1 Timothy 5:1-16
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Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.
Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not. So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. For some have already strayed after Satan. If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.
Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.
Older men = fathers
Younger men = brothers
Older women = mothers
Younger women = sisters
Balancing to some extent the prior command to be bold and set an example for the believers.
General posture of Christians ought to be encouragement/exhortation rather than condemnation/judgement
Conviction with hope and redemption
Think of how Jesus dealt with people.
Gracious truth, because there is a genuine care
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
[[SLIDE]]
(1) Widows
(2) A word for men
(3) A word for women
Widows
Widows
Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.
Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God.
Now a true widow, a woman who is truly alone in this world, has placed her hope in God. She prays night and day, asking God for his help. But the widow who lives only for pleasure is spiritually dead even while she lives.
Truly widows (ESV):
(1) Doesn’t have children or grandchildren, family (v. 4, 8, 16)
(2) Left all alone (v. 5)
God created family.
The natural order is that family would care for one another.
The first line of provision for a person ought to be the family.
The second line of provision out to be the church.
Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.
Again, let’s look at the NLT...
A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband. She must be well respected by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and served other believers humbly? Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good?
1 Timothy: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Obligation of the Church to Maintain High Standards for Widows Who Serve in the Church
There is no evidence that all the widows on the list were supported by the church. Some no doubt were, while others had resources of their own. The issue of support stops at verse 8, and Paul moves to a new topic in verse 9. The list Paul refers to was not, as some have argued, the list of those widows eligible for support. Rather, it was the list of those eligible for ministry
Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.
Requirements:
(1) 60+ years old
(2) “One man women” (Faithful)
(3) Reputation for good works
(3.1) Brought up children
(3.2) Shown hospitality
(3.3) Washed the feet of the saints
(3.4) Cared for the afflicted
(3.5) Devoted herself to every good work
(1) 60+ years old
Some extra-Biblical evidence this was partially cultural
Maturity and wisdom to serve the church in a special way
(2) “One man women” (Faithful)
Not literally “one woman”
Verse 14 of this text encourages remarriage
As does 1 Cor 7:39
(3) Reputation for good works
Similar to Elders and Deacons being “above reproach”
5 Qualities that show good works (good for any woman)
(3.1) Brought up children
1 Timothy: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Obligation of the Church to Maintain High Standards for Widows Who Serve in the Church
Paul does not here depreciate women who were unable to have children, or who had the gift of singleness. Such fulfill different roles in the life of the family of God. Since having children was the norm, however, he gives this as a general principle. A woman with no natural children of her own could manifest this quality by rearing orphans. Only a woman with such experience could instruct younger women on how to rear godly children (cf. Titus 2:3–5).
Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.
(3.2) Shown hospitality
(3.3) Washed the feet of the saints
(3.4) Cared for the afflicted
(3.5) Devoted herself to every good work
But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith. Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.
The younger widows should not be on the list, because their physical desires will overpower their devotion to Christ and they will want to remarry. Then they would be guilty of breaking their previous pledge. And if they are on the list, they will learn to be lazy and will spend their time gossiping from house to house, meddling in other people’s business and talking about things they shouldn’t.
A word for men
A word for men
Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Give the people these instructions, too, so that no one may be open to blame. If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Paul is now directing this authority to the church:
MEN: PROVIDE
Children start as a drain on family resources
Maturity moves towards self-sustenance
Leadership is taking on the weight of others
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.
Paul had a right to be paid, but went out of his way, above and beyond, to set an example.
“If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.”
Let us not be Christians who
permit and even promote
laziness, evil, and lack of repentance
in the name of
charity, compassion, and grace.
Ladies, marry a man who is a provider.
Who leads himself well and leads others well.
You will solve a thousand problems in your life and marriage if you listen to this one tip.
Men, be the kind of man who can provide for others, who can take care of his family!
But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.
…For this is pleasing to God.
A word for women
A word for women
As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to.
Don’t put them on the list, because there is a good chance they are going to change their mind and want to get married.
If they do this, they are going to break their “pledge” which was part of being on the list.
Besides...
The weight and responsibility in this role is to help young mothers and families.
This role took an enormous amount of maturity.
A lack of maturity would actually result in more harm than good (idlers, gossips, busybodies)
So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.
Paul’s counsel
(1) Marry
(2) Have children
(3) Manage their homes
Marriage is a blessing
Children are a blessing
God created women to depend on men
(and God created men to depend on women)