1Timothy 6:5 - Termites in the brain and gold on pigs

”...constant arguings of men being depraved [of] the mind and having been defrauded of the truth, supposing to being profit good-worship.”

-Constant arguing.  Bickering.  Our heart-sickness stemming from spiritual malnourishment has us constantly at each other’s throats.  Constant friction.  At least for those who have lifted up their hearts in pride and have walked out from under a humble submission to the authority of God and His Word.  They are in fact depraved.  Depraved of mind, and defrauded of truth - and in truth, they are depraved of mind BECAUSE they are defrauded of the truth.  Once you start down that path, once you begin to question, did God really say that?, then all bets are off.  You have laid the groundwork for depravity, a fertile seedbed for interpersonal friction.

-Depraved.  It refers to something which is spoiled, corrupted.  A decided change for the worse.  It is the endgame of moths and worms and termites. Termites in the brain - that’s what’s happening.  And yes, it is terminal.  There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is death.  Men (and women) of a depraved mind.  It is completely tied to being defrauded of the truth, deprived of the truth.  And it is largely self-inflicted.  They cast God out of mind, and He gives them an outcast mind (Romans 1.28).  Literally, they test (and fail) God and His truth in their mind, and they receive back a mind which fails the test.  A mind and a life which necessarily results in doing things which are improper.  Unable to not sin.  God gave them over.  When we kick God out, He gives us exactly what we (think we) want.  When we change Him out for something-other-than, when we exchange Him and His truth for that which is not, He totally gives us over.  And there is no coming back, my friend.  There is no coming back from total depravity - apart from the grace of God.  There is no hope of rescue apart from His divine intervention in Christ His Son.

-So we see people who can’t get along.  Constant friction.  Easily offended.  Rage monsters.  Intolerant and impatient.  Straining out gnats and dividing at the drop of a hat.  Or less than that even - the drop of a visor, or a beanie.  And we see something else.  Sadly, another symptom of this depravity is greed.  The ol’ profit motive.  Paul is about to tell us that the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil (1Timothy 6.10).  Well, Paul here mentions that some of these depraveds are actually expressing an interest in religion.  They are going thru the motions of devotion.  But they’re in it for the money.  They love money.  They’re in it for what they can get out of it.  What does it profit me?  Their heart isn’t right towards God, it’s not at all surrendered to Him, but hey, if there’s money to be made, then count me in.  This affects even those in the pulpit.  Decades of greedy preachers and televangelists who are getting rich off the backs of the faithful have created an entire generation of skeptics, disenchanted with the charlatans and shenanigans they have seen or heard about on tv and in the news, guys (mostly all guys) who pad their wallets and bank accounts and uglify our fair religion and Founder like gold on pigs.  It might be interesting to see how many preachers would still do it as a lifestyle if they couldn’t do it for a living.  I.e. if they weren’t getting paid.  Or if their income was something less than six figures.

-Paul shows us in these verses what the unsurrendered life looks like.  The essence of depravity is me-first.  Conceit.  Spiritual arrogance and pride.  Whereas the humble heart, the surrendered heart, puts me in my proper place.  It is the proper perspective on Who God is, and who I am in relation to Him.  Ranking Him first, above me-and-mine, and above all else.  It all begins here.  This is the jumping-off point - get this right, and everything else falls into place.  Good worship.  Godly God-like-ness.  Well-oiled relationships.  Contentment.  And what we see next, is that there is actually great profit to be found in losing it all...

1Timothy 6:4 - Sick people

”...[anyone different teaching and not agreeing to healthy words] he is proud, understanding nothing, but rather being sick about debates and disputes, out of which are coming to be envy, strife, blasphemies, suspicions, evils...”

-Sick.  Sick people.  They didn’t take their medicine today.  They are off their meds, in fact - not getting their recommended daily allowance of the healthy healing Words of Scripture - and that can’t be good.  Nope - vital signs are down, things are actually trending down, trending away from godliness.  Pride.  Lack of understanding.  And then we have all forms of interpersonal conflict.  This is where it all begins.  The fountainhead of man’s inhumanity to man, of our pervasive inability to simply get along.  To be a good neighbor.  It’s not about State Farm not being there - it is God’s Word not being there and being embraced in a humble teachable heart.  Pride.  Me-first, me-better.  Uh-gly.  As ugly as it gets, way more than skin deep, ugliness towards my neighbor flowing out of my nasty ugly heart.

-And pride would thus be not only the first symptom but also the first cause.  It is the consummate act of pride to question what God said - an illness as old as the Garden, yea older than that.  Did God really say ________?  The willingness, the brazen instinct to question what God has said, the readiness to take the wide and oft-traveled highway away from what God has said is the essence of pride, and we see it in the serpent in the earliest pages of Scripture.  The whole creation thing had barely gotten off the ground, and here he comes, all proud and haughty, the prince of the power of the air, cast down to earth on account of his pride, more than ready to ensnare and enslave the masses of would-be image-bearers into thumbing their collective noses at the loving God Who fashioned them to bear His glorious image forever.  Questioning God’s Word.  Did God really say that?  And pride now induces them to even question the truth of that creation account.  Did God really make all that?  Did God really make me?  No strings on me...!, we insist, as we stumble down the path of ignorance.  Understanding nothing, Paul says.  Professing to be wise, they became fools (Romans 1.22).  Sick, broken, hurting people.

-And it is in the garden where we see this heart-sickness begin to infect our relationships.  Not only are we hiding from God and His scrutinying gaze, the searing heat of His Truth, but we are hurling at one another.  Passing on our hurt.  Instead of peace and harmony and love, we have debates and disputes, envy and strife, blasphemies and abusive language in place of healthy life-giving words, suspicions (we find it oh-so-hard to trust one another).  And evils.  All kinds of nasty evils.  The exact opposite of godliness.  Sick people.  Friends, we were made for so much more.  We were never made for this.  But wait - (sadly) there’s more...  :(

1Timothy 6:3 - On Designer Wallpaper and Cure-what-ails-ya...

”These [things] be teaching and urging.  If any is different-teaching and not agreeing to words being healthy, to the [ones] of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the teaching according to good-worship...”

-Good worship.  Good worship.  This is the goal of all our instruction.  All our much ado about something, about Someone.  This is our thing.  AKA  godliness.  Being like God.  Holy conduct and godliness (2Peter 3.11).  Life and godliness - God’s divine power poured out towards that end. (2Peter 1.3).  This word appears more in this letter than anywhere else in all of Scripture.  We are to pursue it (1Timothy 6.11), practice it (1Timothy 5.4), train ourselves for it (1Timothy 4.7), embrace the great mystery of it (1Timothy 3.16) - it is to be the wall paper, the background color of our entire life (1Timothy 2.2).  The word is eusebia, or eu-sebo, meaning good worship.  We call these people pious.  Godly.  Devout.  They are devoted to God, obsessively so, and their devotion determines their demeanor.  It colors their conduct, like so much wallpaper.  It is the background of how they live and act.  But we’re not talking about some gaudy old paisley pattern you’re going to want to strip off at first chance.  Not gaudy - but godly.  No, this is heavenly designer wallpaper of the finest kind, designed and installed by the Master Designer Himself.  That’s right - this One towards Whom we direct our devotion is the One Whom then colors our life with the many shades of Himself.

-Now the key, however, is that this devotion must be in accordance with sound words, words which are healthy.  Now, what does that mean?  These are the Words of Jesus Christ, Paul says.  For starters, we certainly look at the words which Jesus spoke and which His apostles recorded under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  The RED ones.  And not just those, of course - all the God-breathed words which are contained in His Word.  But really all the words which are true as they relate to Jesus.  Not some different doctrine, some different teaching about God and Jesus, not some different teaching about what He is like.  Such words are not healthy - in fact, they are quite the opposite.  Quite unhealthy.  Sick.  Sick, sick sick.  Sick people.  Our deep abiding soul sickness is that we change the truth of God for a lie (Romans 1.25).  We desperately supress the truth (Romans 1.18), desperate to deny our guilt.  We readily jettison the truths about what God has said and what He is like for half-truths and lies and dismissals and denials.  So-called worldly wisdom, the platitudes of fools.  Worldy fables and old wives' tales (which we looked at in 1Timothy 4.7).  No, no - we are to be pursuing a life which is characterized by moral excellence which is grounded in true knowledge (2Peter 1.5), one which shows off what God is truly like because it is based on true understanding of Him and what He is like.  Which comes straight from what God has revealed about Himself - in His Word.  In the words of Jesus and in the words of Paul and the other apostles and prophets, as collected in the Bible.  These teachings we hold to be God’s authoritative revelation about Himself and how He wants us to live.  Sound, healthy words.  And they make for healthy living.  They are in fact God’s prescription for healthy living.  They are both the antidote and the immunity-booster.  The vaccine and the cure.  Timothy is to be taking great pains to be absorbed in teaching these words of health, in urging people to take this immune-boosting, cure-what-ails-ya soul medicine into their hearts and lives.  But there are those who are teaching something different...

1Timothy 6:2 - A Family Discount?

”But the [ones] having believers [as] masters, let them not be despising, because brothers they are, but rather more let them be serving, because they are believers and beloved, the [ones] partaking of the benefit...”

-The context here of course is Paul talking about slaves and masters, but in our modern world of freedom and independence the terms are modified (for most in the west at least).  Those words don't mean what we think they mean.  Not what they used to mean.  In fact they barely exist anymore.  But we could easily extend this principle of serving and not disrespecting to any believer who has [been placed in] some kind of authority over us.  Supervisor.  Boss.  Teacher.  Coach.  Parent.  Pastor.  Youth leader.  Even a substitute.  Substitute teacher.  Substitute parent [aka babysitter].  Obviously, Paul is thinking about non-blood-relatives, those who are related instead through the blood of Jesus Christ and through faith in His name.  Spiritual family.  But could not these principles also be extended to physical family?  I say yes...!

-Just because someone is family doesn’t give you the freedom or permission to be able to disrespect them.  It doesn’t give you the right to be able to take some moral shortcut, some spiritual offramp or detour off the highway of holiness.  Do not deviate from doing what is right just because your brother or sister is in charge.  In fact, you should respect them and serve and support and submit to them all the more BECAUSE they are family, Paul says.  Because they get the benefit, our brother or sister in Christ, this one who is family.

-It is hard to lead.  Leadership is a hard job.  Those who don’t lead often fail to realize this.  More is required of a leader - there is more responsibility, more pressure, more at stake - more accountability.  And the job is made more difficult when the sheep go astray.  When they get lost.  Or worse, when they get all uppity, when they resist going where you are trying to lead them.  When they are lazy.  When you get more bleating than following.  And isn’t this what we are tempted to do, when someone we know is in charge?  If we have a close relationship with them, the more familial our relationship is to them, the more we are prone to take exception.  We feel that we somehow get a pass, an exemption from whatever regulations and rules or decorum may be incumbent upon anyone else unfortunate enough to not have the same familial standing which we enjoy with the leader.  With the one in charge.  We get a pass, a family discount as it were.  We are exempt from normal expectations or respect, of compliance.  We have a backstage pass - we can take a shortcut.  All that other stuff doesn’t apply to us.  Plus - we know this person.  We hang out with this person.  We maybe even live with this person.  We know the ghosts in their closet - makes us more prone to disrespect.  Or we presume upon our relationship with them and expect that they will forbear with our disrespect.  We will get a longer leash.  Or so we think.

-Uh no, Paul says.  Uh uh.  Don't’ you go there, family.  If a family member is in charge and trying to lead, all the more reason we should do our level best to lighten their load, to listen to them and support them and do whatever it is they are asking us to do.  They are beloved, beloved by our Savior Himself - and should be so by us as well.  We are to demonstrate this love by NOT disrespecting them, and rather by serving them.  This is our good and beautiful worship which shows off the breathtaking goodness of God. 

1Timothy 6:1 - Don't be dissin' that...

”As many as are under a yoke as slaves, their own masters worthy of all honor let them be ruling, in order that NOT the name of God and the teaching may be being blasphemed.”

-Blasphemy.  Blasphemy.  It is speaking evily or even lightly about something sacred.  Disrespect.  It is a capital crime.  Or was.  In a theocracy, at least.  In those places where the regard and reverence for the sacred is held in the strictest and highest esteem, speaking against that object of reverence can get you killed.  Don't be dissin' that.  This happened to be the case in Israel, where the devoutest of Hebrews dared not even pronounce the sacred name of Jehovah - Yahweh - lest they somehow contaminate Him with their own residual spiritual filth.  Specifically, if you were one of His people, one of His chosen ones, you were charged with protecting His reputation.  Your words and your very conduct reflected back on Him.  Thus, speaking against Him, doing something contrary to His character or revealed will in some instances was even punishable by death (Leviticus 24.16).  That was - on the surface at least - the crime of which Jesus was accused (Matthew 26.65-66).  That’s how seriously the nation Israel regarded the importance of guarding the reputation of the one true God, the thrice-holy Lord of hosts, most high King of the Universe.  Not only did Israel consider this a sacred trust, but so does the God of Israel Himself, the One Who chose them, Who reveals Himself in His Word and in all He has made.  AND in the people He has chosen and  (re)made!   Always putting Himself out there, His reputation on the line and out there for all to see.  He takes His reputation with the utmost regard.  And the words and conduct of His people reflect back on Him.

-Thus does Paul invoke the serious charge of blasphemy against those slaves who would disrespect their masters.  Not that they are blaspheming per se.  But their dishonorable conduct towards their masters dishonors God all the same.  And it incites their masters (some of whom are unbelievers) to speak against both them AND against their God.  Even unbelievers understand the way of the universe, the moral law which God has written on their hearts.  Though veiled and obscured from their understanding, and though their consciences are often seared and scarred and hardened, they nevertheless still instinctively know right from wrong.  God has put this knowledge in them (Romans 2.15).  All people understand that disrespecting a superior is wrong - whether by my actions or my attitude.  Failure to respect a superior calls into question both my heart and values, along with whatever religious standard or deity might inform them.  And so Paul says, masters are worthy of ALL honor.  He uses the word, despot.  Not kyrios, which means Lord.  No, this word can refer to both reasonable and unreasonable masters, and is used of Jesus (Luke 2.29, 2Timothy 2.21, Jude 4), but it certainly gave rise to that word which in English conjures up those who wield absolute power in abominable ways.  Despicable.  Peter goes so far as to insist that even unreasonable masters are to be afforded all respect.  Honor.  When those of us who follow Christ honor the ones whom God Himself has put in authority over us (cf John 19.11, Romans 13.1, 1Peter 2.13-14), we show off the beauty of the Name and the teaching of the Lord Jesus.  We make Him look good.  He IS good, of course - all the time.  But we can show this off by how we treat those in authority over us.  Or not.  We can detract from that, we can uglify the Name of God when we act or speak ugly towards our superiors (cf 2Peter 2.9-12).  When we be dissin' them.  We could very well be giving an unbelieving, unreasonable master another reason NOT to believe in Jesus.  But it can feel good to do that, can’t it?  To give air to our grievances and complaints against someone in authority over us?  It feels good, doesn’t it?  Cathartic, somehow.  They deserve it, don’t they?  They certainly don’t deserve my respect.  I suggest that this disrespect is a fleshy indulgence.  That’s what Peter is saying.  And we ought not do it.  We ought to be very careful before we go there.  Seriously careful.  How we relate to and regard our surperiors is serious business.  God takes it very seriously (cf Numbers 12.8-10).  So should we.

1Timothy 5:25 - The Mother of all Jumbotrons

”Likewise, also the beautiful works [are] very evident, and the [ones] having otherwise - they are not able to be hidden.”

-There is nothing hidden which will not come to light.  Sooner or later - and even now, the quality of our work and our works speaks for itself.  Our lives are the real big screen, on display for all to see, whether we see it or not.

-And that’s usually the case, isn’t it?  We don’t see it.  We miss it.  We either have blind spots, or we think we’re going unnoticed.  Maybe it’s our good deeds, those which are beautiful and exemplary, those which show off the beauty of the Lord and which bring Him great pleasure.  Truth is, He sees.  He sees.  He notices.  He will never forget a single act of kindness or of service or of anything done in His Name (Hebrews 6.10).  And people notice as well.  They notice.  It’s about the heart.  The heart which overflows in beautiful works is plain for all to see.  As plain as the nose on your face.  Any and all who cross your path will catch a glimpse of Christ in your countenance.  They get a whiff of His fragrance at every encounter.  A sweet aroma, a life-giving perfume, Paul calls it (2Corinthians 2.14-16).  Either that or a death-dealing drug.  Depends on where their heart is.  But there’s no mistaking it.  Even if they don’t say a word - it’s out there.  We’re out there.  Everything we do.  All our works - the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Yes, sometimes their appearance can be delayed, or disguised somehow.  We do try to hide our junk.  And some of us, we even manage to conceal it - for a season.  But it cannot be hidden forever.  Sooner or later, we get found out.  It’s who we are - who we are always shows itself (Proverbs 10.9).  And someday, one day - the truth will come out.  The books will be opened, and all God’s people (as well as those who are not) will see it.  We’ll have a front-row seat for the grand reveal.  On that jumbotron of heaven, the mother of all jumbotrons, don't you think (or however it plays out)?  But all we concealed will be revealed.  Every last bit of it.  Hopefully, that’s all been covered by the blood of Jesus - if not, there’s a lake of fire in somebody’s future (Revelation 20.12-15).  Even some of what’s covered will be burned up, tested for the quality of the work.  And what’s left will be all that which was done through Jesus and for Him (1Corinthians 3.12-15).  There’s no hiding it.  No hiding.

1Timothy 5:24 - More Brake-tapping!

”Of some men the sins very evident they are, going before unto judgment, but some also they are following.” 

-Prior to his detour in the previous verse to care for Timothy’s health, Paul had been coaching him on the challenges of leadership and of addressing the problem of sin in the body.  He was either cautioning Timothy about putting someone into leadership to hastily, someone who may possibly not quite be ready for that responsibility, or someone who could possibly be (still?) struggling with some kind of hidden sin; OR, Paul could have been concerned about receiving a potentially unjust accusation of sin against a current leader.

-His point here is that sometimes you can see quite clearly when someone is engaged in disobedience, and then other times you cannot see their sin.  Perhaps they are hiding it.  Perhaps their struggle will emerge if they are thrust into a position of leadership before they are ready.  But caution, patience, wise counsel, taking time to seek the Lord and His wisdom and what He wants in prayer - these are things which help to make sure that we make informed decisions with regards to leadership and discipline within the local church.  Again - a bit of brake-tapping is in order.  The well-being of the body and of the forward-progress of the mission are at stake!

1Timothy 5:23 - On issues and programs...

”No longer be drinking water, but rather wine a little be using because of the stomach and your frequent strengthlessnesses.”

-Paul jumps here from directives regarding leadership in the church to very specific personal exhortation for Timothy regarding his health.  Or lack thereof.  In fact, this verse is so far out of the context of what Paul has been saying throughout this letter.  Timothy apparently, in sport-terms, was a bit injury-prone.  He had some physical issues which challenged his effectiveness and even availability in ministry.  Would these have contributed to some of his timidity (to which Paul alludes in 2Timothy 1.7)?

-Clearly, Paul knows Timothy very well, and he cares about Timothy.  Timothy was more important than the program - and he felt this from Paul.  He knew Paul cared about him.  And Paul takes time out from his lengthy tome on church leadership to inject a word of advice for Timothy re his health.

-Apparently, Timothy dealt with some stomach issues.  And it was related to water intake.  It is hard to imagine that water in and of itself would pose any kind of health challenge to any normal healthy person.  Assuming the water is clean.  That is no longer an assumption one can make in most parts of the world.  Water almost everywhere needs to be purified, or you and I and all God’s people will likewise have “issues”.  Now it is not unheard of for locals to build up tolerances to some of the impurities found in their water, such that a visitor could drink the same water which causes no problems for the locals but which would give that visitor some “issues”.  It is possible that Timothy was having issues with the drinking water there in Ephesus, and wine would have been a safe alternative for him.  It is common advice for travelers in our day to not drink anything but what comes in bottled form.

-It is also possible that there was something else in play, and Dr. Paul was prescribing a little wine in a medicinal sense.  The word is oinos - no grape juice here.  Paul is definitely talking about an alcoholic beverage.  Abuse of oinos leads to drunkenness (cf Luke 7.33-34, Ephesians 5.18, 1Peter 4.3).  Wine - as in fermented grape juice - was an integral part of Jewish culture.  It was enjoyed in homes and during feasts and festivals and at weddings.  It was abstained from temporarily as part of the Nazirite tradition (cf Numbers 6.1-4, 10, 20).  There are traditions that try to make a case for this word referring to unfermented grape juice, but this writer believes that position is influenced more by cultural tradition (or family history or even personal taste) than on an honest consideration of the word as used throughout Scripture.  What we don’t have here from Paul is a green light for consuming mass quantities of alcohol.  Paul is telling Timothy to use a little wine.  How much is a little?  A glass at dinner?  Once a week?  Every night?  Is there a broader health case to be made here for the masses to observe a modest intake of wine?  Quite possibly.  But we all must beware the slippery slope.  A little here, and a little there, and if you’re not careful, before you know it you have more serious issues.  You can be abusing and addicted to a dangerous substance.  A danger to yourself as well as to those around you.  And now you've come to NEED a program.  There is no arguing against that.  Some understandably conclude it is best not to mess around with it at all.  Wisdom could suggest that.  One thing we don’t have here is any blanket prohibition against drinking wine.  Is it possible that there was a prevailing culture of abstinence within the Christian church at that time?  Yes, although that is uncertain.  Is it possible that Paul here is simply granting Timothy an exception?  Yes.  But it is equally possible that it was Timothy who had chosen to be abstaining from wine (a la the rite of the Nazirite), and Paul here is telling him to stop refraining from it altogether, because, for Timothy at least, there was some health benefit to be gained by drinking a little wine.  Not prohibition, but permission.  Though not permissiveness, either.  Moderation.  Liberty, but not license.

-Moderation - in all things.  Knowing when to say when (or no) - AND the demonstrated ability to do so.  Self-control (a fruit of the Spirit!).  Maturity.  It is approaching things in a way that keeps first things first and anything else from usurping primary devotion and affection away from the Lord.  Certainly, that applies to many things.  So many things to which we can give our hearts and for which we can go overboard.  Loving and enjoying the thing created - to the minimization of our love for and enjoyment of the Lord.  We desire these things more than Him - that’s the greater danger here.  For those things which can tend to grab too much of our heart - along with our time and attention - to do just that.  Distraction.  So, moderation in all things - it helps prevent distraction, the kind of spiritual waywardness which can become a form of idolatry.  Spiritual adultery.  Ezekiel calls it prostitution.  Any time we are aware of an area of weakness - and even when we don’t think we are weak in that area - we need to keep a constant vigilant watch on our souls and do whatever we can (or need to do) in order to make sure that a little wine (or anything else) doesn’t ever become anything more than that.

1Timothy 5:22 - On gun-jumping and brake-tapping...

”Hands hastily be laying upon no one, nor sharing sins of others. Yourself free be keeping.”

-Jumping the gun.  Jumping to conclusions.  Simply jump to it.  It does appear that our culture is quite fond of jumping.  But here Paul cautions his protege to actually not jump the gun.  There are several possibilities as to what Paul could be referring here.  One is hastily laying hands on someone in ordaining them to be an elder.  And this would certainly fit with the previous verse.  Timothy, you can’t just jump the gun on installing one of your buds an elder or a deacon or some other leader in the church (cf Acts 6.6, 13.3; 1Timothy 4.14; 2Timothy 1.6).  They need to meet the qualifications.  They need to be exemplary in both their character and their conduct as well as in the content of their doctrine.  Given that this is exactly the language Paul uses in reference to what He did for Timothy, this is most likely the best explanation.  Another possibility which Paul might have in mind is that of hastily restoring a previously disgraced and disciplined elder (from verse 20).  He could be saying, Timothy, you don’t want to hastily restore into fellowship (much less leadership) one of your buddies.  You want to make sure that they have truly repented of their sins and are finding victory over them.  In either case, in either one of these two possibilities, if you jump the gun on someone you may wind up putting someone into a place for which they are not yet suited.  If you endorse someone for fellowship or leadership when in fact they are (still) struggling with some area of hidden sin, then you essentially wind up sharing in that sin as well.  Timothy, as the Shepherd/Overseer, you are responsible for those you ordain as well as those you restore.  You share some responsibility for whatever sin they may (still) be dealing with if you lay hands on them (as in, an official act of ordination or restoration).  So let's give them a measure of protection (and ourselves as well) and do our due diligence.

-(We see examples of laying on hands for healing - Matthew 9.18, 19.13, 19.15; Mark 6.5, 7.32, 8.23, 8.25, 16.18; Luke 4.40, 13.13, 28.8.  Also for receiving the Holy Spirit - Acts 8.17, 19.6.  Both (?) in Acts 9.17.  Hands are also thrown at - Luke 20.19, 21.12; John 7.44; Acts 4.3, 5.18,  or stretched out - Luke 22.53 - in order to seize someone - different verb in the Greek but translated into English as laying hands on that person.  But the sense of laying on hands as a form of commissioning for ministry is found throughout Scripture - Numbers 8.10, 27.8; Acts 6.6, 13.3 - and that is what would be under consideration in the two scenarios mentioned above).

-Now there is another possibility, one which uses this phrase as it often occurs in modern English, but not so much in the Greek.  And while this may not be the most likely given the Greek, it can bring up a point which could be helpful, and that is that Paul might be cautioning Timothy against hastily laying hands on an elder vis a vis receiving an accusation of sin against them.  It would simply be a repeat and an expansion of the admonition he just gave in verse 19.  You don’t want to give hasty credence to what could be a sinful false accusation against an elder, Timothy.  

-Regardless, in either of these two (two-ish) scenarios, let's tap the brakes.  Find witnesses.  Do our research.  Seek the Lord and His wisdom, His leading.  Leadership in God's Church is a serious business, a high calling.  'Cuz it's God's business.  Let's get it right.  Fools rush in - we don't need to be in a hurry when it comes to leaders.  Patience.  We are free to take our time to get it right.

1Timothy 5:21 - No leanings

”I am thoroughly witnessing in the face of God and Jesus Christ and the assembly of angels, in order that these you should guard without bias, doing nothing according to partiality.”

-Timothy.  O Timothy.  Timid Timothy.  You need to man up and be ready and determined to guard these things.  Guard the truth.  Guard the church.  Guard it from false teaching.  Guard it from reproach - make sure the widows and families and the elders and deacons live lives which beautify the name of our God and Savior.  And guard it from sinning leaders - show no partiality in this regard whatsoever.  The word means to lean against something, or to lean towards one party or another.  In this case, it would look like Timothy leaning towards letting one of his favorite leaders continue in their role while they continue unrepentant in some kind of ongoing sin.  But you need to stay centered and focused on this, Jack.  You must not lean to even the slightest degree away from keeping the church and its doctrine and its people clean!  And that includes its leaders.  

-And I am super serious about this, Paul says.  I cannot put it strongly enough.  So I am going to put it as strongly as I am able.  In fact, I am bringing God AND Jesus AND all the angels on this one.  They are my witnesses, Paul says.  Timothy, you need to take this seriously, and be ready and willing to wade into the mess of people’s junk - which even encroaches on the church.  There are no perfect people this side of heaven.  We all have junk, and we all bring it with us into God’s family.  Yes, He is engaged in a massive renovation project on each and every one of us, but He is far from finished.  Renovations take time.  They can be messy.  Some junk takes a lot longer to clean out.  And some drifts in from the outside as well.  But you cannot, must not, show any bias or partiality whatsoever.  Not leaning in the slightest even towards your favorite and most trusted leaders.  If any one of them gets into some kind of ongoing sin, they need to be confronted, and rebuked, for their own sakes as well as for the sake of the church and the Lord.  But wait - before you do that - next verse...

1Timothy 5:20 - Dirty laundry

”The [ones] sinning, in the face of all be reproving, in order that also the rest fear may be having.”

-Okay, how does this reconcile with go to your brother in secret...?  Those who stand before God’s people in a position of leadership have a higher degree of accountability before God and His people.  Their example carries a higher degree of impact, and as such if there is a leader who is willfully continuing in disobedience, they must be made an example.  In the presence of all.  Publicly.  Their public position requires a public explanation.  A tragic object lesson.  This is technically not slander - slander is making false statements about someone else which damage their reputation.  In this case, we’ve already verified their veracity by multiple witnesses.  One of the leaders of God’s people is engaged in ongoing sin, and this must be nipped in the bud, lest others be swayed by their example.

-Note that there is some healthy fear which is at least one of the intended results of this public reproof.  Not all fear is unhealthy.  Fear can help us refrain from making foolish choices.  It provides a layer of restraint, of accountability.  Fear just might save your life one day.  And because the church goes public with this disobedience, the rest will be sobered to avoid a similar fate.  Nobody wants their dirty laundry aired in public, now do they?

-We know there had to be some hesitation here, some reluctance to basically shame a person in public, not only because it would run counter-culture almost everywhere, but also because of what Paul says immediately after this.  Next verse...

1Timothy 5:19 - Protect and Respect

”Against an elder an accusation do no be receiving, except if not upon two or three witnesses."

-Two or three witnesses.  That is the classic God-ordained method for determining matters of circumstantial truth, of determining guilt and innocence throughout the Bible (Deuteronomy 17.6, 19.15; Matthew 18.16; 2Corinthians 13.1; Hebrews 10.28).  This was the standard for the early church, for determining if any brother or sister was involved in any undue impurity or immorality (not that there is any such thing as “due” immorality).  The point is - this standard is to be applied towards elders as well.  Two or three witnesses.

-But why does Paul even need to go here?  Are elders somehow more susceptible to accusation or criticism perhaps?  Do those who exercise spiritual authority and leadership over God’s people have more of a reputation on the line when it comes to integrity and moral standards in their lives and work?  You betchya.  Just look at Moses.  If something went wrong, it was almost always his fault.  There were constantly others who disrespected him and thought they could possibly do better.  So it is with those who serve as leaders in the church today.  No doubt the father-of-lies himself is constantly on the prowl for ways that he can somehow hinder and destroy the work of God by spinning up false accusations against leaders in the church.  Disrespect.  Grumbling and complaining and murmuring.  Leaders are always more subject to unfair criticisms and allegations, not to mention gossip, and even a charge-proven-false can damage their reputation and ability to effectively lead the flock.  So we need to protect them.  At least two if not three witnesses, Paul says.  Not that we are ever trying to hide or cover up something untoward - definitely not - but in this area, with those leaders whom God Himself has put in place over His people (let’s not be forgetful of that! - Romans 13.1-2), we ought to proceed with utmost caution.  What leaders - be they elders in the church or even pagan rulers (look at Daniel), are due from God's people, what we should direct towards them, is respect!

1Timothy 5:18 - Take good care of your ox(en)...!

”For the Scripture is saying, ‘A threshing ox you will not muzzle,’ and, ‘Worthy [is] the worker of his wages.’”

-This first verse is taken straight from Deuteronomy 25.4 (cf 1Corinthians 9.9).  The picture is that of an ox, employed in the business of treading over grain, separating the corn from the husk and rendering it fit for further production and consumption.  But the upside of this for the ox was that - if unmuzzled - it could eat a portion of the grain while it was working.  In other words, it could actually derive its livelihood from that in which it was employed (the livelihood of oxen of course consisting primarily of food).  If you wanted to prevent that, and retain as much of the grain as possible for your own use, then you could put a muzzle on the ox and keep it from eating your grain.  Which, mind you, the ox is laboring to produce for you.  Talk about torture!  All that food, literally at your feet, and not allowed to partake of even a morsel?  That big 'ol ox is working his tail off for you - you (and I and all God's people) need to take good care of him!  The more humane and compassionate (i.e. generous) tack then was to not do something which would otherwise hinder the ox from being able to obtain its livelihood from its labor.  In other words, God in His Word is telling His people to be generous.  Flat out generous.  And compassionate.  Don't torture your ox!  Don’t be so miserly and strict that you place undue hardship on your animals.  Or on your elders.  Take care of these the best you can.  That passage where Paul is writing to the Corinthians is totally about elders being compensated for their ministry to God’s people.  God cares about animals, but He cares so much more for His people, including those who lead them.  Be kind and generous towards those who lead you, he says.  Give them enough to eat.  Let them benefit from their labor.

-The second passage of Scripture which Paul quotes here is actually not a verse from the Old Testament (Paul’s Bible) but rather a statement from Jesus Himself (Luke 10.7, Matthew 10.10).  Not a problem, of course - the words of our Lord are just as God-breathed as any other (if not more so!).  Again, the passage from 1Corinthians 9 (cf 1Corinthians 9.13-14) makes it clear that this is about compensation.  It is about God’s people providing for those who are employed in the so-called sacred services, in the “business” of the kingdom.  There is a mindset which looks to separate the sacred from the secular, and looks at ministry as somehow not being real work, that considers work in fields like construction and engineering and medicine and education and business and retail as somehow being “real” work, and then subconsciously relegates church and missions work to a lower status - "These guys are really just living off the generosity of others" (just beggars when you think about it).  There is another mindset which can do just the opposite, which relegates secular work to a lower status than "ministry" in the economy of heaven.  Obviously what we have here is another both-and.  It is always, whatever ever you do, whatever work it is that God has given you to do, do it to the best of your ability, AND be generous.  AND instruct God’s people to be generous towards those who lead them (so two ands...!). 

1Timothy 5:17 - The Perpetual Season of Our Discontent...?

”The elders standing before beautifully, of double honor let them be considered worthy, especially the [ones] toiling in [the] Word and teaching.”

-Note what gets the props here.  Toiling in the Word, and teaching.  Now, we are all called to teach it to our sons (and daughters)(Deuteronomy 6.7), but there are those who are called to teach the assembled people of God.  Elsewhere Paul makes it clear that teaching is in fact a universal calling in the body of Christ, anyone can and should teach (1Corinthians 14.26), that we are to teach and admonish one another with Psalms et al (Colossians 3.16) - and yet not all are called and gifted as Teachers (1Corinthians 12.29, Ephesians 4.11).  James actually tells us that not many should aspire to be teachers (James 3.1), since that role opens said teacher up to a higher level of responsibility and accountability.  But there is a clear emphasis throughout the New Testament on the importance of conveying God’s truth to God’s people, and particularly for standing before the body of Christ, the people of God, and accurately teaching them the truths of the true Word of God.

-And no small responsibility, this.  The word here is to toil.  To cut off strength.  Work until that happens, in other words.  Pour yourself out and work so hard you puke.  Or maybe you’re just plain worn out by the effort.  But go for it, just do it, right?  Double down and persevere, put in the work, go the extra mile in your teaching.  Look at the admonitions to would-be teachers - be diligent, make every effort (2Timothy 2.15).  Take pains, be absorbed in, pay close attention to your teaching (1Timothy 4.15-16).  The apostles devoted themselves to the ministry of the Word (Acts 6.4).  They gave their time, their resources, their heart to it, they threw themselves into it with a flourish!  No soft duty this.  Truly, a high calling, a sacred trust, a serious undertaking, one who would stand before God’s people and instruct them in God's sacred Word.  

-The complementary piece here is that God’s people should go out of their way to appreciate and honor those who do thus, who do a beautiful job of standing before them and particularly of instructing them in the Word of God (cf 1Thessalonians 5.12).  Double honor.  Does that mean 200%?  Not necessarily.  But there is this idea of appreciating those who lead us in Christ, of esteeming them highly.  God’s people historically seem to be better at criticizing their leaders.  We are at the ready to let them know when we are displeased.  It is the perpetual season of our discontent.  Our cup of disenchantment bubbleth over towards our leaders at the slightest provocation.  Brothers and sisters, things should not be this way.  Next verse...!

1Timothy 5:16 - Team Effort!

”If any believer has widows, let her be supplying them and let the assembly not be burdened, in order that the widows indeed it should supply.”

-Paul ties this section together with something practical for believing women to do.  Supply.  To satisfy upon.  Some of them had widows within family-range, and these widows had needs.  One very obvious (and not to mention God-pleasing) way a female believer could potentially be serving the Lord is to be taking care of any widows in their family.  In theory, we might not normally be talking about more than two such older widows, but I suppose great aunts could possibly run that number up a bit if somehow they didn’t wind up providing you with any cousins.  But these women, again, most likely - if they had lost their husband - had lost their means of support.  They were powerless, landless, vulnerable and possibly headed for the street.  The church was positioned to take them in, but Paul’s whole point is this, that this did not need to happen if there were daughters (or nieces)(or granddaughters even?) who could take them in.

-In other words, it’s a team effort.  Compassion is a team effort.  Yes, the church can provide a chunk of that, but families can take on some of the burden as well.  It’s a family-friendly, family-centric solution.  Empower families, in other words.  Let’s find solutions that tend not to position the church to be the sole (or even primary) provider of religious goods and services.  Of compassion.  Family first.  Providing and positioning God’s people for opportunities to demonstrate the love of Christ in practical ways - beginning with their family (which was the same point in 1Tim 5.4).