1 Timothy 5.13-15-Paul Gives Instructions Regarding Younger Widows and Acknowledges That Some Were In Apostasy
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday August 21, 2011
1 Timothy: 1 Timothy 5:13-15-Paul Gives Instructions Regarding Younger Widows And Acknowledges That Some Were Already In Apostasy
Lesson # 111
Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 5:9.
1 Timothy 5:9 A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man, 10 having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought up children, if she has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work. 11 But refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in disregard of Christ, they want to get married, 12 thus incurring condemnation, because they have set aside their previous pledge. 13 At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention. (NASU)
“At the same time they also learn to be idle” is introducing a reason why Paul does not want younger widows put on the list to receive financial support from the church at Ephesus, which is in addition to the previous reason presented by him in 1 Timothy 5:11.
“As they go around from house to house” indicates that these younger, idle widows were making it their habit of going from house to house in order to gossip and meddle in the affairs of others.
“And not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies” advances upon Paul’s previous assertion that younger widows make it their habit of wandering about the various homes and intensifies it.
It states in emphatic terms that the idleness of these younger widows is not limited simply to wandering about the various homes.
“Gossips” speaks of bringing either justified or unjustified charges against another human being and is slanderous or malicious.
“Busybodies” describes someone who meddles in the affairs of someone else.
This behavior by these young idle widows would damage the credibility of the Ephesian Christian community in the opinion of the unsaved.
“Talking about things not proper to mention” refers to a younger, idle widow making it her habit of wandering to the various homes in the Christian community in order to gossip and meddle in the affairs of others.
1 Timothy 5:14 Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach. (NASB95)
“Therefore, I want younger widows to get married” is the result of an inference from Paul’s previous statements in verses 11-13, which presents two reasons why younger widows should not be put on the list to receive financial support from the church in Ephesus.
Paul’s desire that younger widows be married does not mean that he is requiring that each individual younger widow in Ephesus must be married but rather, he is simply establishing church policy with regards to younger widows.
The purpose of this policy was to relieve the financial burden on the church and was also designed to protect the testimony of the church before the unsaved, which he expresses here in 1 Timothy 5:14 and also promote the spiritual growth of these widows.
Another purpose of this policy was so that these younger widows would not be relying upon the church for support and would not put themselves in a position of not keeping a vow to Christ to remain single and serve Him alone.
This policy would also protect these widows from being idle, which would result in them getting involved with gossip and being busybodies, which in turn would result in their being disciplined by the Lord.
It would also result in these widows being a productive part of the Christian community rather than a detriment to it.
This policy is also a rebuke to the Judaizers and those pastors in Ephesus who forbid marriage, which Paul mentions in 1 Timothy 4:3 as a heretical doctrine.
It also served as a refutation of the attitude of the “new woman” that was emerging in the Roman Empire who rejected the traditional and divinely sanctioned role of women.
Paul’s desire that younger widows remarry does not contradict the qualification that a widow be a one-man woman, which Paul lists in 1 Timothy 5:9 since this qualification pertains to being faithful in marriage and is not in any way a prohibition of remarriage.
The apostle’s instruction here in 1 Timothy 5:14 that younger widows remarry does not contradict in any way his teaching in 1 Timothy 5:11-12 since in these verses he is presenting the reason why he does not want them put on the list to receive financial support from the church.
Their natural desire to be with a man will cause them to break their vow to Christ to not remarry and be devoted solely to His service.
Thus, Paul wants them to remarry so as to not put themselves in a situation where they will break this vow to Christ.
If they can’t keep the vow, it is better that they remarry.
There is also no conflict with Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 7 that single Christians do not marry and remain single as he was.
However, in this chapter Paul is simply teaching that remaining single was preferable for a Christian because they could be devoted exclusively to the Lord.
He also taught in this chapter that if the sexual drive of the person was such that it did not make this possible, then they were to remarry and were not sinning by doing so.
Thus, Paul’s teaching in 1 Timothy 5:14 does not contradict in any way his teaching in 1 Corinthians 7 since in both passages he is encouraging women to marry rather than fighting their natural sexual inclinations.
“Bear children” is an affirmation that childbearing is a unique function of womanhood.
“Keep house” expresses the idea that the wife in the Christian home in the first century exercised the oversight of slaves, children and the business interests of the household (see Proverbs 31:10-31).
“And give the enemy no occasion for reproach” teaches that Paul’s purpose for wanting younger widows to remarry, bear children and manage a household was in order that they would never permit or allow the enemy an opportunity to slander Christianity.
Verse 14 indicates that the goal of Satan in establishing a base of operations through the ungodly conduct of young widows is to slander the church whether in heaven or on earth through human agencies like the Judaizers.
It refers to Satan attacking the Christian community in Ephesus by highly insulting verbal abuse that is designed to injure its reputation.
This slander would take place in heaven (Zechariah 3:1-7; Revelation 12:10; 1 John 2:1-2) and Satan would use human instrumentalities on earth to attack the church’s reputation.
He would use the Judaizers in the case of the Ephesians since 1 Timothy 4:1-2 teaches that Satan used them to draw many pastors in Ephesus away from teaching the gospel in order to become teachers of the Law (cf. 1 Timothy 1:3-4, 7).
1 Timothy 5:15 for some have already turned aside to follow Satan. (NASB95)
This verse presents the reason for the previous command in 1 Timothy 5:14 for the younger widows to be married, bear children and manage a household.
It teaches that Paul is performing damage control here in 1 Timothy 5:15 since he acknowledges that some young widows were idle and being gossips and busybodies which constitutes following after Satan, who is the author of slander.
The verse teaches us that some young widows were in apostasy meaning that they had deviated from the gospel, i.e. the Word of God with its commands and prohibitions, which can be summed up in the commands to love God with one’s entire being and strength and one’s neighbor as oneself.
By gossiping about others and meddling in the affairs of others, these younger widows were violating these commands (cf. 1 Timothy 5:13).
They were not treating their neighbor as they would want to be treated and were thus, not loving God because they were not obeying Him (cf. John 14:15).
These younger widows also manifested the fact that they were following after Satan by breaking their vow to remain single to serve the Lord exclusively (cf. 1 Timothy 5:11-12).
They also manifested their apostasy by engaging in a self-indulgent lifestyle (cf. 1 Timothy 5:6).
Undoubtedly, these young widows were exposed to the false doctrine of the Judaizers and in particular the false doctrine that prohibited marriage (cf. 1 Timothy 4:1-5).
Thus, some of these younger widows listened to this teaching to not remarry and were staying on the list of widows who were receiving financial support from the church, which in turn led them into a self-indulgent lifestyle.
This verse implies that at one time they were following the right path in the sense of learning the Word of God and exercising faith in it, which results in obedience.
However, then they turned away from this faith and obedience by exercising unbelief resulting in disobedience, which manifested itself in their being idle resulting in going from house to house to gossip and meddle in the affairs of others.
1 Timothy 5:15 would serve as a warning to those younger widows who were not in apostasy to not follow in the footsteps of those widows who had gone into apostasy.
It would also serve to rebuke those younger widows already in apostasy and would call them back to the confession of their sins and obedience to God.
Also, this verse would instruct the church at Ephesus to not support these younger widows who were in apostasy.