From the last in a six post series over at New Leaven comes this little puzzler, courtesy of that “hard to understand” apostle, Paul:

1Ti 5:17-18 NET. Elders who provide effective leadership must be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard in speaking and teaching. (18) For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker deserves his pay.”

The question has arisen: Just what does “honor” and “double honor” mean?

I’m no scholar, but thanks to e-Sword, I can give you a range of antique opinion upon this question.

Antique Quotes on 1 Tim 5:17:

John Calvin:
Accounted worthy of double honor: Chrysostom interprets “double honor” as meaning “support and reverence.” I do not oppose his opinion; let it be adopted by any one that chooses. But for my own part, I think it is more probable that a comparison is here drawn between widows and elders. Paul had formerly enjoined that honor should be paid — to widows; but elders are more worthy of being honored than widows, and, with respect to them, ought therefore to receive double honor.

George Haydock:
1Ti 5:17-18 The priests, or ancient ministers, (i.e. bishops, priests, &c.) deserve a double honour; i.e. to be more liberally supplied and maintained by the flock, especially when they labour in preaching the word. — Thou shalt not muzzle, &c. See 1 Corinthians ix. 9. (Witham) — It is the obligation of the faithful to provide a decent maintenance for their pastors, and the duty of pastors to be content with little. Happy the church where there is no further difference found than between the liberality of the former and the disinterestedness of the latter!

John Gill:
counted worthy of double honour; which some understand of honour in this world, and in the world to come, and which they have; they are honoured now by Christ, though reproached by the world, by being called unto, qualified for, and succeeded in the work of the ministry; and when they have faithfully discharged it, they will be honoured by him hereafter, and be introduced into his joy with commendation, and shine as the stars for ever and ever. But rather this is to be understood both of that outward respect that is to be shown them by words and actions; and of a sufficient maintenance that is to be provided for them; in which sense the word “honour” is used in this chapter before; See Gill on 1Ti_5:3, and some think that the comparison is between the widows before mentioned, and these elders; that if poor widows in the church are to be honoured and maintained, then much more the officers of it; these are worthy of more honour, even of double honour, or, a larger and a more honourable main tenant: and indeed this seems to be the meaning of the word “double” when used both in an ill and in a good sense; see Rev_18:6 and is an allusion to the firstborn among the Jews, who was to have a double portion of his father’s goods, Deu_21:17 and so may here signify, that the ministers of the Gospel ought not to have a short and scanty, but a large and honourable maintenance.

Adam Clarke:
Double honor – Διπλης τιμης. Almost every critic of note allows that τιμη here signifies reward, stipend, wages. Let him have a double or a larger salary who rules well; and why? Because in the discharge of his office he must be at expense, in proportion to his diligence, in visiting and relieving the sick, in lodging and providing for strangers; in a word, in his being given to hospitality, which was required of every bishop or presbyter.

Matthew Henry:
1Ti 5:17-25
Here are directions,
I. Concerning the supporting of ministers. Care must be taken that they be honourably maintained (1Ti_5:17): Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour (that is, of double maintenance, double to what they have had, or to what others have), especially those who labour in the word and doctrine, those who are more laborious than others. Observe, The presbytery ruled, and the same that ruled were those who laboured in the word and doctrine: they had not one to preach to them and another to rule them, but the work was done by one and the same person. Some have imagined that by the elders that rule well the apostle means lay-elders, who were employed in ruling but not in teaching, who were concerned in church-government, but did not meddle with the administration of the word and sacraments; and I confess this is the plainest text of scripture that can be found to countenance such an opinion. But it seem a little strange that mere ruling elders should be accounted worthy of double honour, when the apostle preferred preaching to baptizing, and much more would he prefer it to ruling the church; and it is more strange that the apostle should take no notice of them when he treats of church-officers; but, as it is hinted before, they had not, in the primitive church, one to preach to them and another to rule them, but ruling and teaching were performed by the same persons, only some might labour more in the word and doctrine than others. Here we have, 1. The work of ministers; it consists principally in two things: ruling well and labouring in the word and doctrine. This was the main business of elders or presbyters in the days of the apostles. 2. The honour due to those who were not idle, but laborious in this work; they were worthy of double honour, esteem, and maintenance. He quotes a scripture to confirm this command concerning the maintenance of ministers that we might think foreign; but it intimates what a significancy there was in many of the laws of Moses, and particularly in this, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treads out the corn, Deu_25:4. The beasts that were employed in treading out the corn (for that way they took instead of threshing it) were allowed to feed while they did the work, so that the more work they did the more food they had; therefore let the elders that labour in the word and doctrine be well provided for; for the labourer is worthy of his reward (Mat_10:10), and there is all the reason in the world that he should have it. We hence learn, (1.) God, both under the law, and now under the gospel, has taken care that his ministers be well provided for. Does God take care for oxen, and will he not take care of his own servants? The ox only treads out the corn of which they make the bread that perishes; but ministers break the bread of life which endures for ever. (2.) The comfortable subsistence of ministers, as it is God’s appointment that those who preach the gospel should live of the gospel (1Co_9:14), so it is their just due, as much as the reward of the labourer; and those who would have ministers starved, or not comfortably provided for, God will require it of them another day.

John Welsey:
1Ti 5:17 Let the elders that rule well – Who approve themselves faithful stewards of all that is committed to their charge. Be counted worthy of double honour – A more abundant provision, seeing that such will employ it all to the glory of God. As it was the most laborious and disinterested men who were put into these offices, so whatever any one had to bestow, in his life or death, was generally lodged in their hands for the poor. By this means the churchmen became very rich in after ages, but as the design of the donors was something else, there is the highest reason why it should be disposed of according to their pious intent. Especially those – Of them. Who labour – Diligently and painfully. In the word and teaching – In teaching the word.

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown:
be counted worthy of double honour — that is, the honor which is expressed by gifts (1Ti_5:3, 1Ti_5:18) and otherwise. If a presbyter as such, in virtue of his office, is already worthy of honor, he who rules well is doubly so [Wiesinger] (1Co_9:14; Gal_6:6; 1Th_5:12). Not literally that a presbyter who rules well should get double the salary of one who does not rule well [Alford], or of a presbyteress widow, or of the deacons [Chrysostom]. “Double” is used for large in general (Rev_18:6).

Albert Barnes:
Be counted worthy of double honour – Of double respect; that is, of a high degree of respect; of a degree of respect becoming their age and office; compare 1Th_5:12-13. From the quotation which is made in 1Ti_5:18, in relation to this subject, it would seem probable that the apostle had some reference also to their support, or to what was necessary for their maintenance. There is no improbability in supposing that all the officers of the church, of whatever grade or rank, may have had some compensation, corresponding to the amount of time which their office required them to devote to the service of the church. Nothing would be more reasonable than that, if their duties in the church interfered with their regular employments in their secular calling, their brethren should contribute to their support; compare notes on 1 Cor. 9.

Marvin Vincent:
Double honor (διπλης τιμης)
This at least includes pecuniary remuneration for services, if it is not limited to that. The use of τιμή as pay or price appears Mat_27:6, Mat_27:9; Act_4:34; Act_7:16; 1Co_6:20. Double, not in a strictly literal sense, but as πλείονα τιμὴν more honor, Heb_3:3. The comparison is with those Elders who do not exhibit equal capacity or efficiency in ruling. The passage lends no support to the Reformed theory of two classes of Elders – ruling and teaching. The special honor or emolument is assigned to those who combine qualifications for both.

A.T. Robertson:
Of double honour (diples times). Old and common contract adjective (diploos, two-fold, in opposition to haploos, single fold). But why “of double honour”? See note on 1Ti_6:1 for “of all honour.” White suggests “remuneration” rather than “honour” for times (a common use for price or pay). Liddon proposes “honorarium” (both honour and pay and so “double”). Wetstein gives numerous examples of soldiers receiving double pay for unusual services. Some suggest twice the pay given the enrolled widows.

There are generally accounted five options to understanding “double honor”:

1. honor and pay

2. double honor as 1) elders and 2) ones who worked well

3. double the gifts given widows

4. more, but not double the pay of widows

5. more honor, not pay, as widows

(College Press NT Commentary, Baker NT Commentary)

A week or two ago the Holy Spirit gave me a word. It was short and to the point.

Word: Continue to tread out the corn.

tread: trample so as to press, crush

The Lord was saying to make the seemingly hard dry kernels of the legalistic truth of His word into small and palatable Spiritual milk for babes; the young in Christ, to eat. (The letter kills but the Spirit gives Life!) Just break it down; add nothing to it or take away nothing just make it usable for their consumption (if they choose to eat it). At the same time he brought to mind the ox grinding at a mill (Deuteronomy 25:4 You shall not muzzle the ox when he treads out the corn.); countless times going round and round, obedient to the task at hand. His reward is to be fed himself with very grain that he is to labor at preparing; no more, no less.

This passage is often referred to by religious clergy to verify their monetary value as ministers, as Paul wrote to Timothy  in: 1 Timothy 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and doctrine. 18For the scripture says, you shall not muzzle the ox that treads out the corn. And, the laborer is worthy of his reward. (Some especially like the coveted chocolate covered “double” scoop of financial reward!) Often, while trying to establish within themselves and religious circles their personal value or worth they measure themselves by church size or income. Some like to think of what a CEO of a worldly business or corporation of the same size would be worth. Some bypass God completely and measure themselves by themselves; no light of the Spirit of Truth. Some actually believe that gain is godliness; their light is darkness. Still others allow their followers to puff them up with logic or reasoning; “good intentions”, that end up being a stumbling block of life style; a temptation that they succumbed to. All of these are blind who lead the blind. If you are led by lust of money or logic of man you are not led by the Spirit of Truth; you serve another god. With your mouth you say “Lord, Lord” but your actions say something else to God.

Few like to retain Paul’s selflessness: 1 Corinthians 9:8 Say I these things as a man? or says not the law the same also? 9For it is written in the law of Moses, you shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the corn. Does God take care for oxen? 10Or says he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that plows should plow in hope; and that he that threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. 11If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? 12If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.

Paul knew that the appearance of wanting money would hinder the Gospel and set a bad president, so he refused financial support; that brothers and sisters is the true example of work of faith. Compared to the love of money preachers of the faith movement and churches; the Balaam Syndrome Collection, it is “Life in the Spirit”. It is also what a true “walk of faith” or “ministry of faith” looks like. It is walking in the light of truth. Those who walk in darkness have no light. No matter how much you say you have light and truth you lead others blindly. You who are caught up in the love of money and use ministry as an excuse to be pan handlers, proud beggars or wolves in sheep’s clothing and will be worse off than stingy penny pinchers that have sown little. You by your example teach others to be like yourselves; children of their father; children of darkness

1 Corinthians 9:9 For it is written in the law of Moses, You shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the corn. Does God take care for oxen? 10Or speak He it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that plows should plow in hope; and that he that threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.

What is your hope? What are true riches? Is your hope for worldly riches or having the Master say well done faithful servant? Who cares for you or do you take care of yourself? Personally, I’m just grinding corn, eating the bread of understanding, hating the appearance of evil, knowing that every season comes to an end and that the Master is going to ask of me an accounting by His measure. Truth is only hidden to those who love darkness. Double honor is to be found guileless before man and worthy before God.

L,J,P&HG

Dave

It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations. Ex 12:42

Have you ever had a night so wonderful, so memorable that you could remember every detail of that night one year later? What about 5 years? What about 50 years? The Jewish people have been remembering a night that happened over 3700 years ago. Wow, that must have been some night! Such a night was remembered because of its importance to the God of this universe and to the people of this world He created.

Moses had instructed all the people two weeks earlier to take a yearling lamb, without spot or blemish, and on the 10^th day of the month bring it into your home. Then four days later they were to kill that lamb, eat the lamb, and take its blood and put it upon the lintel of their front door. At midnight, the Angel of the Lord went throughout the land of Egypt, and wherever he saw the blood of the lamb, he would pass over the house. Where there was no blood, he would enter the home and slay the first born son.

This story is an excellent demonstration of the importance of Honor for church leaders, your pastor, deacons and Sunday school teachers.

Now imagine if Joe and his wife Sarah had skipped church to go fishing or shopping or whatever. Moses and Aaron had instructed everyone on what to do. They weren’t at the meeting. They got back into town and didn’t know what all the buzz was about. They heard snippets of lamb and blood, but they thought that sounded absurd. They started talking to their friends and got them questioning what Moses said. Don’t you think that is a bit extreme? To waste a perfectly good lamb like that? Blood on my new door post? Why I’ll never be able to get that off! Why I just spent $500 on a new door! Before long a whole group of people had decided to ignore Moses and Aaron. So they lightly regarded the words of Moses and influenced other people to do the same. Honor leads us to value church leaders, and give weight to what they tell us. Dishonor leads us to scorn and devalue what church leaders tell us. To treat it like some teenagers treat the words of their parents.

Midnight came, the Angel went into their homes, they heard a noise, that woke them, going into their son’s bedroom, they found his throat cut. In fact, every one of their friends who scorned the instruction of Moses discovered the same grizzly scene.

And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. (Exo 12:30)

What kind of night would be remembered for 3700 years? The night that meant the difference between life and death for you and your family.

Honor for church leaders is critical for your lives? Why? Perhaps we can glimpse the ways of God by reading Acts 23:1-5. Paul demonstrates the importance of Honoring Church Leaders. When he was commanded to be slapped by some old guy, he hurled a stern verbal insult at him. Then someone whispered in his ear that the old guy was Ananias, the High Priest! He quickly apologized, quoting Exodus 22:28 “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.” God equates cursing a church leader with reviling God!

When you honor your church leaders, you are honoring God. They are God’s messengers, God’s representatives. We demonstrate our honor of God by honoring the Leaders He has set before us.

Jesus took this cursing one step further. It is not the words you speak that matters, it is the heart attitude you have. You can say “yes” with your mouth but be going “Yea right like I’m gonna do that” with your heart.

Paul said: Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls. Church leaders are keeping watch over your souls. That is their job. And how you honor your church leaders will determine the reward of how goes your soul.

Honor Determines the Destiny of your soul.

Paul wrote to obey your leaders, for they watch over your souls. The Gospel of Christ is inexplicably tied to the preaching of His Word. If you do not honor the messenger, you dishonor the Word. God honors his servants, for they follow Christ, and He honors His Son.

The Cross is the Anchor of the Christian Walk. Our daily walk, our daily life in Christ must begin at the cross. At the cross we lay aside our fleshly wants and desires, our sin and selfishness, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ. At the cross we lay claim of the exchanged life. At the cross we identify with the Resurrected Reigning Jesus Christ who lives in us and through us. At the cross we realize that God uses pastors and deacons and elders and teachers to build up the church, to work to conform us to Jesus Christ. We honor the cross in their life and the fact that they are God’s messengers to us.

To dishonor the preacher, the pastor, the Sunday school teacher is to scorn the Savior whom they serve.

Can’t I go direct to Jesus? Yes you can. But understand the God has a divine order of things. He has given gifts to the church to build it up, to teach to chasten to rebuke to instruct. If you fail to honor God’s Way, you are playing with the destiny of your soul.

Jesus told a parable of the ruler who gave talents to his servants, and then went away. One servant said he feared the master, so he went and hid his talent.

He failed to honor his pastor (so to speak) and robbed himself of spiritual rewards.

When you fail to honor the requests of your church leaders, you rob yourself of these benefits:

• You rob yourself of spiritual light for salvation,
• Your rob your children of spiritual light, for they will grow up with an attitude of scorn toward the church, toward the pastor.
• You rob yourself of rewards for God uses His messengers to speak to you, guide you and to watch over the welfare of your souls.

The Pastor, the Sunday school teachers, are entrusting you with wealth in the form of spiritual truth. To honor them means to grow in the truth they teach, to honor their teaching. The benefit is eternal. When you fail to honor them, you will walk in darkness.

Sometimes we have Roast Preacher on the after church menu. This teaches dishonor to our children. Learn to Honor the Pastor at meal time.

Honor Determines the Prosperity of your soul.

Those who honor church leaders honor the Lord. They will be planted in the house of the Lord. They will flourish in the courts of our God.

“Well I go to church. I give a little money.” But that is not being planted. Planted implies you grow roots. You establish relationships. I’m not saying that you should be here every time the doors are open. But you should seek to Honor God by your faithfulness to the leadership of the church.

I have a friend whom I used to teach in Sunday School. We along with some others helped to start Lenexa Baptist Church in 1990. After a year or so we called a young clothing salesman from Oklahoma. He had pastored a couple small churches in Oklahoma. He was kind of green. He and I spent some time together at youth camp, and he shared that he was Calvinistic in his theology. But he was still very evangelistic. I respected his views and advised him to keep it under his hat. Well, he let it slip one Wednesday night, and it got spread among the deacons. One deacon, my friend was quite adamant about getting Pastor Steve to resign. He got several other deacons stirred up. They called a meeting in which they called on Steve to resign. I, along with another deacon stood up for Pastor Steve and called for respect for Steve, and pleaded for sound minds to prevail. Well, they got all upset and quit, and all of a sudden a church that was pushing 150 became a church of 90. (Steve stuck it out and today Lenexa Baptist runs a couple thousand plus every Sunday)

I believe my friend’s life was impacted by his dishonor. He lost his wife and he lost his children. He is became a Pastor, and has struggled in pastoring. Now he is pastoring even though he has had a divorce. His children are alienated. He has struggled with honor in his pastorate. I believe when you dishonor church leaders, you will reap dishonor in your life.

I was witness to another deacon revolt at a growing young church in Olathe, and I stood on behalf of the pastor once again. This time seven deacons decided to leave. I don’t know how their lives turned out, but I do know it destroyed the heart of the pastor Tom Grove. It also caused the church to fold. He had done nothing worthy of their treatment, and a man’s ministry was destroyed. Other lives were affected. Woe to all those who cause others to stumble.

Honor Determines the Direction of Your Family

Eli is a picture of the way dishonor for God can ruin your family and even your descendants.

Those who Honor God, He will honor. Those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Your children will not honor you, God will not honor you. Sure enough, his sons were slain, and when Eli heard the news, He keeled over and broke his neck and died.

How Honor Built a Godly Family

Have you heard of the Rechabites? Read about them in Jeremiah 35.

Jeremiah called the descendants of Rechab in to the temple and offered them wine to drink. But they answered, “We will drink no wine, for Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, ‘You shall not drink wine, neither you nor your sons forever. You shall not build a house; you shall not sow seed; you shall not plant or have a vineyard; but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.’

They had honored their father Jonadab for over two hundred years. And because they had demonstrated honor, Jeremiah offered this word from the Lord: “But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father and kept all his precepts and done all that he commanded you, therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me.”"

When we honor the Lord, and we honor the lord’s messengers, we can ask God that of our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and beyond there will never be a time that one of our descendants will not stand before the Lord God. To me that would be the greatest reward, that my children and grandchildren would walk before the Lord. This is a Godly Heritage. This is a Legacy, that my family stands before the Lord!

Do You Doubt the importance of Honoring your church leaders? God repeats the command:

They are the only ones whom God says are worthy of Double Honor.

If you have dishonored your church leaders in the past, confess your sin, there is mercy and forgiveness at the cross. Confess your sin to your children, there is mercy and forgiveness at the cross.

My Dad was an Area Committee Coordinator for the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts. It was late 1979 and early 1980 that the Institute was rocked by a scandalous discovery. It was discovered that Steve, Bill Gothard’s brother, was carrying on affairs with some of the staff secretaries. Rumors flew around the country. Some accused Bill, and at best said he should have known about it. Many said he did know and was even involved. It drove Bill to resign from his own ministry. But the board did a thorough investigation and asked Bill to come back. There were other problems as well.

Through it all my Dad kept faithfully serving, never got involved in the rumors, never showed any dishonor toward Bill or the organization. I couldn’t believe it. I remember one day going in to my dad’s office and saying, Dad, how can you continue to serve Bill the way you do?

He just looked at me and said, Son, I keep my eyes on Jesus.

 Usher: Deak, This one takes the cake!  Man, this guy has big ones! 

Deacon: Don’t be rude Usher, you’re getting a little too graphical!

Usher: Let me break it to you nicely Deak.  Either this guy has redefined the defintion of ”brazen” or his church congregation has redefined the Webst’er’s definition of “gullable”!

Deacon: What  did he do to get that out of you?

Usher: How about coercing his congregation to give him loans (which they forgave!), with which he bought a plane, and then leased it back to the church at a premium!  It’s like a Guinness commercial – BRILLIANT!

Then Hammond claims there are political pundits behind an audit after he welcomed it only a year earlier! 

He then endoreses a political candidate from the pulpit (against IRS rules of a 501C3 or non profit).

But really Deak, here’s how sees it: Hammond wrote in a letter to congregants that “enemies of the gospel” are behind the inquiry.

This is the quote used in an article where they throw one of the church board members under the bus (convicted for tax fraud and fleeing prosecution) and claims he had nothing to do with their business dealings:  “I think it’s important that I not be embarrassed about the increase the Lord does bring me,” Hammond said last year.

And Deak, this one takes the cake!  Here is is his defense letter which he sends out to his congregation. Here are some of the really juicy quotes:

“CREW forwarded a “stolen copy of loan application” to the IRS”

“mid-level IRS employee”

“perceived endorsement of Michele Bachman”

“our books are clean”

“Those behind the attacks we will identify, for the moment as enemies of the gospel”

“these opponents in their attempt to limit our influence must limit our growing wealth …undermine and corrupt the commitment of the donor base”  (YOU MEAN MESS WITH MY SUGAR DADDY BASE)

“those who labor in the word are worth of double honor” (1 Tim 5:17)  (DOES HE KNOW ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES THAT TALK ABOUT DOUBLE JUDGMENT?)

Usher: Deak – give me your money, I’ll buy a plane, bill you back for it so I can buy the fuel and we’ll call it LABORING FOR THE GOSPEL!   BRILLIANT!

“I refuse to ever be embarrassed or apologetic for the level of God’s blessing upon my life and believe every day that MY PREACHING WILL HAVE THE SAME EFFECT ON YOUR LIFE.” 

Deak – I’ll bet if we traced his family line, it goes back to the lines of the greatest gypsy and carny clans that ever walked the face of the earth!  You gotta give him credit.  He never gets out of the role!  He obviously believes HE is the difference in these people’s lives.  He just took God out of the equation.

“…All monies that Lynne and I have ever taken…compensation, loans, airport leases…have been approved by the Board of Directors”  (Mac doesn’t seem to know that being a member of his own board makes him an insider and violates non-profit IRS code)

“The income generated by the lease….save the church the potential loss at the time of sale”

Deak – Might as well stick ‘em for the money up front.  After all, you might not be around when they have to sell the plane and this way you can save them the money you took!!!  I can’t go on – it’s all there – nothing I’ve taken is out of context.  This is either the saddest or the funniest, I cannot ascertain which.