1 Tim. 5:3-6 - Dealing with Widows - Part 1

3 Honor widows who are truly in need.
4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn to fulfill their duty toward their own household and so repay their parents what is owed them. For this is what pleases God.
5 But the widow who is truly in need, and completely on her own, has set her hope on God and continues in her pleas and prayers night and day.
6 But the one who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.

Note: This section of the letter, verses 3-16, deals with the how the church handles people who are in need. Most of the instructions are about widows, and the responsibility of the family and the church to care for them.

Vs. 3: - “Honor widows who are truly in need.“

"Honor widows..." - There was no 'safety net' for widows and orphans or the poor and needy such as we have in our culture. The welfare system is a relatively new phenomenon. (Read a Jane Austen novel. England was a First-World nation for that time. Several of her novels deal with the plight of women who have no husband. Or watch 'Call the Midwife', a series about nun midwives working out of an Anglican center in post-World War II London. The penury and depth of need for the women and orphans is stark.)
In the first century A.D., the command for the church is take care of widows in need. This is not a suggestion.

It is not just a New Testament command. God's instructions to the Israelites were to provide for the widow and orphan. See: Exo. 22:22; Deut. 10:18, 24:19-21. God chastised the Jews for not listening to Him. He was not pleased: see Zech. 7:10-12. 'A great wrath' is to fall on them because of their disobedience.

Vs. 4: - “But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn to fulfill their duty toward their own household and so repay their parents what is owed them. For this is what pleases God.”

"if a widow has children..." - Care for the widow, or the people in need, starts in the family.

"learn to fulfill their duty... and so repay their parents" - The message here: you owe your parents this care. This is your duty as a child. See: Exo. 20:12, Deut: 5:16 (part of the 10 Commandments!) This command is second only to honoring and worshiping the Lord God Almighty - it is before 'Do not murder'; and before 'Do not steal'. If you honor your parents, your life will go well in the land you are living. Powerful stuff! The kind of stuff that pleases God. What could be better than that?

Vs. 5: - “But the widow who is truly in need, and completely on her own, has set her hope on God and continues in her pleas and prayers night and day.”

"truly in need and completely on her own" - This describes a woman, whatever her age, who has lost her husband, has no grown children and other family to whom she can appeal. She has no safety net.

"set her hope on God" - He is the one to whom we can turn in times of trial. What could be worse than to be alone in the world. I was going to say, alone and helpless, but figured that would raise some hackles, "Are you saying a woman is helpless?" I am not. If you have lost your 'life partner' and are left alone, I think you will feel adrift and hopeless, helpless. In such a situation, to whom can you turn? Who will come along side you to comfort you, day and night? Who will give you peace? Set your hope on God. Set your hope on the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray to Jesus 'day and night'. See: Phil. 4:6,7 - "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
But we say to that, "I've lost my spouse! I have no money! I have no family to take care of me! How do you expect me to not be anxious?!" Good question. The Bible is rife with accounts of people who have lost it all, and yet trust God in all things. See Heb. 11 for a good summary. Jesus is asking you to trust Him, in good situations and in bad.

Vs. 6: - “But the one who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.“

"one who lives for pleasure is dead" - News Flash! This is not just about widows or women. Paul is making a stark statement. Anyone who puts his/her personal wants ahead of their relationship with Jesus is lost. The juxtaposition of caring for widows to living for pleasure is jarring. It is hard for me to place widowhood together with wanton living (we see this in the movies or TV drama!). Verses 11-15 also deal with the idea of younger widows getting themselves into problems because they are trolling for husbands.

Jesus made it clear when He taught, there would be no half-measures when following Him. One person wanted to follow, but first wanted to take care of personal matters. Matt 8:19-22. Jesus also warned trying to preserve your way of life was not going to save you. Mark 8:35-38. If you don't "take up your cross" you are not worthy. Matt 10:38, Luke 9:23. No one can serve two masters. Matt 6:24.

The admonition to keep your focus on Christ does not take away the responsibility of the church to care for the family of believers. A widow should never go hungry for lack of food, or catch cold for lack of clothes, or sleep on the street because she has no place to sleep and live.

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