1 Timothy 5.11-16 says,...
Today's verses are 1 Timothy 5:11-16, which read,
v.11, 12 - But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation, because they set aside their previous pledge.
The list is of those widows over 60 years of age, past the age of child bearing, who are set apart by God within the church to serve in a way that young married women and young single women cannot because of their age and/or experience and/or change of responsibilities. Those older widows have raised their families and now do not have the every day responsibilities to a husband and children so they can devote their time and service in a heavier way to the Lord.
Paul tells Timothy not to put younger widows, under the age of sixty, on this list. If Timothy were to do this then when those younger wanted to get married, then they would have to break the pledge to God to serve in this way of totality. There must have been some type of official pledge when an older widow was added to this list and that pledge or vow was to be taken seriously about this serving position in the church before the Lord. Timothy is to spare the younger widow the breaking of this pledge and any condemnation that would come from breaking it by not putting them on the list.
v.13 - At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention.
Paul is speaking of sinful human nature to Timothy about what he has seen in practice. If Timothy were to put on the list younger widowed women, they were more likely to be tempted to slough off rather than serve. The energy that could be used to serve the church as the older widows were to do or the energy to be used to serve another family unit by being married again was being used to do nothing, or worse, to take the time pledged for service and use it to be gossips and busybodies. They are defined not by service but by their actions of spreading information in a sinful manner and sticking their noses in a sinful way into other people's lives to do harm and not good. Those words today still hold a negative connotation when uttered about someone. Paul instructs Timothy not to put younger widowed women on this list so that they will not break the pledge through being married again and its responsibilities or abuse the position by succumbing to the temptation to slough off rather than serve.
v.14, 15 - Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach; for some have already turned aside to follow Satan.
Paul is speaking of those who are of child bearing age to put themselves back into the role of being a wife to another Christian man and a discipling mother to her children. These are the things that qualify the older widow to be on the list. These are things that are safeguards against the attacks of Satan who preys on us to do our own thing. Being married makes us accountable to another and also the definition and description of God's words about it. Raising children puts before us the accountability of them and our godly example set before them. These safeguards are very valuable to our Christian lives and training us for life long service of Jesus if we were to be put on the list as an older widow.
Some context might also be helpful here. People were coming to Christ and standing for Him in a hostile environment. People were losing their lives because they would not say "Caesar is Lord" but rather "Jesus is Lord." There were marriage bonds that were being broken because of the persecution of the saints and leaving mates behind who needed care. The older widows needed each other and this official service within the church. The younger widows needed God's provision through life in Christian marriages and raising children in the Christian atmosphere of their homes. Satan will take advantage of any situation, even a bad one, to make roads into our lives and the life of the church. Paul is giving Timothy these very practical and personal instructions to help the widowed women of the church to keep on point with God.
v.16 - If any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, she must assist them and the church must not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are widows indeed.
Paul goes back to the principle that if there are widows who have family, then the family should care for them instead of that responsibility falling on the church. The church is to serve the widows but to the widows who do not have family support. These widows are truly widows because they have no one else to fall back on, they are all alone, but they are not because the church will support them. The church could be overburdened with the care of so many widows because families are not taking care of their own. Note also that Paul makes the distinction of those who are believers are to take care of their own dependent widows. This is a "Christian" thing to do. If you are a believer and you have a dependent widow in your family, then you are to take care of them. This is God's will for you given to us with clarity in His Word.
The care of the widows gives us a picture of how we are to care for others that are within the church. Some care comes through an official group to give purpose to serve and some care comes from keeping them from that group to serve in another capacity and all to protect them from Satan's tactics to pull them away into sinful practices. The care of the widows also involves not just the widows but also us as we see our personal responsibility to each other. We have family responsibilities and we have church family responsibilities that need to be fulfilled rather then handing it off to some other civic organization. This clear and very specific instruction gives the church and the families of the church the information of what God's will is and therefore to plan to fulfill it. Let's pray.
"Lord, what an responsibility you have given to us all to practically love one another and using the widows as an example in this passage. We are not to forget about Your people. We are to provide in ways for the whole person and not just a simple handout of money. The giving of financial resources is the easy part but the caring for them with a purpose group or providing godly counsel for the stage of life they are in is much harder. Help us to see how we as families and the family of God following Your Word specifically helps others not to follow after Satan. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.11, 12 - But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation, because they set aside their previous pledge.
The list is of those widows over 60 years of age, past the age of child bearing, who are set apart by God within the church to serve in a way that young married women and young single women cannot because of their age and/or experience and/or change of responsibilities. Those older widows have raised their families and now do not have the every day responsibilities to a husband and children so they can devote their time and service in a heavier way to the Lord.
Paul tells Timothy not to put younger widows, under the age of sixty, on this list. If Timothy were to do this then when those younger wanted to get married, then they would have to break the pledge to God to serve in this way of totality. There must have been some type of official pledge when an older widow was added to this list and that pledge or vow was to be taken seriously about this serving position in the church before the Lord. Timothy is to spare the younger widow the breaking of this pledge and any condemnation that would come from breaking it by not putting them on the list.
v.13 - At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention.
Paul is speaking of sinful human nature to Timothy about what he has seen in practice. If Timothy were to put on the list younger widowed women, they were more likely to be tempted to slough off rather than serve. The energy that could be used to serve the church as the older widows were to do or the energy to be used to serve another family unit by being married again was being used to do nothing, or worse, to take the time pledged for service and use it to be gossips and busybodies. They are defined not by service but by their actions of spreading information in a sinful manner and sticking their noses in a sinful way into other people's lives to do harm and not good. Those words today still hold a negative connotation when uttered about someone. Paul instructs Timothy not to put younger widowed women on this list so that they will not break the pledge through being married again and its responsibilities or abuse the position by succumbing to the temptation to slough off rather than serve.
v.14, 15 - Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach; for some have already turned aside to follow Satan.
Paul is speaking of those who are of child bearing age to put themselves back into the role of being a wife to another Christian man and a discipling mother to her children. These are the things that qualify the older widow to be on the list. These are things that are safeguards against the attacks of Satan who preys on us to do our own thing. Being married makes us accountable to another and also the definition and description of God's words about it. Raising children puts before us the accountability of them and our godly example set before them. These safeguards are very valuable to our Christian lives and training us for life long service of Jesus if we were to be put on the list as an older widow.
Some context might also be helpful here. People were coming to Christ and standing for Him in a hostile environment. People were losing their lives because they would not say "Caesar is Lord" but rather "Jesus is Lord." There were marriage bonds that were being broken because of the persecution of the saints and leaving mates behind who needed care. The older widows needed each other and this official service within the church. The younger widows needed God's provision through life in Christian marriages and raising children in the Christian atmosphere of their homes. Satan will take advantage of any situation, even a bad one, to make roads into our lives and the life of the church. Paul is giving Timothy these very practical and personal instructions to help the widowed women of the church to keep on point with God.
v.16 - If any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, she must assist them and the church must not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are widows indeed.
Paul goes back to the principle that if there are widows who have family, then the family should care for them instead of that responsibility falling on the church. The church is to serve the widows but to the widows who do not have family support. These widows are truly widows because they have no one else to fall back on, they are all alone, but they are not because the church will support them. The church could be overburdened with the care of so many widows because families are not taking care of their own. Note also that Paul makes the distinction of those who are believers are to take care of their own dependent widows. This is a "Christian" thing to do. If you are a believer and you have a dependent widow in your family, then you are to take care of them. This is God's will for you given to us with clarity in His Word.
The care of the widows gives us a picture of how we are to care for others that are within the church. Some care comes through an official group to give purpose to serve and some care comes from keeping them from that group to serve in another capacity and all to protect them from Satan's tactics to pull them away into sinful practices. The care of the widows also involves not just the widows but also us as we see our personal responsibility to each other. We have family responsibilities and we have church family responsibilities that need to be fulfilled rather then handing it off to some other civic organization. This clear and very specific instruction gives the church and the families of the church the information of what God's will is and therefore to plan to fulfill it. Let's pray.
"Lord, what an responsibility you have given to us all to practically love one another and using the widows as an example in this passage. We are not to forget about Your people. We are to provide in ways for the whole person and not just a simple handout of money. The giving of financial resources is the easy part but the caring for them with a purpose group or providing godly counsel for the stage of life they are in is much harder. Help us to see how we as families and the family of God following Your Word specifically helps others not to follow after Satan. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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