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"The labourer is worthy of his wages."

Text: 1 Timothy 5:18

STRONG SUPPORT

The support of the priests and Levites was well taught in the Old Testament. God laid the rules for the support of His servants, both priests and Levites. However, the ministries of the pastors/ elders/ bishops were new concepts. Not everyone knew how to support these diligent and faithful servants of the Lord! Paul sought to find Biblical support for his statement.

“For the Scripture says,
‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,’
and, ‘The labourer is worthy of his wages.'”
1 Timothy 5:18

1. “For the Scripture says”

a) The Scriptures are cited because they are authoritative.

b) Paul cited Scripture as the basis for his authoritative statement about strong support for elders.

c) His arguments for strong support did not originate from within himself.

d) Significance of citing the Scriptures:-

i) This was a consistent practice of the New Testament writers.

ii) They believed in the authority of the Scriptures.

iii) The church at large shared a similar regard for the Holy Scriptures.

iv) Compliance to the Scriptures was expected.

2. Two authoritative sources were cited

a) “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain”

i) This word is taken from Deuteronomy 25:4.

ii) Paul draws a strong parallel here.

iii) The ox who works very hard to tread out the grain deserves to be well taken care of.

iv) In like manner the servant of God who serves well ought to be appropriately cared for.

b) “The labourer is worthy of his wages”

i) Paul was actually citing the Lord Jesus.

ii) The reference is Luke 10:7.

iii) Paul cited the Lord Jesus as a valid authority.

iv) He places the authority of the Lord Jesus on par with the Law.

THE DANGER OF NEGLECT

Paul could have addressed a problem in those days. It may have been hard to obtain full support for those who were serving in the full-time ministry. He wanted to address and correct this problem.