Two verses today. Paul continues in the lessons about how to treat the widows. May God bless this Bible study for you.

Here is the text:

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1 Timothy 5:9-10, “No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.”

Interesting points:
1. In this verse Paul outlines the essential characteristics of the widows the church ought to support, prioritizing those that were beyond marrying age, of godly character and known for their good deeds.

2. In keeping with 7.3" class="scriptRef">Leviticus 27:3 and 7, sixty was the threshold to becoming elderly. A widow of this age would be unlikely to marry again and if she had no family to care for her, would become increasingly vulnerable in her old age.

3. The attributes of faithfulness to her husband, helping those in trouble and washing the feet of the saints (performing menial tasks similar to Jesus washing the disciples’ feet) demonstrate her godly character whereas her good deeds in bringing up children (of others or even her own children that have pre-deceased her), hospitality and the like would have undoubtedly touched the lives of many in the church.

Application.
Brothers, Paul provides the church clear criteria in prioritizing who it ought to help: the elderly who have lived righteously and served the church whole-heartedly.

As with other verses in this section, Paul's intent is to avoid the church wasting resources which could be better used on the truly needy. It should not focus on those who can provide for themselves, have family to provide for them, or who are simply looking for a lifestyle boost.

In our mind we should have a short-list of the most needy/deserving of assistance in the church. In this era of restrictions to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), each of us ought to carve out some time to check on how they are coping and help the church leadership identify when assistance is truly required.