A note from our Pastor:

”If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them, and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows indeed.”

1 Timothy 5:16

Good Morning Dearly Beloved,

In our study verse this morning, the Apostle Paul is going to present Timothy with his final thoughts on the care for widows. Much of this chapter is devoted to how the congregation of believers should care for certain individuals in their numbers. This particular verse though is directed to personal behavior outside of the congregation.

In prior verses, the Apostle has given detailed instructions about the care of widows indeed. Those widows should be provided for by the congregation. If they are younger than 60 years of age they should be cared for but encouraged to remarry. If they are over 60 years of age and have demonstrated faithfulness in their life they should be admitted to the special order of widows and do charitable work on behalf of the community of believers.

This verse though is a reminder regarding the difference between widows indeed and widows. A woman who had lost her husband to death but had family, whether man or woman, was not a widow indeed. Going to a different time period and structure, take the example of Ruth and Naomi. When they returned to Israel from a foreign land, they were both widows but not widows indeed because they had each other. Thus, they gleaned from the fields in order to provide for themselves.

This instruction was important for the Apostle to provide to Timothy and the community of believers for two reasons. First, it was hard to preach love God first and your neighbor second if the individuals in the community were not even taking care of their own family. The first demonstration of loving your neighbors was to take care of your own. Second, the Apostle understood the limited resources of the congregation. If they were charged with taking care of all widows no matter the situation the resources would soon dwindle to the point that the widows indeed would not be adequately provided for.

In the modern church today, we should not lose sight of these instructions. First, to take care of our own when they are widowed. To provide for them and support them. Second, if a widow indeed arises the community of believers as a whole should come together to support that widow. Finally, if that widow is able she should engage in charitable work on behalf of the congregation.

Our Prayers are with you daily,

Brother Jeremiah