Friday; September 8
During the First Century there was not the same type of Social Security system as we have today so families and churches were put in the position of taking care of those who needed help – especially widows. When the Apostle Paul wrote to his protégé, Timothy, about how to set up the widow’s assistance, he gave him some pointers, then offered him a admonition – encourage the younger widows to remarry. While this is not a biblical command, Paul seemed to understand the challenge facing younger women who accepted this assistance and warned, “ At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention. ” (I Timothy 5:13) The reason I bring this up is not to critique social services, rather to shine a spotlight on idleness. Whether we are a widow in the First Century or an online-addict in the 21 st Century, we have to be wary of “idleness”.