really intriguing to me, the word meaning holy thing coming from the word meaning the exact opposite awful thing. I'll let that one linger in the air awhile.
"Homemakers (or keepers at home)" ~ "OIKOURGOS"
caring for the house, working at home, the (watch or) keeping at home and talking care of household affairs, a domestic./a guard, be "ware". From the word "OIKOS" which means: a house, any dwelling place, any building whatsoever, of a palace, the house of God, tabernacle, the place one has fixed his residence, ones settled abode, domicile, the inmates of a house, all the persons forming one family, a household, the family of God, of the christian church of the old testament and new testament.
So for myself I took it apart a little more; a keeper or watch over something or someone is really different then what usually pops ins our mind when we hear "homemaker" or "keepers at home" but it really is no different than being a keeper at work or keepers at the God's temple. You are to keep , watch over your home, family and all that live within, just as the watchmen would sit on towers above the city gate watching and keeping, so to we are to watch, keep and guard.
So for myself I took it apart a little more; a keeper or watch over something or someone is really different then what usually pops ins our mind when we hear "homemaker" or "keepers at home" but it really is no different than being a keeper at work or keepers at the God's temple. You are to keep , watch over your home, family and all that live within, just as the watchmen would sit on towers above the city gate watching and keeping, so to we are to watch, keep and guard.
"Good" ~ "AGATHOS"
of good constitution or nature, useful, salutary, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy, excellent, distinguished, upright, honorable, benefit, good (-s, things), well.
"Obedient" ~ "HYPOTASSO"
to arrange under, to subordinate, to subject, put in subjection, to subject one's self, obey, to submit to one's control, to yield to one's admonition or advice, to obey, be subject.
"a greek military term meaning" to arrange [troop divisions] in a military fashion under the command of a leader." In non-military use, it was "a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility, and carrying a burden."
Two words that it comes from are, "HYPO" meaning, by, under. The second word is, "TASSO" which means: to put in order, to station, to place in a certain order, to arrange, to assign a place, to appoint, to assign (appoint) a thing to one, to appoint, ordain, order, to appoint on one's own responsibility or authority, to appoint mutually, i.e. agree upon.
So it's not a "I have to do this" but a "I want to do this." It isn't an order that we are to lay our backs down to be walked upon and call it obedience or submission. As the scripture says in Isaiah 51:23 "I will put it into the hands of your tormentors, who said to you, 'Fall prostrate that we may walk over you.' And you made your back like the ground, like a street to be walked over." "Beloved, we can offer our love without offering our backs. We can offer our compassion without offering them our backs. As you and I have taken our places on our faces, God, the righteous Father, never walks on our backs. Christ gave His back to scourging so we, the rightful recipients of such agony, could instead receive dignity. " "By His strips we are healed."
Two words that it comes from are, "HYPO" meaning, by, under. The second word is, "TASSO" which means: to put in order, to station, to place in a certain order, to arrange, to assign a place, to appoint, to assign (appoint) a thing to one, to appoint, ordain, order, to appoint on one's own responsibility or authority, to appoint mutually, i.e. agree upon.
So it's not a "I have to do this" but a "I want to do this." It isn't an order that we are to lay our backs down to be walked upon and call it obedience or submission. As the scripture says in Isaiah 51:23 "I will put it into the hands of your tormentors, who said to you, 'Fall prostrate that we may walk over you.' And you made your back like the ground, like a street to be walked over." "Beloved, we can offer our love without offering our backs. We can offer our compassion without offering them our backs. As you and I have taken our places on our faces, God, the righteous Father, never walks on our backs. Christ gave His back to scourging so we, the rightful recipients of such agony, could instead receive dignity. " "By His strips we are healed."
"To Their Own" ~ "IDIOS"
pertaining to one's self, one's own, belonging to one's self. This reminded me of the scripture in Song of Solomon 2:16 "My beloved is mine and I am his." Often times it is seen as the wife belonging to the husband, becoming a part of him. Which is true to an extent, but here it shows us that it works the other way too. He belongs to you, "My beloved is mine..." you don't just become a part of him or he becomes a part of you, you become as one. Belonging to each other.
These are the treasures I found, as for me, I will hold them close - truly as one of the many treasures that God ordained for me to gather and uncover throughout my life journey.
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