Our Responsibilities toward the Elderly & Widowed
October 14, 2022
Commentary
Paul tells Timothy how important it is that he has a right attitude as he deals with people in the church. Since Timothy was a younger man, he might be tempted to ignore the older members. (1) To older people we must show affection and respect(vv. 1-2). An older man is to be treated like a father and an older woman like a mother. (2) To our contemporaries there should be tolerance and sharing (vv. 1-2). The younger men and women are to be treated like brothers and sisters. (3) To those of the opposite sex our relationships must always be marked with purity (v. 2).
No people has ever cared more for its needy and its aged than the Jews. Advice is now given for the care of widows. It was not uncommon in the pagan world of that day for a man to have more than one wife. However, when a man became a Christian, he could not go on being a polygamist, and therefore had to choose which wife he was going to live with. That meant that some wives had to be sent away and this placed them in a very unfortunate position. Because there were no pensions, no social security, no life insurance, and few honorable jobs for women, widows were usually unable to support themselves.
Paul stresses the importance of families caring for the needs of widows, and not making it the responsibility of the church, but so the church can care for those widows who have no families (vv. 3-4). The church did not propose to assume responsibility for older people whose children were alive and able to support them. From the beginning the church took care of its widows who in turn gave valuable service to the church. The primary reference here is to the obligation of children and grandchildren to support their widowed ancestors but in a general way can include the duty of parents to provide for their children (vv. 5-7). Suppose a Christian is unwilling to help support his loved-one? “He is worse than an unbeliever” (v. 8)!
Application
Ask each family member “If ____________ (a male relative) should die who would be responsible to help care for his widow? Think of several situations. At the end have each person ask themself “Who would I be responsible to help care for?
1 Timothy 5:1– 8 (NET)
1 Do not address an older man harshly but appeal to him as a father. Speak to younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters—with complete purity.
3 Honor widows who are truly in need. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn to fulfill their duty toward their own household and so repay their parents what is owed them. For this is what pleases God. 5 But the widow who is truly in need, and completely on her own, has set her hope on God and continues in her pleas and prayers night and day. 6 But the one who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. 7 Reinforce these commands, so that they will be beyond reproach. 8 But if someone does not provide for his own, especially his own family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.