Clarifying Widow Ministry – Part 2
1 Timothy 5:9-16
May 23, 2010
It has been a couple of weeks since we last visited this letter of 1 Timothy.
But as you know, this letter serves as a tremendous blueprint
For the function and ministries of the church.
“so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”
On one hand, we certainly understand that the church is God’s instrument on this earth for carrying out His desire.
Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
And so the church must be what God intends to be effective.
And so we study this book.
This is why there have been so many commands related to
The accuracy of teachers, the importance of faithful preaching,
The high calling of prayer, etc.
And so one reason for this letter is to help us be effective.
But on the other hand we also understand that God’s church
Is under heavy scrutiny from the world and that
She must be constantly aware of their desire to see her fall and fail.
Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”
Another purpose of this letter is to help the church know the best way to operate so as not to kill her witness in a world filled with skepticism.
We have seen this several times already.
1 Timothy 2:9-10 “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.”
1 Timothy 3:7 “And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
1 Timothy 3:10 “These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.”
And we see it in the text we are studying tonight.
1 Timothy 5:14 “Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach;”
The reality is that the church has any number of enemies
Who would like nothing better than to be able to find a chink in her armor.
If they can find a carnal preacher…
If they can find a wicked deacon…
If they can find a provocative woman…
They don’t care, any and all will suffice as ammunition
To try and bring the church down.
And so 1 Timothy proves to be a valuable letter,
Both in regard to how best to go in the offensive,
And how to protect ourselves from the attacks of the enemy.
Tonight we deal with a passage that deals with both.
Last time we met we talked about the first part of the widow ministry,
And that ministry was how the church should minister to widows.
And the easiest explanation is found in verse 3:
1 Timothy 5:3 “Honor widows who are widows indeed;”
For those women who are truly left alone,
The church should care for them.
(No husband, no children, no other family)
In fact in our text tonight Paul concludes
By giving another person who must help before the church does.
1 Timothy 5:16 “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.”
But if that woman is truly alone and has no help,
God does not expect her to now have to fend for herself.
Then the church must step in and financially support such women.
James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
But this second section deals with
The ministry of the widow to the church.
And while these two ministries may have certainly overlapped,
They are not necessarily comprised of the same groups of women.
For example,
Church may help younger widows – but they cannot serve.
Church may not help widows with money – but they certainly can serve.
These are different ministries, but they are listed together
Because they both involve widows.
THESE WIDOWS SERVE THE CHURCH
John MacArthur wrote:
“Their duties surely included helping with the baptism of women, visiting the sick, visiting prisoners, teaching and discipling younger women, helping younger women rear and nurture their children, and providing hospitality for visitors and strangers. They may have also assisted in placing orphans into proper Christian homes. That was a very important ministry in the Roman world, since the orphaned or abandoned children wound up as slaves, and often as prostitutes or gladiators. With their own husbands gone and their children grown, those widows had the time to pursue such essential matters.”
(pg. 206-207)
Furthermore simply by reading the text
We can deduce some of what they did.
(Vs. 10) she can be used “if she has brought up children”
And this of course can be seen as a responsibility if she is to help the younger women raise their kids or even be a protector to the orphans.
(Vs. 13) “as they go house to house”
And that certainly implies a sort of service and compassion ministry that was involved in caring for the sick and elderly.
And so now we are dealing with a new responsibility.
This is the responsibility of older widows to the church.
This was a serious ministry of service.
And here Paul sets out to reveal the qualifications and guidelines
For such a ministry.
There are two main points tonight although we will definitely expound on each.
#1 WHO TO RECEIVE
1 Timothy 5:9-10
Here it is obvious that Paul is explaining which widows
Are qualified to be recognized servants of the church.
Not every widow was qualified.
Just as overseers and deacons had to fit certain criteria
Before they could be recognized servants,
The widow also fell into this line.
And here Paul gives 8 requirements she must fulfill.
(5 times using the word “if”)
1) AGE
“A widow is to be put on the list if she is not less than sixty years old”
Apparently this is the one requirement that Paul was concerned
About receiving the most backslash about.
For he will later explain why he said this in more detail.
AT 60
• Her children would be grown
• The retirement age of Greek culture
2) CHASTITY
“having been the wife of one man”
Not necessarily divorce.
“one-man woman”
Her age, Her chastity
3) HER REPUTATION
“having a reputation for good works”
When talking about deacons we read:
1 Timothy 3:10 “These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.”
And the idea was that if they weren’t servants before they became deacons what makes you think they would become servants afterward?
The same is true of the widow.
If she didn’t do “good works” before being put on the list what makes you think she would do “good works” after being put on the list?
There is also the implication of how the world perceives her.
Of overseers Paul wrote:
1 Timothy 3:7 “And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
And Paul’s point was that if an overseer was too easy of a target for the world to attack, it was pointless to make him an overseer.
The same is true of the widow.
4) HER EXPERIENCE
“if she has brought up children”
Titus 2:3-5 “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”
Obviously you cannot learn motherhood by reading a book.
And one of this woman’s primary roles was instructing
And aiding the younger women as they raised their children.
She taught younger women
She helped orphans
SHE HAD TO KNOW WHAT SHE WAS DOING
Her age, Her chastity, Her reputation, Her experience
5) HER HOSPITALITY
“if she has shown hospitality to strangers”
In the days of the early church, motels were scarce
And those that were available were both expensive and dangerous.
Believers who traveled depended upon the hospitality of other believers.
6) HER HUMILITY
“if she has washed the saints’ feet”
It was ordinarily the slaves who washed the dirt and mud
Off of the feet of those entered.
And so Paul may not have been speaking in a literal sense her.
But certainly he has in mind her humble attitude.
She is not an uppity woman who is above certain tasks.
7) HER COMPASSION
“if she has assisted those in distress”
And of course all of these things deal with her lifestyle
BEFORE she became a widow.
When those in the church were in distress she went to meet their needs.
Today it is seen in “cooked meals” – “cleaned houses” – “baby-sitting kids” – etc.
She is a woman who put the needs of others above her own all her life,
And that is what now suits her to be an official servant of the church.
8) HER DEVOTION
“if she has devoted herself to every good work.”
And of course this sort of encompasses all the previous requirements.
She has to be one who was not just a flash in the pan.
She can’t remember a time 30 years ago when she did it,
She can remember a time last week when she did.
This is here lifestyle, not a one-time event.
She is devoted.
“sixty years old”
“wife of one man”
“reputation for good works”
“brought up children”
“shown hospitality”
“washed the saints’ feet”
“assisted those in distress”
“devoted herself to every good work”
Receive such women on the list as widows to serve the church.
Who to receive
#2 WHO TO REFUSE
1 Timothy 5:11-15
Here you see the strong language of Paul in this verse.
“But refuse to put younger widows on the list”
It implies that they may want to be on the list.
It implies that others may want them there.
But Paul is calling Timothy to stand tough and “refuse” to do so.
NOT BECAUSE THEY AREN’T GOOD WOMEN,
BUT BECAUSE THEY ARE TOO YOUNG,
AND THEIR AGE MAKES THEM SUSCEPTABLE TO TEMPTATION.
“for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge.”
The phrase “sensual desires in disregard of Christ”
Is one word in the Greek.
KATA – STRE – NI – A – O
It is only used here in the New Testament,
But in Greek literature it is used to refer to an ox trying to escape from it’s yoke.
And Paul here says that if a younger woman takes the vow
To remain a widow and serve the church,
Then she is at tremendous risk of this temptation.
For what happens when her grief passes and she finds that she would like to remarry and have children?
It places her in a very difficult situation.
For if she follows her natural desire to “get married” she will incur “condemnation, because [she] has set aside [her] previous pledge.”
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 “When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.”
And that is the application here.
I know that today you may think you will never love again, and never desire a husband again, and that may even be true of some women.
But it is not true for the majority of women
And they are setting themselves up for too great a temptation
By taking the vow at such a young age.
But that is not the only reason Paul refuses them.
(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 also saw the danger of a lack of maturity.
Someone once said:
“Too much time with not enough to do is dangerous for anyone except those too old to get into trouble.”
And that seems to be Paul’s motive here as well.
Simply put there is not enough to do in the widow ministry
To keep a younger woman as busy as she needs to stay.
And because that is the case Paul gives a command.
(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.”
Once again God reveals His truest intention for the woman.
We could go back to Genesis and see why she was created.
“as a helpmate suitable for him”
We could read 1 Corinthians and read:
“Man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake”
And even here we read that God has an intention for younger women.
– Not college
– Not a career
MARRIAGE
And this is so true that even if a woman loses her husband at a young age God desires for her to “get married” again.
It may seem anti-feminist to read that,
And it certainly flies in the face of modern thinking,
But when the Potter took a lump of the clay
This was what He decided He wanted to do with it.
And Paul even gets more specific than that.
“get married, bear children, keep house”
And yet it is amazing how society has brain-washed our women
Into thinking that if this is all they do then they are wasting their lives.
How many times have we said that all we desire is to be in the middle of the will of God?
How many times do we say, “I just want what God wants for me.”
I mean listen to Jesus:
John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
John 8:29 “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”
That is our goal as well.
And God’s will for younger women is that they “get married, bear children,” and “keep house”.
And then, according to our text tonight,
Once you have done that well for your lifetime,
And reach the age of 60
Then you start teaching and helping the younger women do the exact same thing.
Titus 2:3-5 “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”
This concept may not be popular,
But it is certainly not too difficult to understand.
And Paul’s reasoning in this is simple
“give the enemy no occasion for reproach; for some have already turned aside to follow Satan.”
And the occasion Paul is referring to
Is a church whose women have stepped outside of their role.
• They have either become unsubmissive to their husbands
• Or failed to raise their children,
• Or failed to keep house,
• Or been lured away into gossip and idleness.
And Satan sees those women as a tremendous opportunity
To attack the church’s reputation .
2 Timothy 3:1-6 “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,”
And the regrettable fact is that:
“some have already turned aside to follow Satan.”
In other words they have forsaken their God-ordained roles
Or perverted the role they are fulfilling.
If you aren’t doing it God’s way, then whose way are you doing it?
But you understand Paul’s point.
There is a group of saintly servants we call widows.
They are a tremendous asset to the church,
And when they fulfill their calling, they are also a glory to God.
And the intention of Paul
Is not merely to outline the service of older widows,
But also to encourage younger women to live their lives
In a way so as to some way be qualified for this special service.
Women who are considered worthy to serve,
Didn’t become worthy overnight.
They did it the right way all their lives,
And then they became eligible.
1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”