In verses 3-16 we get a pretty detailed picture of how to deal with widows in the church. I love it when Paul writes "if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith" (v. 8).
But the first couple verses of the chapter must not be skipped over, basically instructing us to deal with older men and women as we would our parents, and younger ones as we would our siblings. What a world it would be if we could actually pull that off (assuming that we treat our parents and siblings well. That alone might be a pretty good start.)
We also see that elders, those with a shepherding role in the church are worthy of extra honor, respect and provision. The Old Testament reference about muzzling the ox reminds us that those who labor on behalf of God are allowed to earn a living doing so if possible. Paul is an interesting case study in this area. In some places, he made it clear that he provided for his needs by his work as a tentmaker, so as not to be a burden to anyone (1 Thes. 2:9 and 2 Thes. 3:8 for example). In other places (Philippians 4:15-16, for one) we read about Paul graciously receiving the gifts from other believers. Clearly, there is a time to receive and a time to provide for oneself, depending on the various circumstances.
At the end of the chapter, we get a glimpse of the personal side of the relationship between Paul and Timothy when the younger is reminded to drink a little wine to settle his frequent stomach ailments. Reading that helps me remember that this book is the inspired Word of God, but is also a letter from one friend to another.
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