proclaim the word; be urgent in season [and] out of season, convict, rebuke, encourage, with all longsuffering and doctrine.
Paul gives Timothy a charge for a time when the people around him were turning away from sound teaching. What is "the word" he must preach, who is it for, and how does a servant keep going when people stop listening?
The Ground of the Charge
The commands of verse 2 hang on the solemn appeal of verse 1. One writer shows how each duty answers to something in that appeal:
Having stated the grounds of his appeal, the Apostle delivers his charge to serve. Men are responsible to God, so "proclaim the word; be urgent in season and out of season." Christ is going to judge, so "convict" and "rebuke" those who live in a way that calls for judgment. Christ will reward the saints at His appearing, so "encourage, with all long-suffering and doctrine."
What "the Word" Means
Paul does not tell the servant to preach his own views, his experience, or even "the gospel." He must preach the word.
That is why the command comes: "Preach the Word." It is not merely to go on preaching, but the Word is the word of God — the full revelation given to us of His mind. There must be more activity than ever. In season and out of season, we must seize every opportunity to set the great truths of Christianity before people.
Commentators differ on who is mainly in view. Some read the charge as covering sinner and saint alike. Others say the surrounding verses settle the question:
"Be ready in season" is said to the saint. The time will come when they will not receive sound doctrine. This applies to the dealing with the saints. People often apply it to the gospel. The trouble is that they take verses without reading the context… Timothy was to keep pressing on, because soon they would not listen to him. Whether it was seasonable or not, he was to go on with it, because very soon there would be no season at all.
Preaching When the Climate Is Against You
Things around Timothy were only going to get worse. That was not a reason to slow down:
This was his one responsibility, whatever the state of things around. Indifference, decay, and corruption were increasing, and would go on increasing. Timothy was not to lose heart or treat this as a reason to do nothing. For this very reason he was to proclaim the Word all the more… He was not responsible for the effect of his testimony. Signs of blessing, or the lack of them, were not to sway him.
In Season and Out of Season
"Be ready" is not about convenient moments. A servant who carries the message inside him will not find any hour unsuitable:
All times were alike to Timothy. His work must never stop. He must always watch for a chance to carry out his calling. No time would be wrong for a man who carried a "burden of the LORD" on his heart. Like the prophet Jeremiah, he would find the Word in his heart like a burning fire. Holding it back would wear him out, and he would not be able to keep silent (Jer. 23:38; 20:9).
Reprove, Rebuke, Exhort — By the Word Only
The three verbs do not give room for personal criticism. They are still forms of preaching the word, and that difference decides whether they work:
Both saints and sinners may need conviction and rebuke. But this can only be by the preaching of the word, for it is only the word that produces conviction. We may seek to convict and rebuke by our own words and arguments, only to find that we irritate people and stir up resentment. Rebukes only work if they rest on the word of God. Those willing to bow to the word and accept its conviction and rebuke then hear the word of encouragement.
Patience and Teaching Together
The closing phrase is not decoration. It anticipates a reaction and supplies the answer to it:
Whatever form the service takes, the servant must carry it out with all long-suffering and according to the truth, or "doctrine". The word will stir up opposition from the sinful nature. That opposition calls for long-suffering in the servant. The only answer that works is the doctrine, or truth, of Scripture.
Strength for the Task
The verbs come one after another, and the pace is part of the point:
The form of each verb implies prompt action… Proclaiming the word comes first. Urgent attention to the work, in season and out of season, follows the preaching. Then comes convicting — pressing the truth home. It is a healthy duty, even though it is painful to a tender spirit… Who was sufficient for these things? Timothy's sufficiency, as the apostle's, was from God. So may ours be in our little measure!
Summary
- Charge. The commands rest on verse 1: God is watching, Christ will judge, and His appearing is where He measures all service.
- Content. The servant preaches "the word" — the full revelation of God's mind, not his own material.
- Constancy. Decay in the church around us is a reason for more activity, not less. The servant answers for faithfulness, not for results.
- Conviction. Reproof and rebuke reach the conscience only when they come from Scripture. Our own arguments just stir up resentment.
- Capacity. The rapid-fire verbs demand more than any man has. Timothy's sufficiency, like Paul's, came from God.