Titus 2, verses 1 to 10, keepers at home

 

Titus 2:1 ¶  But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: 2  That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. 3  The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4  That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5  To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. 6  Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. 7  In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, 8  Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. 9  Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; 10  Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

As he did in the letters to Timothy Paul has advice for Titus on how to instruct the elders, as in elder in age, in the church. These admonitions need little explanation and we have already been over them in great part in Paul’s letters to Timothy. Two things of note in understanding here. First in Proverbs 7 we have this referring to the harlot;

11 (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:

In both testaments we have the idea of a “keeper at home” which some people mistakenly think to mean that a woman’s only proper employment is to be a housewife. Actually keeping at home is applied to a man in Habbakuk 2:5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:

We had a saying down South “gadabout” which was a person of either sex who was always out looking to start trouble either at a bar or going house to house gossiping and destroying reputations. This person more fits the context of “keepeth at home” in Habbakuk 2:5 and “keepers at home” in Titus 2:5. To say that the only employment fit for a woman is a housewife is to accuse Lydia, the benefactor of Paul in Philippi, of sin. And yet, there is no condemnation of her in the word of God.

Secondly, not answer again and purloining refer to talking back to and to stealing from your employer or, in this case, master.

The idea here is that the Christian woman or the Christian man or woman who is a servant should be a witness for Christ, not a carnal person carelessly and casually doing wrong. Paul’s understanding throughout his letters was that time was short so these commands, much like Jesus’ commands to His disciples who accompanied Him on His way to the Cross was that there was no time to concern oneself with carnal, selfish things of this life as time was short. Well, it was short for Christ’s mission on earth but human-centered history did not come to a conclusion in Paul’s lifetime and may not in ours. Do not mistake Paul’s letters for justifying or encouraging slavery. Virtually every great movement against slavery in the last few hundred years was started and pushed forward by Christians. Paul’s emphasis here is not in supporting the social order but in making the main the thing the main thing, that Christ was returning soon, possibly in their lifetimes. Keep that in mind when you read his comments on servants and read Philemon again understanding that, to a truly Christian master, his slave was his brother in Christ, and nothing could remain the way it had been before they were saved.

Slavery still exists in the world today and some say there are more slaves in the world today than ever at any given time in history. It is a deplorable condition that we would do well, like many of our Christian forebears did, to fight it when we know of it. Still, the point here is not your freedom or bondage but to your devotion to Christ and representing Him to a fallen world.