1 Timothy 5:11-15 11But refuse younger widows; for when they are overcome with sensual desires away from Christ, they want to get married, 12incurring judgment because they have nullified their first faith. 13And at the same time they also are learning to be lazy in their homes, and not only lazy but also gossipy and busybodies, they speak things that are not necessary.
Paul instructs Timothy and the Ephesian church not to put younger widows on the list for assistance. The church needed to prioritize who it could help. The meaning of younger suggests that they were still an age when they could remarry. The younger widows could still do something to support themselves. Paul gives three major warnings to the younger widows about temptations they might face if they did not get married.
First, the young widows could be tempted by sensual desires (katastrēniasōsin). This word occurs only here in the New Testament and has the sense of strong physical passions. These passions are nature and gifts of God for procreation, but since a widow has no husband to fulfill these drives, she may be tempted to sin sexually outside of marriage. Away from Christ is an awkward statement but basically means that the woman will be lead away from Christ by her passions and she would be in danger of judgment. Marriage is a good answer to this serious problem. Their first faith is difficult to interpret. It could refer to their pledge to remain pure after their husbands died. It could refer to how their uncontrolled passions could compromise their commitment to Christ. A Christian is free to remarry if his or her spouse dies because death ends the marriage relationship (Romans 7:2).
A second danger for widows was becoming idle in their homes. Basically, they could be lazy and not do the expected and needed duties around the home, which would bring disgrace in the community and harm to the family. The verb learn (manthanousin) is present tense, implying an ongoing habit and keeps getting worse. They started to shirk their duties at some point and just kept getting more and more lazy.
The third trap these widows could fall into was what they did with their mouths by gossiping and getting into things that were not their concern. They were doing the opposite of what they should have been doing. They were into things they should have rejected and were avoiding the things they should have embraced. These young women had the opportunity to straighten out their lives and make their lives more productive. They were opening themselves up to the danger of the false teachers. With their busy mouths, they also could have been caught up in the old wives tales mentioned in 4:7. Although there are some cultural issues at play behind this text, the lesson is clear: live a productive life that models the faith we profess. Don’t get caught up in unimportant and even dangerous activities that may open us to sin and judgment.
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