1Timothy 5:9-16

Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.  But refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry and so incur condemnation for having abandoned their former faith.  Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not.  So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander.  For some have already strayed after Satan.  If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.

Paul continues to instruct Timothy concerning the care of widows in the church.  Honestly, this passage comes off rather harsh and seems to set the bar for a widow receiving care so high that very few would be able to reach it.  From my perspective the key to interpreting this passage is in understanding what Paul means by the word “enroll.”  I don’t think Paul is giving out the requirements needed to receive help from the church.  I believe Paul is laying out the qualifications of widows who will be enrolled as ministers in the church, presumably to carry out the various tasks of caring for the needy including other widows under the church’s care.  These widows had a special function within the church that was of vital importance.  So vital that not just any widow would qualify.  So these “enrolled” widows would not only receive help from the church, but would be responsible to provide help to others in need throughout the church.

THE PROFILE OF A CHURCH’S WIDOWS: The minimum age for a widow to be enrolled is sixty.  This is one of the reasons that I believe that enrollment is not simply qualification to receive financial help, but qualification to serve in an official capacity within the church’s ministries.  A young widow with small children may need more financial help than an older widow.  However, the younger widow is far more likely to get married, is busy with children, and the job of serving in the church needs a long-term commitment and full attention.  She also needs to be a woman who only had one husband, which is a similar qualification for the men who served as elders in the church.  She has to have the reputation of a person who did good works, raised her children well, served in the church, helped the afflicted, and practiced hospitality.  Again, these sound much more like qualifications for ministry than for financial assistance.  The ministry of caring for widows is a vital one and having mature, proven widows of high character and experienced service is fundamental to this ministry. 

THE PROBLEMS OF A CHURCH’S WIDOWS: The problem with enrolling younger widows into the ministry of the church is that they are far more likely to leave the ministry to get re married.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with a young widow getting married.  Paul made this clear in passages he wrote earlier.  However, is she was committed to serving in the church, that commitment was to take a higher priority and leaving it for marriage could put other widows at risk.  Widows who no longer have husbands or children to care for may use their time to gossip, complain, and even speak evil of the Lord for having allowed their husband to die. This kind of behavior brought a bad testimony to the community and caused problems for the church and the cause of Christ.  Paul urges these younger widows to re marry and raise their families instead of allowing bitterness to fuel a fire that was lit by Satan.

THE PRIORITY OF A CHURCH’S WIDOWS: A believing woman who has a relative that is a widow should care for that widow and not over burden the church’s ministry to widows.  The priority for caring for widows was always with the family.  Those who refuse to care for widows within their family were being negligent and, in a sense, preventing the church from providing for those who truly didn’t have anyone who could help them.

APPLICATION: We need to make sure that the widows in our churches are being cared for adequately.  Some older widows should take on this task as a ministry within the church.  Watch the way we use our tongues and or time so that we might be a blessing to the people around us.  Care for the widows that are a part of our family.