Read with Me
1 Timothy 5:22-25 (HCSB)
Don’t be too quick to appoint anyone as an elder, and don’t share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. Don’t continue drinking only water, but use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. Some people’s sins are obvious, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others surface later. Likewise, good works are obvious, and those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden.
Listen with Me
In this short section, Paul gives three important instructions and one important principle.
The first instruction is that Timothy is literally not to be too hasty in the laying on of hands. This means that he is not to be hasty in raising someone into a position of authority or responsibility. This is not just about ordination or high positions like elder. Those given what are often seen as lower-level responsibilities were given those responsibilities by the laying on of hands before the congregation (Acts 6:5-6).
In the early Church, just like now, there were times when the lack of leaders was strongly felt, and times when some ministry or other wasn’t able to be done because there was no one who seemed to be God-chosen for it. At those times, it was tempting to elevate people who were willing, even if they did not appear to evidence a strong calling or divine gifting for that position.
Paul is telling Timothy not to do that. It is better in God’s sight to wait to do a ministry until the person He has called and gifted can be identified. And if no one seems to be called by God, it is better not to do that ministry at that time than to merely fill the position with a warm, willing body.
The second instruction is for Timothy not to share in the sins of others, but to keep himself pure. It can be very lonely to be a God-called leader, because it often means holding oneself separate from people who still have much of the world about them. The temptation is to join in, in order to be seen as “one of the guys”.
But Paul strongly warns Timothy against even mild compromise in order to fit in. No one is lifted up by a leader lowering himself or herself to their level. It is only through consistent modeling of a holy life and holy behavior that others can achieve what they aspire to.
The third instruction seems a bit strange to some people, but it makes sense when the context is understood. Some have taken Paul’s direction for Timothy to use a little wine instead of only drinking water as his endorsement for consuming alcohol. But that is not Paul’s intent.
In Paul’s day, pure drinking water was hard to come by, even in municipal water supplies. This led to digestive problems for those sensitive to the bacteria and other organisms that were present in the water. Paul’s instruction to use a little wine did not mean that Timothy should make wine a beverage like some think. Instead, it was direction to mix some wine into his water, actually a common practice then, so that the alcohol could kill the microorganisms.
The principle Paul gives is about sins on the one hand and good works on the other. Both are evident in the long run, even if they are not immediately apparent. This ties back in with Paul’s first instruction in this section, not to be too hasty in elevating people to positions of authority and responsibility, based on first impressions. Instead, they should be watched for a while under a wide variety of circumstances. Ultimately, their character will be shown for what it truly is.
Pray with Me
Father, this is really good advice for us today as well. Paul is never frivolous with his advice, but he always has the physical and spiritual health of both the individual and the Church in view. Help me, Lord, to read and listen to this guidance well, so that I can apply it appropriately in my own life. Amen.