The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do (Deut. If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless (Ex. You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. He instructed His children that His ways were different and distinct from those of Egypt and the world. He gave them the Law through his servant, Moses. Hundreds of years later God delivered His people, Israel, from a wicked worldly oppressor, Egypt. The Bible explains Job attempted to please God by extending his hand to orphans and widows. For calamity from God is a terror to me….(Job 31:16-23) If I have kept the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, or have eaten my morsel alone, and the orphan has not shared it (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, and from infancy I guided her) If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, or that the needy had no covering If his loins have not thanked me, and if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan, because I saw I had support in the gate, let my shoulder fall from the socket, and my arm be broken off at the elbow. (Job 22:9)” Job asserts his integrity and pleads his case: Therefore snares surround you, and sudden dread terrifies you…. Several Scriptures recorded there suggest God was very interested in providing for the poor orphans and widows. “You have sent widows away empty, and the strength of the orphans has been crushed. The Book of Job was written before Moses lived and possibly even before Abraham was called by God. Why strive for complex laws and regulations? That is the worldly system.Įarly in the history of mankind-even before God gave the law to Moses and His people-God instructed His followers to give special attention to the orphans and widows. He explained that God desires His followers to remain unstained from the worldly religious system and simply visit the orphans and widows-ministering to their needs. James subsequently defined what simple, pure and undefiled religion is in the mind of God. Jesus implored them to examine their hearts and remove the filth of their ways. Jesus repeatedly castigated the Pharisees for their religious practices. These religions abound with rules, regulations, dress codes, idol worship and a drive to impress the world. But the piercing gaze of our God even exposes the nakedness and darkness of Judaism and the Christian religion.
Many are simply false teachings that do not promote or glorify the One God of creation.
Religions of this world are defiled in God’s eyes. The brother of Jesus, James, instructed the believing church in Chapter 1:27: “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” But in this world, He has provided the Body of Christ, His representative, to reach out and apply soothing ointment to the wounds of the poor, orphans and widows. God sees their plight and He will provide from His heavenly riches. The poor and those who mourn will one day be comforted. Jesus reached out to the poor and disenfranchised of this world with a wonderful message of hope. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” 5:3-4: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus instructed His followers in His Sermon on the Mount and quoted in the book of Mt. This article will present and explain several of these Scriptures.īefore discussing God’s commands for caring for these souls, it is important to ask the question, “Why is it so important for God’s people to care for the downtrodden in this world?” God will provide the answer to the reader who completes this article. A multitude of Scriptures in the New and Old Testaments paint a clear picture of God’s intentions for these people. The Bible gives believers guidance in looking after these unfortunate souls. Orphans and widows are a special class of the poor. Jesus told his followers that in Mark 14:7. There have always been poor people in the world.
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