Scripture

If a woman who is a believer has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for the widows who are truly alone.

Observation

To be on the church’s list for support, a widow must be at least 60 years old. She must be a woman of great virtue in the church.

Younger widows do not need to be supported by the church. They will probably remarry and will be prone to laziness and gossip. They should seek to marry marry and to look after their own families so that satan does not lead them astray.

Believers, especially women, should take responsibility for their own relatives and not require the church to do this for them.

Application

Our society is structured very differently to Roman society of 2000 years ago. Some of the problems Paul alludes to here can be seen in areas where governments provide Social Security benefits without requiring any obligation of recipients.

Family should care for their own members. Those who have no family to help them and who genuinely need help should be cared for by the church. This is the community expression of love for one another.

What this is really saying is that we need to keep an eye out for one another in the church. I do not need help today, but next week I might get sick and need specific help to do things I cannot do for myself. Similarly, when a brother or sister in the Lord find themselves in difficult times, I need to be ready to step up and give them a hand.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for the Body of Christ that shows care for one another in practical ways. Help me to be ready to provide support in whatever ways I can. Amen