“among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme” (1 Timothy 1:20 ESV).
As mentioned earlier, Hymenaeus and Alexander exemplified the type of men that Paul the Apostle warned against at the time of his departure from the city of Ephesus (Acts 20:29-30). One author offers a helpful synopsis of what it meant to be “handed over to Satan” in this context…
“Paul put both men out of the church, thus ending their influence and removing them from the protection and insulation of God’s people. They were no longer in the environment of God’s blessing but under Satan’s control.
In some instances God has turned believers over to Satan for positive purposes, such as revealing the genuineness of saving faith, keeping them humble and dependent on Him, enabling them to strengthen others, or offering God praise (cf. Job. 1:1–22; Mt 4:1–11; Lk 22:31–33; 2Co 12:1–10; Rev 7:9–15). God hands some people over to Satan for judgment, such as King Saul (1Sa 16:12–16; 28:4–20), Judas (Jn 13:27), and the sinning member in the Corinthian church…” (1)
So if Hymenaeus and Alexander were truly intent on blaspheming God, then some time spent with the ultimate blasphemer might provide them with a different perspective and motivate them to change their behavior. In light of this, we can say that Satan may sometimes function as a tool in the hand of God. Here in 1 Timothy 1:20, he served God’s purpose in spurring two stubborn and rebellious individuals towards repentance.
We can thus associate this act of discipline “…with a remedial goal, not a punitive one. The Greek word translated taught in this verse is used of ‘discipline, training of children’ to lead them to correct behavior.” (2)
That brings us to the end of 1 Timothy chapter one and offers an opportunity to consider a useful summary of this chapter from the following commentator…
“This first chapter deals with matters of vital importance to every Christian, since we are all ministers of Jesus Christ. These matters are especially relevant to church leaders. In the communication of God’s Word, our primary responsibility (2 Tim. 4:2), we should avoid speculation and seek to represent God’s intention accurately (vv. 3-11).
We can face our task optimistically, since God has the power to transform even the worst of sinners into the greatest of saints (vv. 12-17). Nevertheless we should be careful not to go against the warnings of our consciences, having them programmed with God’s Word as we carry out our ministry.” (3)
See related study beginning here: https://traed.net/1corinthians/the-book-of-1-corinthians-1-corinthians-chapter-five/#07
(1) MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (1 Ti 1:20). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
(2) NET Bible notes on 1 Timothy 1:20 http://classic.net.bible.org/passage.php?passage=1Timothy%201:20&mode=print
(3) Dr. Thomas L. Constable, Notes on 1 Timothy 2020 Edition [1:20] https://www.planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/html/nt/1timothy/1timothy.htm