Providing for your own household

I Timothy 5:8 (NASB)

But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Paul has been writing about honoring widows, with widows representing all people who are neglected, lonely, helpless, and despondent.  Then in verse 8 he presents a somewhat surprising and harsh condemnation to anyone who does not provide for his own relatives and immediate family.  Since this verse is within the context of widows, Paul is condemning anyone who is not taking care of older members of his/her family.  Yet, it also applies to anyone who has any kind of family responsibility.

Who are “his own”?  Other bible translations use “family relatives” in the context of “his own”.  Who are family relatives?  How far out do you go with relatives, i.e. is this referring to aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, even distant relatives?  I don’t think so although your conscience will tell you if any of these relatives are close enough to you that you should call them your own.  In the context of I Timothy chapter 5, I believe that “his own” refers to immediate family not living in your home with you.  So this would include your mother, father, grandparents, brothers and sisters as well as children and grandchildren who no longer live in the same house as you. 

Who are “his household”?  The Greek word translated as household means “belonging to a house or family, related by blood”.  So household include those living in the same house as you plus those related to you by blood, i.e. grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters, and spouses.  Essentially you are to provide for those who you know are dependent on you.

Why is there such condemnation for a person who fails to provide for his own?  Paul is writing to believers in Christ.  He has observed that unbelievers, despite their lack of faith, still take care of their own while perhaps also observing that people claiming to be believers are not taking care of their own.  If a Christian does not take care of his own, he indeed is worse than the unbeliever who does take care of his own. 

Can you do anything that better glorifies God than to provide for the needs of your family, those who clearly depend on you?  I read of an interesting statistic where, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving and the American Association of Retired Persons in 2009, 29% of the U.S. population or 65 million people, provide care for a chronically ill, disabled, or aged family member or friend during any given year and spend an average of 20 hours per week providing care for their loved one.  At great sacrifice—time, money, personal health—so many Americans are lovingly providing for family who cannot provide for themselves.

God blesses those who provide for others even though at times you might not “feel” His blessing.  You are storing treasures in heaven.  Conversely, those who ignore the needs of loved ones, who don’t invest in time and/or money visiting aging parents and looking after their needs, are worse than unbelievers in God’s eyes and there will be consequences in this life and the life to come.

After reading and reflecting on this Scripture and these comments, do you feel blessed or   do you feel guilty?  Are you guilty of being a deadbeat dad or son?  Shame on you.  Heed Paul’s warning. If you are unemployed and unable to provide for your family as you wish  you could, God is not judging you.  This passage is referring to those who have the means  of providing for family members, but do not.  You know what you need to keep doing or   what you need to start doing in order to fulfill your biblical responsibilities for your family, especially those who need your help.