Titus 2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Order is important in God’s house. Order is defined by God, not man. Aged women have an important role to fulfil in God’s house. You notice that Paul was directed to use the word “likewise” here. Older women are not to be the head of the home. They are to follow in the steps of godly older men. They are to be holy just as the men are to be holy.
Women wield a lot of power. The Bible tells us that the woman is the weaker vessel. There are women who want to defy that fact. They want to prove they are stronger than men. Sadly, too often men are wet noodles who refuse to be men. Men need to learn how to be godly men. Spiritual strength is not found in being big and able to lift a lot of weight. It is found in knowing the Lord and walking humbly with Him. Holiness is not possible in the flesh.
Holiness is the absence of sin. In our text the women are told not to be false accusers. Gossip is a common sin among people. It seems that women can get into that quite readily. The truth is not always that exciting. Thus it is common to embellish the truth to make the story more interesting.
The woman is the weaker vessel and they can use that as a weapon as well. A holy woman is not looking to deceive. She has no ulterior motives. Her desire is to help the younger women to learn how to be holy women.
Not given to much wine, does not mean she can have some wine. The devil is the master deceiver. He is always looking to twist some Bible verse into a lie. Long before God told Paul to write these words, God made it abundantly clear that alcohol has no place in the Christian’s life. There is no need for alcohol in our bodies. It is a poison that will ruin the recipient of it. God tells us that even the desire for liquor is sin.
The opposite of the loose tongue and the desire for liquor is “teachers of good things”. In the next verses we are told what those good things are. The older women have an important role in teaching the younger women to be sober. An older woman needs to be a godly woman who is devoted to submitting to the Word of God. It is important for the older woman to walk in such a way as to be a godly example to the younger women. To be sober is again not a warning against drunkenness. We have already noted that alcohol is not acceptable to God. To be sober is to be disciplined in thought and actions. Being a younger woman adds many responsibilities to the young woman. She will likely be married, and have children and a house to look after. There are pressures there that can be overwhelming at times. The answer is not for the younger woman to want to get away. The answer is to help the younger woman to know how to bear up under the pressure and to see that as a blessing.
In our text it begins with loving their husbands. The younger men also have many challenges to face. They too need to learn how to bear up under those challenges. When there is a proper relationship between husband and wife, life is easier to handle. That proper relationship is found in knowing Christ.
The younger women also need to be reminded to love their children. We might assume that is a natural thing for a mother. According to God, it is not. We need to understand God’s definition of love. Love is not giving the children what they want. It is helping the children to see the need to know the Lord. The mother has the opportunity to spend many hours with her children. Sending them off to daycare is not loving them. That is abandoning them. In our world, many people are focussed on money. They set their sights high and then both parents think they need to make money to meet their standard. They want children, but the children get in the way of them making their money. Thus the children are either sent to daycare or they are left to fend for themselves too much at home. There is no time to teach the girls how to sew or keep a tidy room or bake and cook. There is no time to help the boys to also learn to keep a tidy room and help to clean up around the house. Boys can also learn to cook and sew on buttons, etc.
Children have active minds. They do not always want to use their minds for productive things. If they are given an abundance of toys, they will be spoiled and kept from developing the skills God has blessed them with.
The younger women need to learn to be discreet. That word is similar to the word “sober” above. It speaks of that disciplined life that is so important. Adults should not need someone looking over their shoulder to watch them all the time. They need to know the Lord and make wise choices in how they spend their day. Rather than run to the store to purchase prepared foods, learn to make them at home. Rather than looking at those ingredients and quickly slapping them together, learn to put them together with love. Think of the blessing you have been given in serving the Lord by preparing healthy meals to feed the family.
A “chaste” woman is one who has moral purity. We have too many broken homes. The dating game is a poison to be avoided. The younger girls need to be taught how to behave like a godly woman. They need to see that lived out in their mothers and their grandmothers. The older women need to forget about the latest fashions and focus on being neat and productive in the home. They need to pass that on to their daughters and to other younger women.
The younger women need to be keepers at home. There were not the many conveniences available in Paul’s day that there are today. However, obviously there were enough distractions around that could tempt the younger women to want to be away from home. Sometimes girls have ambitions that are not godly. They need to be taught and shown what is important.
To be good is part of the package Paul was directed to write about here. It fits in with all the other things mentioned. This includes being obedient to their own husbands. The wife is not a slave to her husband. However, he is the head of the home. He is commanded by God to set the standard for the home. He must be a godly man. When the man is not godly, there will be trouble. Paul is writing to godly individuals. However, as we see, godly individuals need to be reminded of how to grow in godliness. Obedience is not a curse. It is needful. The godly husband cares for his wife. He loves her and wants the best for her. She needs help in fulfilling her duties as mentioned in these verses. The godly husband walks with God and teaches his wife and children the importance of a holy walk with God.
I see no benefit in facebook and other platforms similar to that. Social media can be a tool for blessing, but it can also be a curse. In a godly home, there will be little time for social media. There is enough to do in looking after the household. You don’t need all the latest ideas in home decorating or cooking some fancy meal. A godly woman is living for God and for her family.
The point in this all is that the Word of God be not blasphemed. The world of today is the dominant force. The world of today has greatly infiltrated most churches. There was a time when women would get together and have a quilting bee. They would make those quilts for someone in need. Again, if the women are godly and obedient to their husbands, those quilting bees will not become gossip sessions. We know in Acts 16, that the apostle Paul met with the women of Philippi at the river because they went there to do their laundry. Thus they were meeting together to do something productive and he was able to have some godly input into their lives.
A properly functioning home is an important testimony in our world. The devil is looking for ways to limit the power of God’s Word. If he can destroy a home, he has gained. Older men and older women have an important role to play in helping the next generation to live godly lives. Be sure to take God’s Word as your authority in developing a godly home.
Pastor Bartel
