1 Timothy 5:9-16

Rachel Workman: 9 A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband.[c] 10 She must be well respected by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and served other believers humbly?[d] Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good?

11 The younger widows should not be on the list, because their physical desires will overpower their devotion to Christ and they will want to remarry. 12 Then they would be guilty of breaking their previous pledge. 13 And if they are on the list, they will learn to be lazy and will spend their time gossiping from house to house, meddling in other people’s business and talking about things they shouldn’t. 14 So I advise these younger widows to marry again, have children, and take care of their own homes. Then the enemy will not be able to say anything against them. 15 For I am afraid that some of them have already gone astray and now follow Satan.

16 If a woman who is a believer has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for the widows who are truly alone. Could this serve for our government as well? What Timothy is explaining here is happening everyday in our society. Instead of the church people have come to rely on the government to take care of them. They have become lazy and have a sense of entitlement. This makes it very difficult for those who really do need help.

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Krista Cook: Instructions on the care of widows - both young and old.  God knows what is best - that is why He set these guidelines to be followed.  

These and all His instructions are for our own good.  Always to be followed.

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Mike Grimm:  9 A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least sixty years old and was faithful to her husband. 10 She must be well respected by everyone because of the good she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and served other believers humbly? Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good?

11 The younger widows should not be on the list, because their physical desires will overpower their devotion to Christ and they will want to remarry. 12 Then they would be guilty of breaking their previous pledge. 13 And if they are on the list, they will learn to be lazy and will spend their time gossiping from house to house, meddling in other people’s business and talking about things they shouldn’t. 14 So I advise these younger widows to marry again, have children, and take care of their own homes. Then the enemy will not be able to say anything against them. 15 For I am afraid that some of them have already gone astray and now follow Satan.

16 If a woman who is a believer has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for the widows who are truly alone.

It sounds as if some of the older widows (>60 years of age) had been “put on the old widows list,” meaning that in exchange for financial support, they would take a vow to work for the church. Paul lists a few of the qualifications that these widows would have to meet. They needed to be at least 60 years old, should have been faithful to their husbands, and should be well known for their good deeds. However, younger widows “were not allowed” in this group because their maternal urges might make them desire to become “betrothed to another.”

Statistics show that 3 out of 4 wives today will become widows at some point in their lives. Why do so many men die before their wives? My guess is, “because we want to.” On the down side though, there are many elderly women in our churches that the church must provide an avenue of service for them. Many of these widows would love to help out in the church. The church must only ask AND have services that are needed. James 1:27 clearly points out to us, as a church, that “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”