Slices
Prepare
Think about how your church identifies those in need – whether physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, social or any other type of need. How does it respond to these needs? What happens when need is great, but resources are limited?
Bible passage
Widows, elders and slaves
5 Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.
3 Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 5 The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. 6 But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. 7 Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. 8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
9 No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, 10 and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.
11 As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 12 Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. 13 Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to. 14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15 Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.
16 If any woman who is a believer has widows in her care, she should continue to help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.
Explore
Timothy had been sent to Ephesus to confront wrong teaching, so whether he liked it or not, there was going to be conflict. Here, Paul gives him some guidance about how to speak to others, particularly those who were leading people astray. Following on from chapter 1 verse 5, Paul advises Timothy to treat others in the church as family members and to correct them lovingly.
Paul now turns his attention to those in need. Throughout the Bible, God shows his compassion to vulnerable people. Psalm 68:5 describes him as a ‘defender of widows’, so there is no suggestion that the church should economise by limiting the number of widows it supports. Rather, Paul is concerned that all of us take up our social responsibilities and help those within our circle who are in need, reflecting the nature of God in our daily lives.
Support for the vulnerable should not be patronising, belittling the recipient. Within Christian fellowship, everyone is worthy of respect and should be allowed to minister to others. What areas of ministry can widows, for example, be involved in (v 10)?
Respond
How are you supporting the vulnerable? Maybe you are one of the vulnerable – does this passage give you ideas for how you can minister as well as receive?
Deeper Bible study
‘A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.’1
Sometimes the chapter breaks in the Bible can be unhelpful. Paul continues to address Timothy’s youthful leadership as he instructs on appropriate conduct in the church family. John Stott’s advice to those given responsibility beyond their years is that sensitivity to different age ranges will lead to others gratefully receiving your ministry.2 The guidelines to Timothy for leading the church community come with warnings. The dangers of the misappropriation of power (v 1), sex (v 2) and money (v 8) undergird this teaching. Little has changed.
What follows are detailed instructions on the provision for widows, who at that time would likely have been the neediest group. This would particularly have been so for those who had become Christians, as they might well have been disowned by their families. In a world without the provision of state social welfare, it is easy to see how a Christian widow would be so vulnerable. Paul writes as one who had significant experience in helping the early church to organise community life. His specific advice is fascinating and I’d encourage you to consult a commentary to learn about the world in which he lived.
The issue in your particular community may not be the provision for widows, but I wonder who the ‘least and the lowest’ are within your reach? This is a challenge for the church of the twenty-first century. Paul is clear that it is a fundamental Christian duty to provide for our relatives (v 8), but should there be those who lack such support then the church needs to step up. Paul is renowned for his doctrinal prowess, but his attention to social responsibility could be easily overlooked. In this letter we see how the gospel message should spill over into social outreach. May we respond accordingly.
What does the Lord require of you? Micah 6:8 may help.
1 Ps 68:5 2 John Stott, The Message of 1 Timothy & Titus, IVP, 1996, p126
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Isaiah 13,14; 2 Timothy 4
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray for the new holiday club resource for churches to use in 2023, The Restoration Station, (read more here) which is due to be released in mid-October. Pray that the material will help the 95 learn about how Jesus is the Great Restorer.
