Sadly, her first husband was nowhere to be found and remarried. The church leadership told her that she did not qualify for help because the husband that died was not her first husband. In one case, a church would not provide any assistance to a widow despite having no family around and because she had been divorced when she was many years younger. This results in financial difficulties and loneliness because they have lost all fellowship with any believers. This is also demonstrated by the fact that many widows seek Biblical counseling because they are often abandoned by everyone in their church in addition to their families, especially when they have no transportation. Sadly, today, it is not common for many churches that have any kind of care outreach to widows. However, God also worked out which ones were to be provided for by their families and by the church as well as an age consideration to receive care (1 Timothy 5:3-16). We also see that widows were encouraged to remain single so that they could serve the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:7-9). The result of this was that the Lord blessed the widows and the church. This was accomplished through the creation of deacons. We learn in other places in Scripture that the church took care of widows (Acts 6:1-7). In recognition of the poverty of widows, Jesus used the example of a widow that gave two mites, all that she had, as a demonstration of sacrificial giving in Mark 12:41-44. Does the New Testament say anything about widows and orphans? We see this in Deuteronomy 14:28-29:Īt the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest. In my experience, I have known of Orthodox Jewish communities caring for widows and orphans from these donations. Probably the most obvious of all is a tithe that was collected every three years for widows and orphans that was part of three tithes commanded in the Old Testament. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing. When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. Likewise, God made a provision for widows and orphans in Deuteronomy 24:19-22: Notice that the “fatherless child” is held in the same esteem as widows. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. The evidence of this is seen in the law as follows: Without getting more into the details, this account demonstrates that God places a high priority on widows being cared for. The next thing that happens is that Judah’s wife died and upon hearing the news, Tamar takes drastic action to reestablish contact and expose Judah’s wretchedness. Unfortunately, Judah does not keep in contact with Tamar, nor does he provide his son for her when he was of age. In the meantime, Judah did not take the responsibility of caring for Tamar, but instead, sent her to her father’s house until such time as Judah’s younger son was old enough to provide her a child. Onan deliberately did not complete the task so he was struck dead as well. Since she had no children, Judah told his son, Onan, to conceive a child with her. The first mention of a widow is seen in Genesis 38 when Judah, one of the sons of Jacob, had his evil firstborn son, Er, struck dead by God. What does the Bible say about widows and orphans? There needs to be consideration of the fact that many orphaned children or fatherless children need to grow up in loving Christian homes.
0 kommentar(er)
