Acts 6:1-4:
6:1But in these days of multiplying of the learning-disciples there became a murmuring of the Grecians towards the Hebrews that their widows were being overlooked in the ministry, the day-by-day (ministry). .2And the twelve, having called the multitude of the learning-disciples towards-themselves, said, "It is not pleasing for us having left-down the word of God to minister to tables, .3but, brothers, you must look-intensely (for) seven adult-males from you being witnessed-of (as being) full of spirit and of wisdom whom we will constitute on this need, .4but we will be strong with prayer and with the ministry of the word."
During these days while the number of learning-disciples were multiplying (filling, making full) there became a murmuring of the Grecians towards the Hebrews.
All of these people were students of those who taught concerning God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the gift of holy spirit. They had become children of God with holy spirit inside of them and continued learning. However, because of their different backgrounds, the Grecians (Hellenists, here referring to holy-people who were of the Greek-speaking Israeli/Judean background) grumbled discontent or complaint against the Hebrews (here referring to holy-people who were of the Hebrew/Aramaic-speaking Israeli/Judean background). This mixture of people with different backgrounds had occurred because of the political situation of that time.
The Grecians’ complaint was that their widows (those women who were bereaved of their husbands) were being overlooked (attention was being given aside from them, they were not being properly cared-for) during the day-to-day ministerial duties, the service which was supposed to benefit all of God's people. This daily ministry would have involved the men taking-on the responsibilities, both legally and administration-wise, concerning the finances, estates, properties, young children, etc, of these widows, because in that culture a woman was not allowed to do this type of work. Widows had to rely on a male relative or friend to do these things, unless she had an adult-son whose responsibility it would have been to carry-out this duty.
The twelve invited the multitude (fullness) of the learning-disciples to a meeting with them and said, “It is not pleasing (it does not give pleasure, not agreeable, acceptable or gratifying to God or the Lord Jesus Christ) if we apostles were to leave down/behind our assignment of heralding-forth God’s Word (what we were apostled to do) and instead to spend our time serving tables to make sure that these widows had enough to eat and to live their lives decently as children of God.” If the apostles did that then they would not be doing their part of what they had already been told by the Lord Jesus Christ to do.
Next the apostles address all the holy-people as “brothers” – reminding them that they were all children of God by virtue of the truth that all of them had received holy spirit within them. The apostles told them the solution to this problem, “Brothers, you must look intensely (look-upon, inspect, observe with a view to help or relieve, do what is needed in this situation, which is) to find seven adult-males (grown men) from among yourselves who are being attested of by others that they are full of spirit and of wisdom….”
To be “full of spirit and of wisdom” means that these seven men were to be holy-people having holy spirit within them and also manifesting forth the fullness of the wisdom (evidencing the full contents of skillful or expert application of personal knowledge, what to do as the most appropriate action concerning a specific situation or circumstance even when complete knowledge of it may not be available) being communicated to them via their holy spirit-life, not the wisdom of the local government or of the environmental issues of that day! These seven were to be walking (behaving, conducting) their lives in accordance with the wisdom given to them by their holy spirit. The other holy-people would see the effects of this spiritual wisdom being evidenced in their lives.
“Brothers, you must look-intensely for seven adult-males from you being witnessed-of as being full of spirit and of wisdom whom we will constitute on this need (we will place, cause, make them to stand-down in the level or position of being over and taking care of this useful-thing which is a necessary service) – but emphatically we will be strong (we will persevere-in, continue-with, be attending constantly) with prayer (our communication, our general speaking towards/with God) and with the ministry of the word (in our service of the spoken-account regarding God and the things of God)." This was what the apostles served to benefit the people.
We should notice that the apostles told the rest of the holy-people to look for these seven men and specified the criteria they should use to make their choice. Then after the people had chosen the seven men it would be the apostles who would place them in that position of responsibility.
[Reference: Exodus 18:13-26; Philippians 2:14, 3:5; I Timothy 5:3-16.]
A printed paperback book of the complete study of Acts of the Apostles may be purchased at:
or
True Bible Study - Acts of the Apostles
