1 Timothy 5:3-16

B3 Widows

C1 Most widows can be and must be assisted by family. A family who will not help is judged to be more evil than a nonbeliever. It is understood that the family of God (believers) do need to be aware of other’s needs—any type of needs. If we are able, we must help.

C2 Some widows have no family or that family will not help because the widow is a Christian. This is the true widow, the widow indeed, etc. They have no human to help, but they do trust in God to help them.

C3 Qualifications for the congregation to help.

D1 60 or greater is age.

D2 One-woman wife. This is only one husband at a time.

D3 Has and is doing good works. For example, raised children, hospitable to strangers, washed the feet of God's people, helped the afflicted, and diligence in doing so. These examples are for family first, Christians second, and non-Christian last. That is the order of priorities.

C4 Younger widows must be rejected, in most cases, because they might give a pledge, a promise, of serving others full time. If and when they want to get married, they forsake their promise.

C5 Be careful. A widow who is accepted in the registry, might, for whatever reason, turn against God and follow satan.

D1 Consider Paul’s assistant: 2 Timothy 4:10 PickNT for Demas, loving this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica—Crescens to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

D2 Clarke adds: Some of these young widows, for he appears to be still treating of them, are turned aside to idolatry, to follow Satan instead of Christ. Slight deviations, in the first instance, from a right line, may lead at last to an infinite distance from Christ.

D3 A slight deviation for sure. A deviation over time usually develops further and further from the standard.

C6 Some concerns about widows

D1 Needing assistance from house repairs, family issues, financial, etc.

D2 Helping protect from abuse, being taken advantage of

D3 Needing assistance to help with loneliness

C7 Some verses about widows

D1 God cares for widows and those suffering: 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

D2 He is judge Psalm 68:5, Deuteronomy 10:18

D3 Raised the dead widow's son Luke 7:11-15

D4 God curses those who thwart justice for widows, non-Jews (in Israel), and orphans Deuteronomy 27:19 (an example in Isaiah 10:1-4)

D5 Against God's law to cause trouble or take advantage of widows Exodus 22:22-24

D6 Corrupt prophets (today we would understand these as church leaders) who taken financial advantage of widows Ezekiel 22:25 and Mark 12:38-40

D6 God required a special tithe in Israel for Levites, non-citizens, and widows Deuteronomy 14:28-29

D7 Example of caring for non-Jewish widows in the book of Ruth

D8 Taking care of the widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon and Elijah (1 Kings 17:13-14)

D9 Office of deacon started in part due to need for helping widows (Acts 6:1)

D10 Example of helpful widow named Tabitha (Dorcas) Acts 9:36-41

D11 God observes how we treat orphans and widows/widowers: James 1:27 NIV 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.

C8 Some suggestions

D1 Start a support group. This should be organized, headed, and maintained by widows and widowers.

D2 Listen. Do not give advice unless asked.

D3 Respect their opinions and decisions. They don’t need you to run their life.

D4 Understand that there are spiritual needs, emotional needs, physical needs (including sex). There should be means of discussing these and understanding Scriptural principles for these needs. There might even be a need for professional counseling. Grief has no timeline. There is always grief of some degree for life.

D5 Review Stephen Ministries resources. (Recommended).

C8 Articles

D1 Caring For Widows

D2 Widows in Ministry, Widows in Misery (This is a Bible study by Melanie Newton on Bible.org).

D3 Widows in Jewish Tradition

D4 10 things I wish someone had told me about becoming a widow (non-Christian article)

D5 Distinct Financial Concerns of Widows. See here (pdf).

D6 Financial Advice for Your First Year as a Widow (Secular)

C9 Questions

D1 Why does God care about widows?

D2 What does God’s care show about His kingdom, attributes, worldview?

D3 What doesn’t God help directly as making them rich or something? (Consider that God delegates, so maybe God opened the eyes of one who could help but refused. We shouldn’t blame God when it was some human who could have helped but refused).