"Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.
2. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.
3. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
4. He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
5. Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself." I Timothy 6: 1-5
Paul can be subtle. What does he mean in I Timothy 6: 1-2 about servants being under the yoke and they that have believing masters?
In the Old Testament yoke is sometimes used to describe the control of and oppression of a people by evil governments. "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.
25. For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.
26. And the LORD of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.
27. And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing." Isaiah 10: 24-27
And why does Isaiah 10: 24-27 talk about the yoke of the Assyrian being destroyed because of the anointing? If Isaiah 10 is only talking about the Assyrian oppressing the people of Israel, how does their anointing release them from that oppression?
"For through the voice of the LORD Assyria will be beaten down, As He strikes with the rod."
Isaiah 30:31
"And He will stretch out His hand against the north, Destroy Assyria, And make Nineveh a desolation, As dry as the wilderness."
Zephaniah 2:13
"He shall pass through the sea with affliction, And strike the waves of the sea: All the depths of the River shall dry up. Then the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, And the scepter of Egypt shall depart."
Zechariah 10:11
"Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword"
Ezekiel 32:22
"Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy." Hosea 14: 3
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In Old Testament prophecy, the Assyrian, Assyria and Asshur are in opposition to God and to his people. The Assyrian then is metaphoric spiritually for the false prophet of the New Covenant, for example in Matthew 24: 11, Matthew 7: 15, II Peter 2: 1, or I John 4: 1
As a metaphor spiritually for the false prophet, the Assyrian as seen in Isaiah 10: 24-27 is defeated by the anointing because the people of God who are anointed clearly see the deceptive nature of the false prophet and expose his false doctrines.
Lets go on in I Timothy 6. In I Timothy 6: 11 Paul says "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
12. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
13. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
14. That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:"
Paul says flee these things, get away from strifes of words (word fights, or quarreling), perverse disputings by those destitute of the truth, love of money and being under the yoke of unbelievers, the false prophets.
He ends this chapter by saying "O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: 21. Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen."
Again, Paul is subtle and hard to understand by many in verses 20-21. What does he mean by "opposition of science falsely so called?" He is talking about the way that the "Assyrians," the false prophets and their followers argue for their false doctrines. The key part in Greek says "και αντιθεσεις της ψευδωνυμου γνωσεως,or "and anti-thesis of falsely called knowledge."
αντιθεσεις, or anti-thesis, is a technical term in the early Greek philosophy of the διαλεκτική, or dialectic, before the time of Christ.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectic
"Dialectic (also dialectics and the dialectical method), from Ancient Greek διαλεκτική, is a method of argument.....The word dialectic originated in ancient Greece, and was made popular by Plato in the Socratic dialogues."
"In classical philosophy, dialectic (Greek: διαλεκτική) is a form of reasoning based upon dialogue of arguments and counter-arguments, advocating propositions (theses) and counter-propositions (antitheses)."
http://www.hotel-ilgattopardo.it/it/component/k2/itemlist/user/83559
"Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) adopted and extended the triad, especially in Marx's The Poverty of Philosophy (1847). Here, in Chapter 2, Marx is obsessed by the word "thesis". It can be said to form an important part of the basis for the Marxist theory..."
"In the eyes of the dialectical philosophy, nothing is established for
all time, nothing is absolute or sacred." (Karl Marx)
The dialectic is a method of arguing against the thesis, that which is truth in scripture.
