The Danger Facing Younger Widows.1 Timothy 5:11-13.
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.
Dear Soldiers in the Lord’s Army,
Paul now turns his attention to younger widows and advises concerning them and their relationship with the church. He advises that they not be enrolled, apparently in the register of widows. This is because of:
The Risk of Desire (v. 11). The danger of passion is real in young people. It is not clear what Paul means when he says “their passions draw them away from Christ.” One possibility is that the widows would have made a vow to remain single. A more likely possibility is that they would have ended up married to unbelievers. This would have posed.
The Risk of Drifting (v. 12). Marrying out of the faith would in some cases have meant that the women would no longer be free to worship and serve. In other cases, the women would have freely abandoned the faith for the sake of their marriage. The risk here may have been occasioned by the possibility that once in the church “register of widows,” Christian men would have respected their position and not courted them, leaving the widows in danger of being courted and married to unbelievers.
The Risk of Distraction (v. 13). There was the danger that the young widows would have time on their hands and not be wise on the use of it, running the further risk of Laziness. Idleness is dangerous. Someone called an idle mind, the devil’s workshop. Going from house to house with little to do would inevitably lead to Loose talk. One cannot visit without a purpose and fail to say something. The temptation to gossip and slander is ever with us, so we should learn to be deliberate in our relationships and plan against idleness.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.