Paul continues his discourse on the treatment of widows as he instructs Timothy on this matter. This discussion of widows is as lengthy as his passages on leaders earlier in the letter.

Widows frequently need assistance. Paul gives some specification for how and when that is to happen. Take a look at this week’s passage in 1 Timothy 5:9-10:

Paul begins this paragraph by stating that a widow must not be put on the list unless she is over sixty years old. There has been some debate over just what this means. Some have taken it to mean “to count.” In other words, unless she is old enough she isn’t a concern for the church. However, due to the technical nature of the word used in the original Greek, it seems more likely that there was an official list in the Ephesian church of widows who needed some help.

Whether this is just a list of ladies who needed some financial help because of their situation, or if there was actually some sort of organized ministry, where these women would serve with specific spiritual or charitable duties for compensation has also been a topic of discussion. This stems from the fact that there is a list of qualifications given, much like the ones provided for elders and deacons.

Regardless of which description may have been the case, there were widows in need, and Paul gives Timothy some insight on how best to help them. In these verses, he gives three basic requirements that a widow must meet in order to be helped by the church.

She must be over sixty

This is not to say that a younger woman would not be helped. But a younger widow would be more likely to have additional family that could help, or could remarry and survive in this manner. These younger widows seem to have been a source of contention in the Ephesian church already (1 Timothy 5:14-15).

She has been faithful to her husband

In order to receive the help of the church, a widow must have been faithful to her husband before he died. The phrase used here can be translated as “one man’s woman,” much like the elder and deacon qualification of “one woman’s man” in 1 Timothy 3:2, 3:12, and Titus 1:6. Some have suggested that Paul is forbidding a second marriage. However I think this is unlikely, and he is referring to marital faithfulness and fidelity instead.

She must be well know for her good deeds

This third requirement contains a list of good deeds that the widow must have displayed throughout her life. I’m sure that this by no means exhaustive or complete, but is to be seen as a series of examples. Most of these would have probably been displayed throughout her life, especially before her husband died.

• Brought up children – The emphasis here is not on her ability to have children, but her strength in character as she raised them.
• Show hospitality – She must open her home and life to those around her.
• Washing feet – First century culture required menial jobs, such as foot-washing, due to the dusty streets. Willingness to serve others, no matter the situation, must be a characteristic that these women displayed.
• Helping those in trouble – This may have included persecuted Christian as well as those who needed a helping hand.
• Devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds – Such behavior was to be the norm, a habit of life, and not the exception.

Although Paul gives a fairly stringent list, these qualities are not unexpected. The early Christians had been reading the wisdom from the book of Proverbs for generations, and much of this list is strikingly familiar, being very similar to the woman of noble character described in Proverbs 31.

The qualities described here in the life of a widow are simply an extension of the lifelong habits that such a woman has lived out her entire life.

And this type of woman still can be found today.

Which of the characteristics above stand out to you from widows you know or are familiar with? How does this play into the life of your church? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.