1 Timothy 5:3-6

Summary retelling of 1 Timothy 5:3-6

Paul tells Timothy to honor widows who are truly widows.  However, if a widow still has family left, the family should care for the widow as that is pleasing to God.  Paul reminds Timothy that a true widow will put all of her hope in God and be content with what God provides rather than taking advantage of other people’s help.   

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Paul tells Timothy to honor widows who are truly widows.  That is, if a widow genuinely has nobody else to rely upon, we should care for them.  This doesn’t mean that we give them whatever they want, but it does mean that we help ensure that they can continue to live.  Widows are alone, they need companionship.  In that culture, a widow might not have the means to purchase food or have access to clean water; so we should care for them and make sure that they have access to such things.  Paul is clearly concerned about a compassionate response to the people in genuine need in Ephesus.

Who in your life is in need of something that you can offer?  What can you offer to someone who is alone or in need of basic things in life?  How willing are you to be proactive about offering such things out of your life?

Second Thought:

In spite of his compassion, Paul also knows that there is abuse happening among the families of the church in Ephesus.  People aren’t caring for their widowed parents or grandparents.  The church (or society in general) needs to be careful about how much we step in and help people who genuinely should be receiving help from family.  When we step in, we do two things.  The first thing we do is deprive the family of an opportunity to help.  When the church (or society/government) steps in, human beings tend to pull back and let the church (or society/government) handle it.  The second thing that we do is even worse.  When churches (or society/government) take over ministry that families should provide, we are encouraging the family to develop habits that put them at odds with God.  God desires families to help one another.  When families learn to depend on institutions for help, we do not act in ways that are pleasing to God and according to God’s way.

How difficult is it to know when we should step in to help and when stepping in really means enabling a bad circumstance to continue?  How difficult is it to refuse help in order to help a bad circumstance begin to operate under a more godly agenda?  Have you ever been an enabler?  How does it feel to realize that what you thought was helping was actually allowing a bad process to continue?

Third Thought:

Paul also knows that there are widows who are taking advantage of other people’s generosity in the church in Ephesus.  This is likely part of the reason that in earlier chapters Paul is clear on having a carefully planned structure of authority in the church of Ephesus.  There are some widows who are taking help from other people and living in self-indulgent lives.  They are not seeing the help in terms of God sustaining them.  Rather, they are seeing the help in terms of being able to live a life of luxury where they neither work nor appreciate the generosity of others.

Have you ever heard the word entitlement?  What happens to a person when they feel entitled to a particular thing?  Have you ever been the victim of someone feeling they were entitled to something you provided?  Have you ever been the person who felt entitled to something that someone else was doing for you?  What impact does entitlement have upon community and the relationships within?

Passage for Tomorrow: 1 Timothy 5:7-8