WiDOWS and ORPHANS

Caring for the widow and the orphan is where the Bible puts emphasis when discussing social justice and mercy. The Lord has really dealt with my heart on these issues over the past year or so, especially reading Shane Claiborne and listening to Tim Keller. Here are the main texts that directly address this:

• Lam 5.5
• Js 1.27
• Is 1.17
• Is 1.23
• Dt 24.17-22
• Dt 10.18
• Ex 22.22
• Jb 22.9
• Is 9.17
• Is 10.2
  

But that wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to know why the widow and why the orphan? Why not the rape victim, the war victim, the jobless father, or the sojourner? Why widows? Why orphans?

I remember leaning back in my chair and asking God this after I read Deuteronomy the other day. Here's what came to me... that He desires to reveal Himself as the perfect Husband and the eternal Father [Jn 14.16-31, Is 54.5, Is 62.4-5, Hos 2.19-20, others].

I guess the point here is that the extending of the Gospel should revolve around Him. Even the way we serve “the least of these” should cause us to dwell on His character. Lord, give me specific grace to this end.