1 Timothy 5:10– A helping hand

Let no widow be listed of less than sixty years, having been the wife of one man.

Now that we have arrived at this point in the discussion of Paul’s (first) letter to Timothy, we would do well to realize that this letter is not congregational, but personal in nature. We emphasized this fact earlier when discussing the appointment of supervisors. Paul considered this his own task as a preacher (Acts 14:23) or he delegated that work to his associates, such as Timothy or Titus (Tit. 1:5).

From verse 9 begins a passage about the requirements that would be made of female workers in a certain (unspecified) service. Timothy had to compile a list of those who qualified. This too is not a matter about which Paul writes to an ecclesia, but a ministry for which Timothy was responsible in a personal capacity. He had to recruit widows qualified for this specific ministry.

The fact that Paul was also involved in initiatives such as these is illustrative of the versatility of his activities. Because even though he was completely committed to preaching the Word, he did not close his eyes to all kinds of needs that he saw, but extended his helping hand (where possible).

Delen: