The Bible Study Podcast, Episode 83.

Today, the Bible Study podcast continues the study of First Timothy.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast.

I'm your host, Chris Christensen.

We left off of the study of First Timothy in

1st Timothy 4, so we'll continue on in Chapter 5 of this letter, which again, as we said in

chapter 1, is a pastoral letter. It's writing to Timothy about leading a congregation,

leading the church in Ephesus, where Paul has left Timothy behind as he has moved on to other places.

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father.

Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters with

absolute purity. Give proper recognition to those widows who are in need, but if a widow has

children or grandchildren, these should learn, first of all, to put their religion into practice by

caring for their own family, and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to

God. The widow who is really in need, and left all alone, puts her hope in God, continues night and day,

to pray and to ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.

Give the people these instructions too, so that no one may be open to blame. If anyone does not

provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

In this first section here, Paul is dealing with how Timothy as a young man, but a leader in the church, should interact with the other members of the church.

He will be in the situations where he may need to rebuke someone who is an older than him, someone

who would be old enough to be his father or maybe even old enough to be his grandfather.

And so he's told not to be harsh. In the previous chapter, he was told not to let anyone look down on him because of his youthfulness, but to live as an example. But on the other hand, as you're dealing with people who are older than you, watch how you act towards them. Treat them with respect. Don't be so harsh. Treat them as if you were your father. And remember that the Bible says, honor your father and your mother so that you may live along in healthy life. So when he says, as if he were your father, he's saying

with honor, treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters with

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