Bible Study 1 Timothy 5: 1-25

 

A Commentary of the Book of 1 Timothy

By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins

Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible

Bible Study 1 Timothy 5: 1-25

Text:

Honor Widows

5 Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather plead with him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, 2 the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.

3 Honor widows who are widows indeed, 4 but if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to [a]make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God. 5 Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in petitions and prayers night and day. 6 But she who lives in self-indulgence is dead even while she lives. 7 And command these things as well, so that they may be above reproach. 8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

9 A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man, 10 having a reputation for good works; if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the [b]saints’ feet, if she has assisted those in affliction, if she has devoted herself to every good work. 11 But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, 12 thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous [c]pledge. 13 And at the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house. And not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention. 14 Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no opportunity for reviling, 15 for some have already turned aside after Satan. 16 If any believing woman has widows, she must assist them and the church must not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are widows indeed.

Honoring the Elders

17 The elders who lead well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor [d]at preaching the word and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while it is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” 19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. 20 Those who continue in sin, reprove in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful. 21 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His elect angels, to observe these instructions without bias, doing nothing in partiality. 22 Do not lay hands upon anyone hastily and [e]thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself pure.

23 No longer drink water only, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

24 The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after. 25 So also good works are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.

Verse by verse commentary:

Verse 1: “Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather plead with him as a father, to the younger men as brothers,”

Paul is instructing Timothy to confront sinning older men with deference and honor, which is clearly inferred from Old Testament principles. This is not referencing an elder in the church, but rather a man who is older. We are to strengthen our fellow believers in the same way the Scripture and the Holy Spirit do. A good minister appeals to other believers with the respect deserved by members of one’s family. This is not to prevent the younger Timothy from calling sin out regardless of the age of the offender. But rather, this is the starting point. The verse does not prevent a rebuke, but only a “sharp rebuke.”

Verse 2: “the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.”

A minister of a church should be very careful in his relationships with the opposite sex. More ministries have suffered shame as a result of sexual misconduct. Elders must be held to a higher standard. Paul has discussed Timothy’s relationship with the men in the church: older and younger, and then the women: older and younger. He will now move to another category. 

Verse 3: “Honor widows who are widows indeed,”

To “honor” means “to show respect or care,” “to support,” or “to treat graciously.” Although it includes meeting all kinds of needs, Paul had in mind here not only this broad definition, but primarily financial support. One of the factors that led to early church growth was the way that widows and women in general were treated. The world will notice when the church treats its people the way Paul instructed Timothy. 

Verse 4: “but if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God.”

 Families, not the church, have the first responsibility for their own widows. The church stood in second place if there was no family. The latter part of the verse makes clear that grown children bear responsibility to care for a widow if they can. The phrase “make some return” is literally “give back recompenses.” That is what children should do for their aging parents, “give back” to them.

Verse 5: “Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in petitions and prayers night and day.”

The form of this Greek word translated “been left alone” means a permanent condition of being forsaken and left without resources. She is “really” a widow, since there is no family to support her. The widow is to focus on living a life fully surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ and be in continual attitude of prayer and place her hope in Him.

Verse 6: “But she who lives in self-indulgence is dead even while she lives.”

A widow, or any person for that matter, who lives a worldly, immoral, ungodly life is alive physically, but her lifestyle proves she is unregenerate and spiritually dead. The term I like to use is an “unsaved religionist.” A person will reveal his true inner condition by what his heart longs for. 

Verse 7: “And command these things as well, so that they may be above reproach.”

The purpose is not to bring reproach on the church and to make sure that no one can fault their conduct. Paul is saying: “Timothy, you make this very clear to the church in order that they might act in an honorable way in these matters.”

Verse 8: “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

This verse connects a believer's actions and his faith. Someone can talk a good game but if they are not providing for their families they are worse than an unbeliever. Even the lost generally care for their own families, so if a believer does not, they are worse than the pagan.

Verse 9: “A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man,”

The “list” is simply of widows who are to receive support from the church. The age limit of 60 is because in that culture, after 60, the woman would not be a good candidate for remarriage. Being “the wife of one man” most likely refers to her being a faithful wife during the marriage before her husband passed away.

Verse 10: “having a reputation for good works; if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has assisted those in affliction, if she has devoted herself to every good work.”

This provides a list to describe a godly widow as a Christian mother who has raised  children that have followed the Lord. In addition, she has “washed the saints’ feet” which was a menial duty of slaves. It is used literally and metaphorically for widows who have humble servants’ hearts. To wash another’s feet demonstrates humility and submission. Paul is saying that it is good to consider what kind of person the widow has been in the past. 

Verse 11: “But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married,”

To “feel sensual desires” is an expression that includes all that is involved in the marriage relationship, including physical love. Paul saw the danger that younger widows might want to escape from their vows to remain single and be devoted only to God’s service. He knew the negative impact such feelings could have on young widows’ personal lives and ministry within the church. Younger women would be better candidates for remarriage because they still had physical desires that could hinder their work for the Lord. Paul wanted to create a plan for success and not failure. His advice is both practical and necessary.

Verse 12: “thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge.”

The word translated “pledge” is actually “faith.” If we look at the promise to be in service to the church, it is easy to see Paul’s concerns. The younger women were making a specific promise when asking to be included on the widows’ list. Likely, they promised to devote the rest of their lives in service to the church and the Lord Jesus Christ. Though well intentioned when the promise was made, they might desire to remarry and thus renege on their original pledge.

Verse 13: “And at the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house. And not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention.”

In other words, they carry garbage from one place to another, and the garbage is gossip. They go about, “talking about things not proper to mention.” There is the danger for the young widow, who has been relieved of the responsibility of being a wife and homemaker, that she will become a regular social butterfly disregarding the work of the Lord.

Verse 14: “Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no opportunity for reviling,”

In this whole section, Paul is giving instructions about the behavior of men and women who are in the church. He is stressing that these relationships should be on the highest level as a testimony before the world. Their lives are to be an open book and that book is to be  “holiness unto the Lord”before the world. If they are walking in holiness, they will  “give the enemy no opportunity for reviling.”

Verse 15: “for some have already turned aside after Satan.”

They were not genuine believers, but rather mere professors of the faith. A profession won’t save you. Neither will getting baptized, “receiving” or “accepting” Jesus, or joining the church. True Christians are new creations and their outward lives will demonstrate the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

Verse 16: “If any believing woman has widows, she must assist them and the church must not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are widows indeed.”

Paul restates his earlier message with the addition that as the situation warrants, Christian women are included in this responsibility for support of widows. Paul, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, knew the world would be watching this new sect of Judaism closely, and when the church acted like Christ in caring for the poor, people would be drawn to the One that saved them as they saw Him living through the local assembly.

Verse 17: “The elders who lead well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor at preaching the word and teaching.”

The early church paid their teachers, and a worthy teacher, I think, was paid double. Elders who served with greater commitment, excellence in teaching the Word shouldreceive greater acknowledgment from their local church. This verse does not mean such teachers should receive exactly twice as much payment as others, but because they have earned such respect they should be paid more.

Verse 18: “For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle the ox while it is threshing,’ and ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages.’”

The early church had a high view of New Testament Scripture. Paul quotes from the Old Testament and the New Testament in this verse. In this instance both Deuteronomy 25: 4 and Luke 10: 7 are quoted. The fact that Paul quoted from Luke shows how he viewed the New Testament writings. Scripture is inspired by God and perfect and sufficient for our faith and practice.

Verse 19: “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses.”

If this process was observed today,  it would reduce the gossip and misunderstanding and the strife that goes on in our churches. Paul says that the elder and every member of the church should refuse to let anyone speak any gossip about the elder or any church officer. People must prove their accusations before  two or three witnesses. 

Verse 20: “Those who continue in sin, reprove in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful.”

Elders who continue in any kind of sin after the confrontation of two or three witnesses, violate the qualifications to serve. They are to be rebuked publicly. I have done this with positive results. However, it is to be done reluctantly and as a last resort. It is never the first step. The purpose is remedial and also hopefully a deterrent to those who hear the rebuke. The elder who does this values his relationship with God more than his fear of man.

Verse 21: “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His elect angels, to observe these instructions without bias, doing nothing in partiality.”

Timothy is to treat everyone in the church alike. There may be an officer in the church who is a wealthy man and who has been good to the pastor. Paul says that we are not to show partiality in the church. James said the same thing in his book. Partiality is not Godly or Biblical.

Verse 22: “Do not lay hands upon anyone hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself pure.”

The laying on of hands meant the public setting aside of a man for ministry. It is a public ceremony so there is recognition for all to see. The thought here is that this is not to be done “hastily,” not to a new convert. The last portion of the verse instructs Timothy to not let someone talk you into letting a young convert teach. He would be a partner in sin if he did. Teachers are to be grounded in the Word of God.

Verse 23: “No longer drink water only, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.”

The wine is not being used as a beverage but as a medicine. This verse supports the view that the sign gifts were passing away by the time Paul wrote this book between 62-66 A.D. Otherwise, why didn’t Paul command the sickness to leave, cast out demons, or tell him to have faith for healing? No, Paul said to take some medicine.

Verse 24: “The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after.”

The sins of some men are in the open for all to see, thus disqualifying them for service as elders. The known sins of the unqualified announce those men’s guilt and unfitness before all in the church. “Judgment” refers to the church’s process for determining who is fit to serve the church as an elder. The sins of other candidates for elders will come to light in the future, perhaps even during the evaluation process.

Verse 25: “So also good works are quite evident, and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed.”

The same is true for good works. Some are obvious while others come to light later. The whole emphasis in this teaching is to reveal how to choose elders, according to the Biblical qualifications Paul has already set forth.