SUMMARY
Eagerness to be rich leads to ruin and has caused many to wander away from the faith.
ANALYSIS
Near the end of the letter, PaulThe Apostle Paul, originally known as Saul of Tarsus, was the author of several New Testament letters and the founder of many Christian communities. More warns TimothyThe companion on Paul's later journeys for whom two pastoral epistles are named. More away from dissension and wrangling, especially as they have appeared among leaders and teachers of the church. The exhortation to be content rather than divisive provides the context for Paul’s warning about the dangers of desire for riches which includes the famous verse, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (6:10).
The argument here—that contentment with what one has is the path to the good life—is a common theme in Greco-Roman philosophy. So also is the theme that envy and acquisitiveness lead to ruin. Paul builds on these common philosophical themes by suggesting that the “eagerness to be rich” has led some “away from the faith.” We do not know from the letter precisely how these two things are related in Timothy’s context. People may be hoarding wealth rather than participating in the care of widows and their own family members (see 1 Timothy 5:3-8). They may be trying to enrich themselves in preaching and teaching (see 1 Timothy 5:17-18). But these are guesses, based only on what other economic issues are part of 1 Timothy. Whatever the specifics, the desire to be rich puts one’s faithfulness at risk, and Paul warns Timothy against it.
