1 Timothy 5:1

1 Timothy 5:1 says, Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren; Paul told Timothy to not rebuke an elder but to treat him as a father and that he was also to treat the younger men as brothers.  Though Timothy was to be their pastor, he was not to view himself as superior to anyone, and neither should pastors today.  Timothy was not morally superior to anyone else, and nor is any Christian, even pastors, superior to any other Christian today. 

Verse two adds, The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity.  Paul told Timothy to treat all older women as a man should treat his mother and for him to look on all younger women as sisters.  This is still good advice for not only preachers but for all Christian men today.  We should never look on any woman without respect for them and should treat them with purity of thought, no matter what their status in the world may be.  

Verse three continues, Honour widows that are widows indeed.  There is more than one way to interpret what it means to be a widow indeed.  Some would say this means all widows, and it may.  Others would say this means widows with no family to help them, and understanding the norms of society in Paul’s day, I would say this might be more accurate.  Those widows who had family should have been honored by their family, though this doesn’t mean that Timothy should not honor them.  We should be more concerned with widows with no one to help them than we are with those who have family to help them, I believe.  Still, we as followers of Christ should treat all widows with respect because of who we are as Christians and not because of their situation as widows.   

Verse four states, But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.  Paul continued to explain what he meant by there being different types of widows, and I have just given my interpretation of this in the last verse, and Paul says much the same thing here.   If a widow has a family, they should be the ones to honor her by meeting her needs.  Often today, children do not even treat their mothers this way but instead leave them to provide for themselves both financially and emotionally because it would cost them time or money to do so.  

Verse five adds, Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day.  Paul does then differentiate between widows who believe in God and those who don’t.   Still, I believe that we should look at all widows with love and compassion whether we are able help them financially or not. 

Verse six continues, But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.  If a widow has the resources and desire to live only for pleasure, we are not to help them financially or emotionally.  They are to be treated as someone who is spiritually dead, but we are still to pray that they will accept God’s gift of salvation.   We are also not called on to judge them as unworthy of God’s forgiveness.   

Verse seven concludes, And these things give in charge, that they may be blameless.   I believe that this means that Timothy was to call them to repentance so that they might be made blameless in God’s sight by accepting his gift of salvation, since there is no other way to be made blameless.