SUNDAY May 4, 2025

The Foolishness of Wanton Widows

But refuse the younger widows; for when they have begun to grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, having condemnation because they have cast off their first faith. And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not.
1 Timothy 5:11-13

Paul gave instructions concerning young widows, those under the age of sixty. Some of them could have been as young as 20 or 30 years old. Their husbands had died way before their time. What was to be taken into consideration? Why were they not eligible for aid?

Paul knew that younger widows, because of their age, were more likely to remarry, which was a good thing. However, he believed they would become wanton against Christ. The word wanton refers “to feeling the impulses of fleshly desires.” Once their godly husband died, some of the young widows would become restless. They would search for another husband to fill their fleshly desires. In doing so, they stopped following Christ to go back into the world.

These young widows failed to be teachable. They did not receive any wise counsel from the older widows, when it would have been spiritually beneficial to listen to them. All they needed to do was to keep serving Christ and wait patiently on the Lord to bring them another husband. Instead, in their idleness, they became busybodies––gossipers. This foolish behavior needed to be corrected.

Whether you are a young widow or a single woman, learn from these verses. Listen, it is a natural desire to want to be married; however there must be a time of waiting on the Lord for His best. It is a great mistake to cast away your faith in Christ, just to follow your fleshly desires and a man of your choosing. Wait for God’s will for your life and serve Him, and you will not be disappointed. Wait!

Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one’s thoughts.
~Elisabeth Elliot~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!