Chapter five of 1 Timothy closes with what seem to be a personal recommendation from Paul to Timothy. After this brief digression, he returns to the discussion on elders for one final thought, before moving on to the topic of slavery.
Take a look at 1 Timothy 5:23-25:
Drink a little wine…
Paul interrupts himself on the topic of elders to give a little fatherly advice to Timothy. There are a couple of different possibilities for his reasoning here. First, Timothy may have been taking Paul’s admonishment for elders and deacons not to abuse wine as support for his practice of only drinking water. But since those comments are also in this letter, that reasoning doesn’t seem likely.
It’s more likely that Timothy may have been influenced by the legalistic tendencies of the false teachers that he was addressing. Their teaching may have prohibited any wine or stronger drink, and to drink only water.
Paul mentions Timothy’s illnesses. There is no indication whatsoever what these illness could have been. They may have been a stomach issue resulting from drinking only water. In New Testament times, wine was seen as medicinal in nature as well as a social drink. The water wasn’t often clean and pure, and the alcohol in wine, weak though it might be, may have been an effective prescription for dealing with whatever bugs might be taken in with the water.
A third possibility is that Paul may have known that Timothy would have a difficult time dealing with church leaders, and encouraged him to float away his troubles… No, of course not!
The sins of some…
After this brief digression, Paul returns for a final thought on elders. The sins of some of these men were obvious. When the judgment happens, the consequences for these men will come as no surprise. However, Paul may have been disappointed by others in leadership roles at the church in Ephesus as well. He warns Timothy that the sins of others will be seen only later, indicating that they were following the lead of the false teachers as well, just more subtly.
The good deeds of others…
In the same way that sins cannot remain hidden, neither can good deeds. For many, they are obvious. For others, they are not so clearly seen, but will one day be brought to attention for all to see.
As a leader, Timothy must exercise caution. Unworthy men may be chosen as leaders, and they may seem like great leaders, but their moral failures lie deeper than the surface. Likewise, worthy leaders may be overlooked, simply because their good deeds are not visible, and are behind the scenes.
Paul never says what these obvious and not so obvious sins or good deeds may be. However, in the next chapter, he hints at the possibility that such things as pride, quarrelsome nature, jealousy and and greed might be the culprits. He’ll deal with those issues when he gives his final instructions concerning the false teachers.
In the meantime, keep your focus where it needs to be.
What do you find encouraging from this passage? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.