1 Timothy 5:1-2
Timothy was charged with establishing/maintaining order in the church. This happened with sound leadership and a clear view of mission. Even then, teaching of the mystery of Christ, others will pursue the mystery of the world. Apostasy is inevitable. Some will depart from the faith and many will never give it the time of day. Order in the church looked like sound teaching, truth, godliness and righteousness. These things would look counter to what is happening out in the world.
As you begin chapter five, read it with the end of chapter four. It ought to be attached to the exhortation of taking heed. Paul presents the church as family and Timothy is charged with keeping the relationships healthy. Part of the conduct that Timothy should check himself in, is how he acts towards people. This is just wise advice from an older man. He was a young man dealing with both men and women of all ages.
The older man in the church ought to be an elder in the spiritual sense. Respect is in order. The word rebuke means to lash out or strike out. The older man deserved respect and if he was in need of correction there was a right way and respectable way to deal with him. Lashing out or striking out to the older man wouldn't work. He should be exhorted as a father. This word 'exhort' would be pictured as a loving coach. This coach is working to get the best from the person he is coaching.
The younger men should be seen as brothers in the Lord, the older women as mothers and younger ladies as sisters, with all purity, acting above reproach. There's just not much room for error in these guidelines. You must treat people with respect.
1 Timothy 5:3-8
Among the people this young pastor would be dealing with were the widows. Paul defined what a real widow was for Timothy so as to limit abuses. The real widow was the woman who was left alone having no family. If she had children or grandchildren, they were the ones who were to offer support. It's not the churches job to support the person who has family.
The real widow also trusted the Lord and was a prayer warrior. He faith wasn’t in the finances of the church or people making decisions about support. He faith was in the Lord. Though no age is given, she is seen as a female elder, if no also an elderly female. If the church supported her by providing a roof over her head, food and clothing, she supported the church in a ministry of prayer.
The widow that sought assistance from the church only so she could live a life of comfort and pleasure in the world wasn’t a real widow in the church’s eyes and was considered spiritually dead while she still lived bodily. Those who weren't really widows, that didn't really need help, if allowed, would sap the resources that could have been used for real widows who really did needed help.
There are so many needs sometimes you have to say 'no' and sometimes it's right to say 'no'. There have to be guidelines of how and who the church will offer help to. Otherwise it would be a free for all. The church must be biblical in its support so it doesn't end up paying for someone's extravagance. The church must be good stewards with its money.
The church was to teach these biblical guidelines so as to be blameless. To be blameless is to be fair with the guidelines applied across the board without compromise. To be blameless was to be a good steward with the lives and finances provided by the Lord. To be blameless was to not enable worldly living but to meet needs.
Teaching about the care of family was the churches responsibility. Allowing family members to not provide for their own, especially in the same household, was a denial of the faith. This was unacceptable. And these folks were to be viewed as unbelievers.
1 Timothy 5:9-16
There is a debate among scholars as to whether this is further clarification of widows or a different class of widows. The idea of being ‘taken into number’ was the idea of a enrollment. The word was used for enrolling one in the army. I tend to see this as further qualifications. The widow of sixty was likely the one whose husband had passed leaving her with little to no means and no opportunity to remarry. She was to have been faithful. This is not divorced or entangled with other men. She was truly without means. A widow would normally have her dowry. This would be her provision, at least as long as it lasted. If she stayed in her home, then she would fall under the care of her son. If she was being cared for, she was not qualified for support from the church.
The life of the sixty plus widow was to be characterized by good works. Some see this as an order of widows, deaconesses working in the church and serving. The picture is of a woman who had served the church for some time as she served her family. This may be to keep the unbelieving widow from showing up and claiming support from the church.
Those under sixty are expected to be able to take care of themselves. They were still of the marrying age and childbearing age. Their heart would not be completely committed to serving the Lord but to finding a husband. It appears that Paul’s thought was that to provide support was to provide too much time on their hands, leading to trouble. You get the sense that there were some young widows who had made bad decisions and got caught up in things they didn't need to be doing. If the church supported them financially and then they used their free time to take part in gossip and being a busybody, it would reflect bad on the church and on Christ. In the end, the church wouldn't be doing her any good either. They had given Satan an opportunity to bring reproach. The burden to provide for themselves helped them make wise and godly decisions.
These were the principles of dealing with widows. It would be impossible to anticipate every situation imaginable. But the principles of care for those who loved the Lord and were engaged in a life of good works would help maintain order in most cases. Paul encourages Timothy to apply these rules so the church wouldn't be burdened by some and prevent the help getting to those that really needed it.
1 Timothy 5:17-18
The widows who were really widows were worthy of honor. That word 'honor' means that there would be a fixed level of support. An amount of money for her support would be established based on what she had, what she needed, etc. This amount would be minimum sustenance, just enough to get by. For the elder or pastor who ruled well, he should be accounted double honor. This doesn't mean he would get twice as much as the widow, it meant he should get an amount that would allow him to live comfortably. It's the job of the church to support the pastor.
The quote, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain," comes from Deuteronomy 25:4. You don't keep the beast of burden from the fruit of its labor. If you do, it won't be treading out much more grain. Likewise, if the pastor doesn't have his needs provided for then he won't be pastoring very long and the fruits of his labor will cease.
The last part of verse 18 says, "The laborer is worthy of his wages." This comes from Luke 10:7 and are the words of Jesus. It's noteworthy that Paul referred to Luke's gospel as scripture as he quoted it.
1 Timothy 5:19-20
It took 2 or 3 witnesses to bring a valid charge. This just protects the authority structure of the church from malicious charges and gossip. If the leadership was sinning and 2 or 3 brought charges that leader should be rebuked publicly.
We have to consider the possibility that there was an issue among the leadership. The balance of not rebuking an elder but by the hearing of 2 or 3 witnesses along with the idea of not being hasty in ordaining leadership makes us think this is why Timothy had stomach problems.
1 Timothy 5:21-22
This is a call to Christian maturity. This is a great charge that has been placed on Timothy before God and Christ and the angels. As the leadership in the church, you can't be operating in the flesh; flying off the handle; taking part in gossip and politicking to have everything your way. Have you ever lit a bottle rocket with the stick broke off? You know it's going somewhere but you don't know where. You know it's going to pop but you don't know where it’s going to happen? We've all been around people like that. Paul is telling Timothy, that won't work in the church.
There should be a maturity and the leadership must be seeking the will of God. All that is done should be done to glorify God. That includes laying hands on others to ordain others as pastors, elders or deacons. God ordains men into these rolls. When it becomes evident in the church that God has done this, then the church can recognize that with the laying on of hands. But it shouldn't be done hastily.
Had Timothy hastily ordained someone that was causing problems? Were accusations then being brought? Was he sinning and stumbling others? We don’t know for sure what the scenario looked like, but we know Paul had much confidence in Timothy who seemed to be overwhelmed with the situation.
1 Timothy 5:23
Timothy had frequent infirmities. Faith healing ministries might ask, “Why didn't he heal himself?” We might ask, “Why didn't Paul heal him?” It wasn't because of a lack of faith. It was because we live in a fallen world and bad things happen in a fallen sinful world. Timothy was suffering because of sin people bring into fellowship. Any suffering we experience is far less than what we deserve.
How the genuineness of faith is tested: 1. In the tempest of doubt; 2. in the tempest of affliction; 3. in the tempest of death.—The magnificent Plan; the swelling Flood; the deep Fall; the heavy Ruin.
Lange, J. P., & van Oosterzee, J. J. (2008).
A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Luke
(P. Schaff & C. C. Starbuck, Trans.; p. 108).
Logos Bible Software.
Timothy was clearly abstaining from wine and it was known by Paul that he was. This could be due to the accusations of false teachers. The ascetics were known to have abstained from wine. Timothy was a sick man, drinking wine was apparently safer than drinking the water in Ephesus. Their ‘wine’ was two parts water and one part wine. A large city without water or sewer treatment plants or even planning along those lines, sometimes resulted in bad situations. Paul was suggesting a break from the water or supplement of wine (treatment for dysentery).
This verse is commonly used as permission to drink alcohol. This might be the only scripture in the bible they've memorized. There is a clear distinction between Timothy’s use of a little wine to the habitual use and abuse of alcohol to cope with life. It's interesting that most people focus on the alcohol part of that verse and never notice that Timothy had frequent infirmities.
1 Timothy 5:24-25
Paul passed along some of the wisdom he'd learned from experience in dealing with people. Some people aren't always as they appear. I think everyone learns that. Every pastor will learn it quickly. Many times people speak and act different at church and they attempt to change their nature in front of church leadership. This is the very definition of hypocrisy. It is in our nature to want to appear righteous among other Christians. But, if you think about it, it's a pretty goofy thing to do. Just bearing the name 'Christian' says we confess to be fallen, sinful and without hope. We trust in Jesus and he can see through all our disguises.
Some people have hidden sins and keep their sin well hidden, while others struggle openly. In the same way, the good works of some are out in the open for all to see while for others good works aren't so out in the open. In time their works will revealed. All unconfessed and unpaid sin will eventually be revealed to shame of man. And all the works of man will be revealed. But only those done in the name of the Lord and for the glory of God will matter.
Again, we see a call for Timothy to be composed and in control. He was to have order in his life and that order then extended to the church as his life was given to that effort. This is a call to Christian and spiritual maturity, a requirement to be calm, patient and let things show themselves. The underlying principle is this: That which rules your life will always shine through. Timothy's life, our life, is to be spent in service to the one who bought us with His blood.
©2011, 2023 Doug Ford
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