Not too long ago I wrote two posts that dealt with the subject of what I call "a theology of widowhood". Roughly forty places in the Bible touch upon this subject. Beyond the personal evidence for the importance of widows in my life or the life of any local church, I find in my current preaching through 1 Timothy 5:1-16 this notion of "a theology of widowhood".
Such individuals are invaluable, since their prayers were used by God in the effectiveness of the church. How often I've observed this firsthand over the years. It is often that a minister will get tired in ministry. The prayers of a dear saint who is a widow can make all the difference, far beyond the cleverness of a church program or combined efforts of church members.
I wanted to follow-up from those two posts here Growing Christian Resources: Part One: A Theology of Widowhood - How God Used Widows In the Bible To Impart Truths About Himself and His People and here Growing Christian Resources: Part Two: A Theology of Widowhood - How God Used Widows In the Bible To Impart Truths About Himself and His People.
Being that those two posts had their origin in 1 Timothy 5, I thought I'd take what we learned in our study and flesh out what Paul is teaching about the importance of the local church taking care of widows in 1 Timothy 5:1-16.
What we learned from our study of "a theology of widows".
In the two posts I referenced above, we drew the following conclusions.
1. Principles of truth concerning God and God's people.
When I say "a theology of widowhood", I mean particular truths we can glean about God or the spiritual principles of Godly living from the Bible's teaching about widows. Think of widows in the Bible as a "window" through which we may observe major theological truths.
2. Proof of Genuine Faith.
How we treat widows says a lot about the genuineness of the faith we profess (see James 1:26-27).
3. Providence of God.
As one surveys redemptive history in the Bible, certain key turning points in God's Providence involved widows. See Proverbs 15:25; Psalm 146:9.
4. Provision of God.
Another truth we learn when studying widows in the Bible pertains to God's provision. What happens when a woman becomes a widow? Sources of income, scarcity of resources, and a sense of vulnerability can become painful realities. The sinful, selfish heart of human depravity can prey upon unsuspecting widows. Exodus 22:22-24; Deuteronomy 14:28; 16:11-12; 24:19; 1 Kings 17:8-16; 2 Kings 4:1-7; Luke 4:25-26; 1 Timothy 5:16.
5. Protection of God.
This fifth theological truth gleaned from a study of widowhood in the Bible is among the more prominent themes. Moses wrote these words in Deuteronomy 10:18 "He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing."
As I comb the Scriptures, the theme of God's justice and protection is found associated with the plight of widows (see Exodus 22:22-24; Deuteronomy 24:17; 27:19; Job 22:5,9; 24:3; 24:21; 31:16,22; Psalm 68:5; Psalm 146:0; Isaiah 1:17;1:23; Jeremiah 49:11; 1 Timothy 5:5).
6. Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The sixth and final area we learned from our study of widowhood in the Bible was the insight we gained about Christ Himself. How did He regard widows? How did His interactions with them underscore the type of man He became in His incarnation? See Matthew 23:14; Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47.
I find it interesting that of the four women mentioned in Jesus' genealogy in Luke 3, three of them were widows (Tamar, a one-time widow, Genesis 38:15 and Matthew 1:3; Ruth in Matthew 1:5; Bathsheba, whose husband was killed by decree of King David during a battle, 2 Samuel 11:22-26; Matthew 1:6). The inclusion of widows in the bloodline of our Lord's humanity underscores the importance God assigned to widows in His overall purposes of redemption. Jesus often used widows to illustrate truths He taught in the course of His earthly ministry (Luke 7:11-17; Luke 18:1-8; Luke 21:1-3).
Applying "a theology of widowhood" to our understanding of 1 Timothy 5:1-16
We can take those six points and use them as spotlights to highlight the teaching of Paul about caring for widows in the church in 1 Timothy 5:1-16.
1 Timothy 5:1-16 as a testing ground for a theology of widowhood
Paul writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:7 "Prescribe these things as well, so that they may be above reproach." Who are the "they" in the passage? The "they" has to do with the five sorts of people mentioned by Paul in 1 Timothy 5:1-16, "older men", "older women", "younger men", "younger women" - all in 1 Timothy 5:1-2 - with the fifth category being the pastoral care of widows (1 Timothy 5:3-16.)
As we zero-in on care for widows in particular, we find three types of widows mentioned by the Apostle.
1. You have "widows indeed" or true widows that are alone with no living family (1 Timothy 5:3,5, 16b).
2. Then there were widows that were younger, under sixty years of age, being marriageable, and prone to temptation (1 Timothy 5:3-4, 6-8,11-15).
3. The third sort of widow were those widows that had relatives, whether children or grandchildren, who could support them (1 Timothy 5:4,5:8,9,16a).
By categorizing the various needs and groups, Paul states why he wrote this section in 1 Timothy 5:16 "If any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, she must assist them and the church must not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are widows indeed." Paul indicates that proper care of all the groups concerned will ensure a greater level of Christ-likeness - i.e. "being above reproach".
How God uses widows to help a church evaluate how well it is shepherding His people.
As you outline 1 Timothy 5:1-16 and then plug-in the insights we gleaned from our study of widowhood in the Bible, one finds how the priority of ministry to widows for the local church teaches much about shepherding.
1. 1 Timothy 5:1-4 shows us what it means to have a personal knowledge of the people in the church.
2. 1 Timothy 5:5-5-8 shows us the place of accountability in the church.
3. Then, 1 Timothy 5:9-16 gives us a plan for meeting needs in the church.
When I look at that first point, personal knowledge of people in the church, we see from our prior studies how intimately acquainted God was with widows in the Old and New Testaments. Jesus' personal dealings with them, God's providential inclusion of them, and protections of them all served to underscore this point.
How we care for widows gives a quick snapshot of how warm we are as a local church. Do I give a second thought about those in the church body who have no one else? Do I pray for them? Do I call or text? Might I visit widows? All such questions underscore Paul's point.
The second point of the place of accountability in the church reminds us that we have a responsibility to care for one another. The categorization of widows served to make sure church resources were getting to the right people. At times, certain widows were tempted to take advantage of church resources, or perhaps others in the church saw an opportunity to take advantage of a widow who could otherwise not protect herself.
When I look at the situation in Acts 6 between the Jewish and Grecian widows, and how the Greek widows were complaining of the Jewish widows being treated better than they, the church had to remedy that situation lest it split the church in Jerusalem. Acts 6:1 "Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food."
This is where our study comes into play in reminding us how God protects widows and measures the proof of genuine faith by how well we take care of these precious people.
If we do not exercise true love, concern, and Christ-like care for each other, all the programs in the world and a full parking-lot on a Sunday morning will mean nothing. A well-preached sermon and the best sounding music will ring quite hollow if we do not hold one another accountable when it comes to looking out for each other. Widows are our litmus test for measuring the warmth and concern we have for each other in the church.
Then note the final point Paul brings out in 1 Timothy 5:1-16, a plan for meeting needs. Paul lays out an action plan, a registry, of true widows versus those widows who have family or other means of caring for themselves (1 Timothy 5:9-16). As with any ministry, whether first-century or twenty-first century, how we handle God's resources will determine the level of ministry He gives to us. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 gives the following principle:
"Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy."
When we look at God's providence and protection from our study of widowhood in the Bible, God always had a plan and a provision for those ladies. Jesus' ministry to widows involved having a detailed plan for assessing the need, applying a solution, and pointing to the Father.
To refer back once more to Acts 6 and the crisis of the widows in the Jerusalem church, the Apostles called for the congregation to select seven men - no doubt forerunners of the office of Deacon. Those seven selected would handle the needs of the widows at that time. They identified the need, found a solution, and then pointed to the heavenly Father. Acts 6:7 gives us the result: "The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith."
Closing thoughts
Today's post aimed to take our study of widowhood in the Bible and see how it worked in the context of 1 Timothy 5:1-16. 1 Timothy 5 is the most concentrated chapter in God's Word on the subject of widows. How we treat them and care for them can aid in evaluating where we are at in our spiritual sensitivity to the Lord and fellow Christians, whether individual Christians or on the local church level.
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