Monthly Archives: May 2017
Providing For Widows – 1 Timothy 5:8-16
Summary:
In the context, Verse 8 is saying that a widow’s sons and nephews should care for her instead of the church (v.1-7). But Paul left it purposely open-ended, saying “if any provide not for his own…he hath denied the faith”, so it would be applied to husbands and fathers as well.
“The faith” is the body of truth given to Paul (Col. 1:23; 2:7), which includes these instructions to care for widowed moms. So if a son refused to care for a widowed mom, he denied the faith and was “worse than an infidel,” an unbeliever (cf. IICor. 6:15). Even unbelievers know they should care for their own (Lu.11:12,13).
The “number” (v.9) was the number of widows on the official roll of widows receiving church aid. If “wife of one man” meant a divorced woman couldn’t receive support, it would also mean a twice widowed woman couldn’t. It actually means one man at a time. Hagar was called Abraham’s “wife”, so if a widow similarly had a husband and a man on the side, she was the wife of two men at a time.
Bringing up children (v.10) means teaching them the Word as well as feeding and clothing them (IITim.3:15 cf. 1:5). “Lodging strangers” means to be a gracious hostess. It involved washing your guests’ feet in those days, but today it just means to make your guests feel at home. And since God designed women to be nurturers, no one is better at relieving the afflicted. Since a woman is “well reported of” for these things, these are the things “of good report” that a Christian woman should “think on” (Phil.4:8) and emulate.
If younger women are included in the support roll, they’ll start to wax wanton against Christ (v.11). “Wanton” means to fail to restrain one’s sexual urges, something that’s hard for young widows. The word “against” can mean in competition with, as “the cars were racing against each other for first place.” Placing a young widow on the roll sets her urges against Christ for first place in her heart. Older widows can win that battle generally, but not younger widows. They will “marry.”
But marrying is what a woman should do (ICor.7:8,9), so why does Paul say she has “damnation” (v.12)? At first I thought he meant they’d marry unbelievers, but the Bible isn’t shy about saying so when that’s the problem (cf. Neh. 13:27).Then I thought maybe they got married in the Abraham/Hagar sense, but then it would say “having damnation because they fell into fornication.” No, “her first faith” is the faith a young widow pledged to the church when they added her to the support roll. She agreed to pray for the saints to requite them for supporting her (ITim.5:5 cf. Lu.2:36-38). If she then married, she’d cast off that faith.
If all “damnation” were eternal, Mark 3:29 wouldn’t make sense. Breaking the law earns you damnation from the government (Rom.13:1,2), and casting off her first faith earned a widow the kind of self condemnation we read about in Romans 14:23. She condemns herself for taking money from the church then marrying.
Marrying usually leads to fullness of bread, which can lead a woman to idleness (Eze.16:49cf.ITim.5:13), just as a lack of bread can lead man or woman to work hard. Marrying shouldn’t lead to idleness (Pr.31:27). The right response is to requite your husband for supporting you instead of busy-bodying from house to house. By the way, the Thessalonian men became busybodies when they quit working (IITh.3:11). Paul says rather than let younger widows be taken into the number of widows the church supports only to marry and cast off their first faith, younger widows should marry instead (5:14). Since this was Paul’s will, it was also God’s will, since he wrote by inspiration. But if you’re not married or a mother, it was only a “reproach” if young widows pledged faith to the church then cast it off.
Some young widows had already done so, and “turned aside unto Satan” (5:15). If that sounds harsh to say about a woman whose only crime was casting off her pledge of faithfulness to the church, remember Eve turned aside to Satan by eating fruit. The smallest of sins is a turn to Satan.
Lastly, if sons supported their widows, the church would have more money to support widows with no kids (16).
The Grapes of Wrath
“And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs” (Rev. 14:20).
The great winepress of God is the area around the holy city of God. It extends from north northwest to south southeast of Jerusalem, from Mt. Megiddo, known as Armageddon (Rev. 16:16), to Bozrah (Isa. 63:1-4). Tactically, the Scriptures seem to suggest that the Antichrist will launch an attack simultaneously from both the north and the south. The center of the battlefield will be the narrow Kidron Valley, called the Valley of Jehoshaphat, located just east of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. According to the Spirit of God, the area of the battlefield is said to be “a thousand and six hundred furlongs,” a distance of exactly two hundred miles.
Christ will crush the Antichrist’s forces of evil with merely a spoken word and the brightness of His coming. When He tramples His enemies in His almighty power, their blood will stain His garments (Isa. 63:2-4; Rev. 19:13). The blood from this innumerable host of godless unbelievers and their horses will run high to the horses’ bridles, according to the Apostle John, writing in the Spirit. Many commentators shrink from taking a literal interpretation here, saying it is utterly preposterous. We feel, however, more comfortable taking God at His Word. On average, an adult male has about five quarts of blood. Millions upon ten millions of men would bleed a deep river of blood. Interestingly, the Spirit emphasizes that the winepress is “trodden without [outside] the city” of Jerusalem in direct connection with the blood rising to the horses’ bridle. In all likelihood, the blood will probably run the deepest in the valley of Jehoshaphat (Kidron Valley), which is a rocky, mountainous ravine that’s about 20 miles in length.
Responsibility: Only the believer in Christ can fully understand the seriousness of the coming wrath of God. Many of the unsaved are clueless, and Satan would like nothing better than to keep it that way. We must therefore bear in mind that, if an unbeliever refuses to receive God’s gracious offer of reconciliation and foolishly rejects Christ as his personal Savior, he must be warned about the bloodbath that lies ahead.
To the Reader:
Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:
"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."
To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.
Two Minutes with the Bible is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.
Don’t Study the Grace Message!
You heard me! Don’t study dispensationalism, study the Bible dispensationally. Rightly dividing the Word is the key to understanding the Bible, but what do you do with a key? You don’t study it. Once you know how it works, you use it to unlock the lock for which it was designed. Well, once you understand the principle of right division, use it to unlock the Scriptures it was designed to open to your understanding.
If you are a grace pastor or teacher, don’t teach dispensationalism, “preach the Word” (2 Tim. 4:2) dispensationally considered. Brother Les Feldick has done a tremendous job of reaching people with the truth of the rightly divided Word, grounding them in it, and helping them grow in it, all by simply teaching through the Bible, verse by verse, “according to the revelation of the mystery” (Rom. 16:25). The saints to whom you minister can flourish under the same type of ministry.
So whether you are a grace believer or even a grace pastor, don’t study the grace message. If that’s all you do, you will never be able to answer the challenges our opponents raise to the truth. But the man of God who has studied every verse they cite in its context will be thoroughly equipped to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Tim. 6:12), “war a good warfare” (1 Tim. 1:18), and “please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” (2 Tim. 2:4)
To the Reader:
Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:
"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."
To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.
Two Minutes with the Bible is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.
The Purpose of Miracles in the Bible
Respect For Your Elders – 1 Timothy 5:1-7
Summary:
Since Verses 1 and 2 mention older women, younger women, and younger men, we know Paul’s not talking about the office of “elder,” but about older men. “Rebuke” is what you give someone doing something wrong (Lev.19:17) or standing in the way of God’s will (Ps.106:9), which today means opposing Pauline truth. But if others are rebuked when they do this (Tit.1:13), why should older men get a free pass if they teach error or live in sin?
Well, to begin with, a young pastor like Timothy (cf. 4:12) shouldn’t rebuke an older man for doing something wrong because he might not be doing anything wrong (cf. Mt. 19:13,14), and he might not be teaching anything wrong. So a pastor should “intreat” an older man first, i.e., ask him earnestly (cf. Luke 15:28) about what he’s doing or teaching. But in the Bible, the word “intreat” is almost always used for God or some superior (cf. Pr.19:6). Older men should be treated as superiors by intreating them be-fore rebuking them. If a pastor still thinks he said or taught something wrong, then he must rebuke him (IITim.4:2).
And the same is true for elder women, younger women, and younger men. The verb “intreat” applies to all. All God’s people deserve to be treated as superiors. Younger men don’t like to be rebuked by men their own age (like Timothy) so they too should be intreated before they are rebuked. Young pastors generally don’t understand women yet so should intreat elder women first as well. The kind of sin younger women are likely to be involved in is the kind Timothy needs to ask about “with all purity.” A pastor doesn’t need to know details to point out what is wrong.
“Honour” (5:3) in this context means to honor financially (cf. Pr.3:9; Dan.11:38), as in our word “honorarium.” In those days if a woman’s husband died, with him died all means of her financial support. So Paul tells Timothy to help widows, as they did under the Law with a special tithe (Deut.14:28,29). At our church, when anyone has a financial need, I announce it and you respond. Some churches have a benevolent fund, but however you help the needy is okay. God doesn’t specify how to help, He just says help.
“Widows indeed” (v.3) are those with no alternate means of support, such as from family (v.4). “Piety” is the worship of God by doing your duty to Him, or to your parents, or to your country, etc. A son shouldn’t join the military to do his duty to God by doing his duty to his country if he leaves a widowed mom behind to fend for herself. And a Christian son shouldn’t do the same by becoming a missionary. Ephesus, where Timothy was pastoring, was a missionary-minded church (Acts 19:1,10). Paul is saying if any of those who took the word to Asia had widowed mothers, they should first learn to show piety at home.
How much of a problem was this? Well, there must have been a strong thinking in the world at that time that you don’t owe your parents anything if it was able to influence the fundamentalist Pharisees to forsake what Moses said about honoring parents (Mt.15:1-6).That influence was still around in Paul’s day, so Paul told Timothy to ignore it and to tell the saints to “requite” (pay back, ISam.25:21) their parents (5:4) by honoring them if they have financial needs.
Paul says it is “good and acceptable” to do this (5:4), which makes it part of your duty to God (Rom.12:1,2). Part of your reasonable service to God is to requite your parents. “Desolate” (5:5) in this context means to have no children who can support her (cf.Isa.49:21). If she’s desolate she must trust in God (5:5), who requites her trust through the saints, not through His prophets as in time past (IIKi.4:1-7).
Then it is the widow’s turn to do some requiting by praying for the saints who support her “night and day” (5:5), just as we requite the government who gives us tax breaks by praying for them (2:1,2 cf.Ezra 6:3-10), something else that is “good and acceptable” to God (ITim.2:3). She should then requite God for helping her through His saints by living a godly life and not living in pleasure (5:6). He’s thinking of the Genesis 18:12 kind of pleasure. If she does, she won’t lose her salvation, just die in the Romans 8:13 sense, the kind of death a Christian doesn’t need to be saved from, just to wake up from (Eph.5:14; ICor.15:34).
Good Directions
An old joke that is popular among women speculates that the reason it took the Jews forty years to make the eleven-day journey across the wilderness (Deut. 1:2) is because Moses was a typical man, too stubborn to stop and ask for directions! Of course, Bible students know that the real reason for this epic delay was Israel’s sinful rebellion against God. Back then, the Lord led His people each step of their way with a cloud (Num. 9:15-23), but the cloud led them to “wander in the wilderness forty years” (Num. 32:13) to punish them for their disobedience.
But in the absence of any guiding cloud today, how can we expect the Lord to direct us? What exactly did Paul mean when he wrote,
“And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ” (2 Thes. 3:5).
Most grace believers know that God directs members of the Body of Christ with His Word, but there continues to be a lot of confusion about this, based on verses like Proverbs 16:9:
“A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.”
Verses like this are used to teach that men plan what they are going to do, but then God comes along and overpowers their will and makes them walk in a direction that is different than what they planned. This interpretation leads to an extreme form of Calvinism that teaches that God is responsible for every move men make, that He is the Puppeteer pulling the strings and man is the marionette doll responding helplessly to His every whim. This view of God borders on what is called fatalism. A lot of unbelievers believe that “fate” controls everything in our lives and we are powerless to override its slightest caprice.
The obvious problem with believing that we are manipulated by the Almighty and cannot make a move that He does not cause is that it makes Him the author of our every sin. And so there must be some other explanation for verses like Proverbs 16:9, and we believe that there is. The only safe way to interpret the Bible is by comparing Scripture with Scripture (1 Cor. 2:13), so let’s compare the word “directeth” in this verse to how Isaiah used the word in time past:
“Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being His counselor hath taught Him?” (Isa. 40:13).
Notice that when the prophet says no one can direct the Spirit of the Lord, he then goes on to rephrase his words by saying that the Lord cannot be counseled or taught. This, then, is what Paul meant when he spoke about God directing our hearts. God directs us by counseling us through the teaching of His Word. A man’s evil heart devises his way (Jer. 17:9), and the Lord comes along and directs him to do what He commands by the counsel of His Word.
To the Reader:
Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:
"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."
To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.
Two Minutes with the Bible is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.
Berean Searchlight – May 2017
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