Vetting Widows for Support.1 Timothy 5:9-10.
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 affliction, and has devoted herself to every good work.
Dear Citizens of Heaven,
We continue the discussion about widows. It seems that in Ephesus, as we saw previously, that widows were charged with the responsibility of praying. This may not have been universal in all the churches but it is nevertheless a good practice and commendable.
Maturity (v. 9a). It is not every widow who was eligible for intercessory ministry and therefore a special ward of the church, receiving support from the congregation. The first qualification is that she should be at least sixty years old. This most probably is because an older, mature widow was likely to be more stable in her relationships and less likely to be tempted sexually.
Monandrous (v. 9b). She was to have been the wife of one husband. This is not to suggest that at that time there were women married to more than one man. We have no record of such in the history of that period. There are three possibilities here, first, that the woman had been married, widowed, remarried, and widowed again; or that she had been married, divorced, remarried and widowed; or that she was married but had been unfaithful to her husband and then widowed. The second and third possibilities are the most likely meaning. This is because a person who serves in the church must be beyond reproach.
Ministerial (v. 10). The widow should have a reputation for good works. Some are mentioned here but they are not necessarily exhaustive. Nurture (v. 10b). She is to have raised children. This is probably because she would be expected to mentor younger women who would need instruction on the raising of their children. Nature (v. 10c). She is to be by nature a servant – hospitable and having “washed the feet of the saints.” This phrase means serving with humility, doing menial tasks. It was usually the job of a slave to wash the feet of guests. This obviously goes together with hospitality. Nursing (v. 10d).Caring for the “afflicted” most probably means nursing the sick. This obviously calls for a compassionate heart. It is all summed up with the phrase “has devoted herself to every good work.”There is a sense in which Paul is encouraging the church to discriminate.
We cannot be unscrupulous. Not every widow out there is fit for intercessory ministry and deserving of the support of God’s people.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.