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1 Timothy 5:5 – Real Need

Older women in a lineup. (Grok)

The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.

Summary: Paul is giving instructions to Timothy regarding a special case of giving — making a commitment to support someone for the rest of their life.   

In this passage, Paul gives us three tests to be used in determining who is “really in need.” Remember, we are not talking about a one-time handout. A ‘widow in need’ needs help for the rest of her life. That is a big commitment and one worthy of caution before making it. 

The first test is Paul’s definition of real need. In the case of a widow, if she has children or grandchildren, they need to step up and take care of her (1 Timothy 5:3-4). Someone who is truly in need has no children or grandchildren to look after them. 

Notice that Paul does not say anything about liking the children or grandchildren. There is no expectation that they like the widow. This is not a question of liking someone. It is a question of being responsible. 

The second test is in whom they place their hope. This is an interesting challenge, because it tends to disqualify those who come begging. 

For example, if I come to you and ask for help, am I putting my hope in you or in God? The answer might be, “Both,” but Paul seems to emphasize a person’s dependence on God as a critical criterion. 

The third test is whether or not the person in need has asked God for help. Why is this important? Well, it goes back to the second test: Who are you putting your hope in? 

People who put their hope in God ask God directly for help. And then they keep asking (Luke 11:5-8).

So, after thinking about this, what picture comes to mind when you think of someone who needs help? Is it someone who has other options? Is it a person who is asking God for help “night and day”? Is it someone who is all alone? 

Keep in mind who Paul is talking about. These are not people who have an urgent one-time need. They are not people who are hoping to get back on their feet soon. The widow who is truly in need is someone who will die without help. It is also important to remember that they are not looking for one-time help but help for the rest of their lives. 

That is a big commitment, one that cries out for caution before promising to help. 

Application: Have clear guidelines in place when handling the Lord’s money.  

Food for Thought: What is the difference between secular support (government assistance) and church support? 

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1 Timothy 5:4 – True Religion

An elderly mother is cared for by her daughter (Grok)

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 

Summary: True religion begins at home.   

Caring for family is one of the great blessings of life. It is also one of the great challenges! Interestingly, putting our religion into practice is a very similar challenge. 

In some cultures today, and more commonly many years ago, the family was the primary unit of survival. The family hierarchy was an important structure that held the family together. Honoring one’s elders is hardwired into such cultures. 

Old age is, in some ways, the ultimate test of being a parent. Do your kids respect and love you? Are they willing to take care of you when you need help?

Many people are obsessed with “I.” This is as true now as it was six thousand years ago. These people are so busy trying to get what they want that there is no time for anyone else. 

God’s Word changes all of that. 

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12)

The Fifth Commandment sets the stage — honor your parents. 

Leaving your parents alone when they are old or letting them go hungry is not how we honor our parents. Honoring parents takes time and commitment. Most of all, it requires true love (agapē). 

And what does all of this have to do with religion? 

In his letter to the twelve tribes of Israel, James writes: 

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)

After all, what is religion? 

Isn’t it our commitment to God? Some associate religion with rules, and for the Jews, there is a reason for this, but for Christians, true religion is loving God above all else and our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). 

Widows who have children and grandchildren who fear God should have no reason to fear hunger and loneliness. Children whose mother is alone in the world can honor God by caring for an old woman who can no longer care for herself. 

Application: Honor your father and your mother, especially when they are old.  

Food for Thought: What do we have to ‘repay’ our parents for? 

Please click ‘’Continue Reading” for comments.

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1 Timothy 5:2a – In Search of Purity

A single dandelion weed releases seeds into the air (Grok)

…older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

Summary: Paul’s words challenge men to treat women with purity, echoing the words of the Old Testament laws.  

Paul’s instructions to Timothy provide clear guidance on how to treat people. Not only people in church, but all people. In this passage, Paul once again instructs Timothy about those older and younger than he is. This time, the focus is on women. 

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1 Timothy 5:1b – Little Brother

Jesus hands the man with the spilled apple cart a better apple glowing with life. (Grok)

Treat younger men as brothers…

Summary: Paul’s instruction to Timothy about younger men is part of our Lord’s plan for setting things right in the world.   

Life is hard without Jesus. 

I remember, when I was very young, hearing someone say, “Too bad life doesn’t come with an instruction manual!” It was a comment that seemed to capture all the confusion of life’s many decisions and turning points. 

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1 Timothy 5:1a – For Father’s Sake

Job and his friends. Public Domain.
Job and his friends, Doré’s English Bible, Public Domain

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father.

Summary: Paul gives Timothy specific instructions for correcting the behavior of older men.   

Old men hate to be rebuked, especially “harshly”!

Let’s face it, “old men” have been around for a while. They know things. Even if the things they know are not useful anymore, they still know things simply because they have survived as long as they have. 

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1 Timothy 4:16b – The Test of Fire

Cartoon: Two guys are talking. The one on the left looks cool and calm. The other one looks like he has been on fire. The first guy asks, "Did you pass the test?" (Grok)

Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Summary: Once again, Paul challenges us to dive into the Greek to understand what he is trying to tell us.   

In the last meditation, “1 Timothy 4:16a – Me, Myself, and I,” we looked at Paul’s admonition to Timothy to “Watch your life and doctrine closely.” Paul wasn’t reprimanding Timothy in any way, but was instead encouraging and cautioning him as one worker does to a co-worker. 

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