Providing For Those In Need

𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮, 𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙, 𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧.(1 Timothy 5:8)

I have found it necessary to explain this verse within its context because it seems, many have inadvertently used it in a way that discourages and condemns believers. Without diluting the strong imperative, I will attempt to show its meaning and implications.

This verse occurs in the midst of admonitions against laziness and encouragement to be responsible enough to provide for those in your care. The context is about the support of widows, and Paul commands Timothy that the church is to support those who are "truly widows" (1 Timothy 5:3, 5, 9). It has conditions, however. They are 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥, 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴—𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴, 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴’ 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘵, 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬. (1 Timothy 5:9-10). Age, need, as well as proven integrity, are qualifiers for such support.

For those families with the means to support their widowed kin, they are to 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘎𝘰𝘥. (1 Timothy 5:4) Provision for your family is one of the ways in which you present yourself to be 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩. (1 Timothy 5:7). But those who have the means, but neglect to do so is one who 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳.

There is also a prohibition against enrolling younger widows, with the anticipation that they would eventually marry, and therefore have husbands to take care of them (1 Timothy 5:11, 14). Regarding verse 14, some may argue that the younger women in general are in view here (CSB) or if the context stays with widows (ESV), but neither word is found in the Greek - only ''younger."

Some today may find this strange, not understanding that there were fewer opportunities for women then to have gainful incomes, which means they were mainly dependent on their husbands to be the primary breadwinners in their homes.

There is an additional warning: younger widows, in their desire to remarry, may fall to sinful passion that draws them away from Christ (1 Timothy 5:11-12). Worse, they may fall to idleness and gossip (1 Timothy 5:13). The solution Paul gives is 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 (1 Timothy 5:14), that is, to be settled, productive, responsible in their homes and their lives. Paul notes in verse 15 that this was not mere theoretical conjecture, but a present reality in their churches.

Paul then closes the section with a call for responsibility, reaffirming what he said earlier in verse 3, explaining that: 𝘐𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥. (1 Timothy 5:16). In other words, if the means is available, you have the primary responsibility for providing for your family members in need. If there is no one to support them, and they meet Paul's criteria, the church should support them.

Two things stand out in the passage:

1. 𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬. To neglect that is to be functionally worse than unbelievers, who have enough sense to provide for their own. When we fail to do so, we deny with our actions the profession of our words. How? Many times Jesus commands us to love one another, and to be neglectful is to be unloving.

But what if what we provide is not enough? Then we should strive to do better. Granted, there are circumstances beyond our control that limit our ability to provide (low salaries, few opportunities, you just lost your job and are still looking for one) but as much as we are able, we should strive to do better. At the very least, we should understand this as a primary responsibility that demands priority. It is not sin when things happen that derail our ability to provide, but it would be sinful when:

a) we have the means but withhold it (this is selfishness) and

b) we don't even make a real effort to provide (this is laziness).

2. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝. This goes beyond palliative benevolence and simple charity, but to take on the burden and responsibility of caring for the faithful, even though they no longer have the means to reciprocate. I do not know of any church that has been truly faithful to this in the fullest sense, because the fullest sense is to take the one who has nothing as your own, as your family.

Maybe 1 Timothy 5:8 also applies to the church: when someone in the church has no other options or opportunities, no family to provide for them, and the church neglects the responsibility to come alongside them and care for them, then the church has also denied the faith and is worse than an unbelievers.

Taken together, we see that the body of Christ is called to radical, self-sacrificing love and koinonia, and to behave with the care we provide when a part of our own body, for the Bible describes us as one body with many members (Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:12,20). If your arm was broken, you would seek to have it healed. You would take steps to avoid additional injury. You would care for it until it is restored. You would not go on as if nothing happened, not caring for the pain and injury.

If indeed we are many parts of one body, may we live towards this ideal, growing in love and care, and so 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘶𝘴. (1Timothy 5:14) This requires much reflection, much prayer, and more deliberate action.