1 Timothy 5.18-Paul Cites Deuteronomy 25.4 And Luke 10.7 To Support His Command In 1 Timothy 5.17
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday August 25, 2011
1 Timothy: 1 Timothy 5:18-Paul Cites Deuteronomy 25:4 And Luke 10:7 To Support His Command In 1 Timothy 5:17
Lesson # 114
Please turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 5:17.
The apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 5:18 cites two passages of Scripture to support his command in 1 Timothy 5:17.
1 Timothy 5:17 The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” (NASB95)
“For the Scripture says” is composed of the post-positive conjunction gar (γάρ) (gar), “for” and then we have the third person singular present active indicative form of the verb lego (λέγω) (leh-go), “says” which is followed by the articular nominative feminine singular form of the noun (γραφή) (grah-fee), “the Scripture.”
The conjunction gar is causal meaning that the word is introducing a clause the presents the basis for Paul’s command in 1 Timothy 5:17.
The first piece of Scripture that the apostle uses to support his command in verse 17 is Deuteronomy 25:4 and the second is from the Lord Jesus Christ’s teaching, which is recorded in Luke 10:7 and Matthew 10:10.
The former teaches that one must not muzzle an ox while it is threshing out the grain and the latter is that a laborer is worthy of his wages.
Therefore, here in 1 Timothy 5:18, the conjunction gar indicates that these two passages of Scripture present two reasons why elders who work hard teaching the Word of God must be considered by the congregation as worthy of double honor, i.e. respect and remuneration.
The verb lego refers to the “content” of what the Spirit communicated through Moses in Deuteronomy 25:4 and the Lord in Luke 10:7 and is quoted by Paul here in 1 Timothy 5:18.
The present tense of the verb lego is a “perfective” present, which emphasizes that even though Deuteronomy 25:4 and Luke 10:7 were written in the past, they still speak today.
It says that these quotations are binding on Paul’s readers since it confirms his command in 1 Timothy 5:17 that those elders who work hard teaching them the Word of God are to be considered by them as worthy of double honor, i.e. respect and remuneration.
The statement “You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing” is a slightly altered rendering of the LXX translation of Deuteronomy 25:4.
What is explicit in 1 Corinthians 9:1-14 is implicit here in 1 Timothy 5:18, namely pastor-teachers should be paid for their services on behalf of the Lord and His body.
In 1 Corinthians 9:1-14, Paul spells out in detail using the figure of a fortiori the principle of providing financially for pastor-teachers.
Originally, the command in Deuteronomy 25:4 was given out of concern for oxen employed by the citizens of Israel.
The ox was driven over a threshing floor and by doing so would separate the grain from the stalk and chaff with its hooves.
The animal was allowed to eat some of the grain.
If the farmer gains from the work of the ox, he should allow the animal to sustain itself.
In 1 Timothy 5:18 and 1 Corinthians 9:1-14, Paul teaches from this command in Deuteronomy 25:4 that if the animal is allowed to sustain itself by the work it provides for the farmer, should not pastor-teachers sustain themselves by the work they perform for their congregations.
The apostle Paul teaches the Corinthian church that they are to support pastor-teachers financially by employing the figure of a fortiori and applying the reasoning from this command in the Mosaic Law concerning provision for oxen to the pastor-teachers who taught them the Word of God.
If God is concerned about oxen, then the argument of a fortiori teaches how much more is He concerned about those who serve them by teaching them the Word of God.
So Paul brings out the ethical and spiritual implications of Deuteronomy 25:4 for the Corinthians.
If God wants oxen to partake of grain that they thresh, how much more should pastor-teachers benefit materially and financially from those they serve by teaching them the Word of God.
“You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing” is composed of the accusative masculine singular form of the noun bous (βοῦς) (vooce), “the ox” and this is followed by the accusative masculine singular present active participle form of the verb aloao (ἀλοάω) (ahlowe-ah-owe), “while he is threshing” and then we have the emphatic negative adverb ou (οὐ) (oo), “not” which is negating the meaning of the second person singular future active indicative form of the verb phimoo (φιμόω) (fee-mow-owe), “muzzle.”
The verb phimoo means “to muzzle” and its meaning is emphatically negated by the emphatic negative adverb ou and together, they form an emphatic prohibition.
Phimoo refers fastening a strap or metal piece over the mouth of an animal to keep it from eating the grain that was being threshed.
The muzzle was forbidden because it was cruel and inhumane to walk an ox over the grain all day and never allow him to satisfy his own hunger.
Paul applies this word to those who work hard teaching the Word of God.
He teaches that just as God forbid the Israelites from muzzling their oxen when the animal was threshing out the grain, so the Christian community should not do the same by not paying pastor-teacher for their services of teaching them the Word of God.
As it was cruel to muzzle the ox, it was equally cruel for the Christian community to not provide for their pastor-teachers’ financial and material needs.
The future indicative form of phimoo which is coupled with ou has the force of a command in the negative or in other words, it has the force of an emphatic prohibition.
The second quotation that Paul uses as support for his command in 1 Timothy 5:17 is found in Luke 10:7 and Matthew 10:10.
This second quotation is an excellent complement to the first since both contain the theme of worthiness.
The “worker” corresponds to the “ox” and to “elders who work hard teaching the Word.”
The term “wages” indicates that the expression “double honor” in 1 Timothy 5:17 involves material and financial support.
The gospel of Luke was written in the sixties and since Luke was a companion of Paul, this gospel would have been read in the Pauline churches and more than likely by the church in Ephesus by 63-65 A.D when First Timothy was written.
Even if Paul did not have access to the gospel of Luke, the stories and traditions of Jesus that found their way into the four gospels would have been communicated by the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ to the church in the public worship service.
“And the laborer is worthy of his wages” is composed of the conjunction kai (καί) (keh), “and” and this is followed by the nominative masculine singular form of the adjective axios (ἄξιος) (ax-ee-oce), “worthy” and then we have the articular nominative masculine singular form of the noun ergates (ἐργάτης) (ehvah-gar-teece), “the laborer” and this is followed by the articular genitive masculine singular form of the noun misthos (μισθός) (meece-thoce), “of wages” and then we have the dative feminine plural form of the intensive personal pronoun autos (αὐτός) (awf-toce), “his.”
The conjunction kai is adjunctive meaning that the word is introducing another quotation from the Lord Jesus, which “in addition to” the first quotation from Deuteronomy 25:4 serves as the basis for Paul’s command in 1 Timothy 5:17.
This indicates that the second quotation is equal in authority with the first and that Luke 10:7 is teaching the same principle as Deuteronomy 25:4.
In 1 Timothy 5:18, the noun ergates means “worker” and is used for an agricultural worker.
The Lord Jesus always used this term with a spiritual application (e.g. Mark 9:37-38; 20:1-2, 8; Luke 10:2).
Here in 1 Timothy 5:18, the word is used in the same manner and is used of elders who work hard teaching the Ephesian Christian community the Word of God.
The adjective axios pertains to being correspondingly fitting or appropriate indicating that the worker is “worthy” of his pay (BDAG, page 93).
This indicates that the services of the laborer is “worth” compensation or “merits” his being paid.
Thus, the Lord taught that those who proclaim the gospel “merit” to be paid or in other words their services are to be considered as meriting financial compensation.
In the same way, those elders who work hard teaching the Ephesian Christian community the Word of God are “worthy” of being paid for their services.
This term axios teaches that the pastor-teacher who works hard teaching his congregation the Word of God should be considered by his congregation as meriting pay for his services or in other words, should get paid for teaching them.
The noun misthos denotes “payment or compensation for work or services performed” whether that service be negative (retribution) or positive (reward).
It was used by the Lord in Luke 10:7 to denote the “wages” “the monetary compensation” that the agricultural worker receives for performing services for an employer or service for a customer.
Paul uses the term as support for elders who work hard teaching the Word of God being compensated financially by the Christian community.