Once More, for Emphasis – Interpreting the Law of God (42)

Once More, for Emphasis

Interpreting the Law of God (42)

The oxen statute packs a double whammy.

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “the laborer deserves his wages.” 1 Timothy 5:17

Here Paul appeals to Deuteronomy 25:4 in something of a different setting. He’s not instructing Timothy to hold out for twice as much in the way of salary and benefits as anyone else in the congregation. He’s appealing to this statute as it relates to both its eighth commandment application (don’t steal) and its fifth commandment application (respect your elders).

Pastors and elders are worthy of double respect. They should be treated with deference, love, and honor because of their office. The people of God should be diligent to attend to their teaching, obey their counsel, and submit to their discipleship, knowing that these men are committed to the care and nurture of their souls.

But they should also receive material support—not in every case “full-time” or even the same as a pastor. However, the people of God should recognize the work of pastors and elders and provide for their materials needs as these appear, thus giving them the “double honor”—deferential and material—to which Paul alludes in our text.

Thus, from a single, obscure statute regarding the treatment of oxen Paul was able to derive principles critical to the right ordering of churches and the honor and support due the servants of God. How many more principles, all designed for goodness, justice, and the glory of God, are we, like those childish Corinthians, failing to observe because we choose to remain ignorant of the Law of God?

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.