1 Timothy 5
Apr 3, 2009
In Chapter 5, Paul’s letter to Timothy takes on some more practical instructions.
To some, Chapter 5 may look like simply an advice chapter. Remember the context of this letter, from an older minister to a younger one, and you might find the advice to be amazing. Let’s look at some of Paul’s “pointers” to Timothy:
- Treat older men as if they were your father
- Treat younger men as if they were your brother
- Treat older women as if they were your mother
- Treat younger women as if they were your sister (with absolute purity…in other words, hands off)
How To Care For Widows
The early church dealt with a real problem when it came to the elderly. Apparently, families were not taking care of their own as they got older, but instead left them to fend for themselves or to be cared for by others (sound familiar). Paul is adamant in verse 4 that children should “put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents”. I guess Paul was not a fan of nursing homes when there were still children that could do the job.
How to Deal with Younger Widows
Remember the false teachings talked about in verses 1 & 2? It is a good guess that these younger widows Paul is talking about here are the same busybodies that were causing the problems in those chapters. Here, you find Paul being very specific about younger widows, instructing them to remarry in order to stay out of trouble. This shows Paul’s desperation in dealing with D-R-A-M-A. Drama and gossip was prevalent in the early church, as it is today. Paul was so shaken by the drama that he advocated drastic means (getting married) in order to curb it.
Paul finishes the chapter with some more good advice from older to younger:
- Honor those that serve in the church doubly
- Do not show favoritism or partiality in the church
- Be slow to select persons for ministry
- Don’t share in the sins of others (don’t hang out with people that will get you into trouble)
- Do not drink the water (try the wine…hmm…interesting)
Finally, Paul says that just as the sins of men are obvious to the others around them, Good Deeds are just as obvious. In other words, people are watching. Let them catch you doing something good.
We end 1 Timothy tomorrow with Chapter 6.
Entry Filed under: Devotions. .
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1. Rebecca Cruz | Apr 3, 2009 at 3:22 pm
I was confused now I am not (glad I read up top before typing) I find it interesting that he tells the women to remarry. I wondered before if remarrying after a spouse died was another form of adultry. I guess not now.
I especially love how it says that children shouldn’t abandon their parents/grandparents and that people shouldn’t abandon their family ESPECIALLY their immediate family. I find it so often that parents turn their backs on kids and vice versa and siblings and I always thought that wrong.
I really do like how in this chapter it tells you how to treat your elders and those who are younger than you because in reality you should (even though sometimes it’s hard especially with elders you don’t like).
2. velocityreborn | Apr 3, 2009 at 5:26 pm
A lot of people have a “look out for me” mentality. This is a real reminder that we should look out for the ones that we love and need it.
3. chelsea | Apr 3, 2009 at 6:22 pm
read
4. velocityreborn | Apr 4, 2009 at 12:21 am
You have been learning your commenting skills from Nate, I think.
5. Lissa Kristine | Apr 4, 2009 at 4:07 am
That’s exactly what I thought when I read the comment.
6. Alex Father | Apr 3, 2009 at 11:47 pm
I like this verse I charge thee in the sight of God, and Christ Jesus, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing by partiality. I think this is a real good one. Chelsea read it WOW!
7. velocityreborn | Apr 4, 2009 at 12:22 am
Yes, she did. And then made an amazingly deep comment…Definitely a good verse. Partiality is something that leads to prejudices. Good call.
8. Vania Q | Apr 3, 2009 at 11:55 pm
THe last part of what wuz written made me think… let them catch yu doin sumthin qood……its funni cuz younq ppl usually qet cauqht doinq bad thinqs….& when they do qood thinqs they dnt always qet recoqnized… buT God sees everythinq…. qood and bad…
9. velocityreborn | Apr 4, 2009 at 12:24 am
I really like what you have to say here. How awesome would that be if we could get caught doing good. That is a great thought.
10. Lissa Kristine | Apr 4, 2009 at 4:02 am
One of the things I noticed in this chapter is that Paul says that family members, if there, should care for widows. It’s that mentality that people want to make a difference when it’s convenient. People will argue over a 5 cent bag refund at ShopRite for using reusable bags. People will drop in money in for cancer research or pay for a group of kids to wash their car for their fundraisers. But they’ll put their relatives into nursing homes. They try to make a difference, but only if it’s convenient. They’ll donate money to help find a cure for breast cancer but they are too inconvenienced to care for their own mother.
And I’m not saying that cancer research, helping the environment or anything like that is a bad thing. I just think people (myself included) are too exclusive as to how they’ll help. We focus on making such a big impact that we set aside ways we can help right now.
And sometimes, especially for young people, this can be a problem. Sometimes, it feels like you need to raise a lot of money for a cause to feel like you’ve made any difference. I think that should change. We need to do what we can to reach the need where we are right now.
I mean, when we think of going to be a missionary we think of someone being a missionary oveseas…or maybe a short-term missions trip to a major city in the United States. I doubt any of us thinks of “Rockaway, NJ.” We focus on other needs elsewhere because as youth, all we really do is put in some money and maybe say a prayer or two. We do this when it is convenient for us.
Meanwhile, we ignore the need right in front of us. Let’s face it, it’s pretty easy to go and drop money in the offering plate for Speed the Light, but we have lives to live outside of church. If you’re at the store with a group of friends, I doubt anybody would think to offer to help an older lady carry her groceries to her car, or offer to put someone’s cart away for them after they unload the groceries in their car (although, around here nobody puts carts away. Cart returns are illegal in the Parsippany ShopRite parking lot, or so they say…)
Sure, this won’t win you any prize. This won’t get your name into a drawing for a missions trip because you raised $1000 for Speed the Light. You won’t get any recognition.
But maybe doing something to reach a need right there where you are will make a difference to whomever you are reaching. And if we all allowed ourselves to be inconvenienced to reach a need right here, who knows what that will do. Maybe soon others will be inspired to reach the needs around them and it will be a dominoes effect.
I think, right now, if I could go back in time, I would go back to a couple months ago at the Willowbrook mall. I was heading outside with Alex when an employee at one of the kiosks dropped a box of folders or something. I looked back, paused for a minute. Then, I walked away. I knew I should have helped. But I didn’t. I didn’t feel like having Alex joke around and try to annoy me by teasing me about going back to help. I didn’t want to be inconvenienced.
I wish I had helped. Just because I don’t have a lot of money to donate to the causes I want to donate to, doesn’t mean I cannot make a difference. There are needs around me that I can reach as I am. I don’t need to be older or richer.
Yes, I still have big dreams, but I’m not going to focus so much on the big dreams for the future that I ignore the needs around me.
Even something as simple as holding a door open for somebody, for all we know, could make someone’s day.
And as Christians, we are supposed to strive to be like Christ.
WWJD?
Jesus would take an extra minute to hold the door open.
I really need to stop blabbering on and on at 4am. This comment took me over an hour to type out without erasing and retyping it over and over.
I’m not even sure if I’m typing in English or if any of this makes sense or relates to the verse. I’m not tired or anything (well, at least I’m not VERY tired), but I pretty much just typed this without thinking about it first. Of course, my best poems were like this so I’m sure it has to make SOME sense. =P
11. Lissa Kristine | Apr 4, 2009 at 4:04 am
o_O
Maybe I should write in my own blog more often…my comment is longer than some of my latest blog entries.
And it was longer before….
12. velocityreborn | Apr 4, 2009 at 2:44 pm
I think that Christ would strive to do both…good deeds at home (as has been talked about often in 1 Timothy) AND helping to do good elsewhere (as is the primary focus of the book of Acts). Do not fall into the trap of thinking these things are mutually exclusive…although they are some great thoughts. Jesus would hold the door open for someone, take care of His relatives instead of placing them in a nursing home, and raise money for missionaries overseas…not because He is Jesus, but because that is what He would encourage us to do.
13. Lisa Fonda | Apr 4, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Sorry this comment is late i forgot to read yesterday
ADIVE ABOUT WIDOWS, ELDEERS, AND SLAVES
we should all help the widows who are greeving about their husbans death and than help them become closer to god so he can help them know hes in a better place
be kind to your elders and do not accuse them of wrong let god do that
“respect your elders”
22. Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
Paul is telling Timothy to be nice to everyone around him not just specific peopl
he wants timothy to be yourself dont follow others mistakes take them in and do not make the same mistakes
“Dont make the same mistakes twice”
14. velocityreborn | Apr 4, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Nice comments. I definitely want you to treat your elders right. I am them…um…yeah.
15. Stacy M | Apr 4, 2009 at 9:25 pm
19 Don’t listen to a complaint against a leader that isn’t backed up by two or three responsible witnesses. (The Message)
This verse jumped right out to me. Do you know how many times I’ve heard, “Everybody thinks…. or Everyone’s saying…” When in actuality it was one person. And don’t miss the most important words from that verse…”responsible witnesses”.
16. velocityreborn | Apr 4, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Yeah…everyone thinks this is a great verse…he he
17. Jess d | Apr 4, 2009 at 9:47 pm
this verse talks about how to treat the widows and how elders are suppoed to act. But the verse thtat really jumped out at me when i was reading was the last one. It says how people know who much good someone can do, but there are also others who do good things that wont be shown till later. I translated it to, even when people dont see you doing good things, God sees them and he will reward you later on. I also enjoyed this chapter
18. velocityreborn | Apr 4, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Yeah, I love that verse, too. We should not worry about other people seeing us do good, but God will bring it to light eventually.
19. Ashley R | Apr 5, 2009 at 12:01 am
I thought it was very interesting how the same issues that we deal with today happened just as much back then. it kind of opened my eyes to how hard we have to work in order to be a good example and that people are always watching and so as a follower of christ we need to be cautios of our actions.