One of the meanings of the action addressed in the exhortation from Paul to Timothy in 2  Timothy 2:15 is often overlooked.  Accurately handling comes from orthotomeo ortho-taw-MAY-o; the ortho portion gives us the RIGHT part of the action.  Ortho also appears in Orthodox, meaning right opinion.  The other half of the word means cut.   So, putting the two pieces together we have the instruction from Paul to Timothy indicating cutting something in the proper way. 

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

I have thought of this action as that performed by a joiner, a worker in wood, who cuts things precisely so that they can fit together by simple gluing. But let’s not take that gluing too far.  It has now dawned on me that the proper work recommended by Paul would involve separating things that are not necessary. 

For example, taking the Lord’s teaching in John chapter 4:21-24, one must cut away anything related to either mountain, Jerusalem or Gerizim. 

21) Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22) “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23) “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24) “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:21-24)

Worship in spirit and in truth does not need any mountain anywhere, needs no dedicated priesthood, no sacred objects, and no fixed times or seasons.

A second example, takes the Lord’s role as the prophet,  and parks any prophetic saying once an instance of Yeshua’s utterance on the same matter is available.  So there you have it:  “properly handling” or “correctly handling” or “rightly dividing” as the King James version says, most certainly includes chopping things off.