Introduction:
In our last post we began considering what I call "a theology of widowhood". The purpose is to glean certain truths about God and His people from the Bible's teaching about widows. Interested readers may review the last post here Growing Christian Resources: Part One: A Theology of Widowhood - How God Used Widows In the Bible To Impart Truths About Himself and His People
In that last post we learned about three such truths.
1. Proof of genuine faith.
2. God's Providential care.
3. God's Provision.
As we continue on with our study, I want to note additional theological realities we learn about God and His people through our Biblical study of widows.
God's Protection and Justice.
This fourth area or theological truth gleaned from a study of widowhood in the Bible is among the more prominent themes. Moses wrote these words in Deuteronomy 10:18 "He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing."
As I comb the Scriptures, the theme of God's justice and protection is found associated with the plight of widows (see Exodus 22:22-24; Deuteronomy 24:17; 27:19). The Book of Job has the most to say about making sure widows are properly cared for. As Job was undergoing reproach from his supposed "friends", he offered this as a defense of his piety or "bond of devotion to God" in Job 29:13,
“The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me, and I made the widow’s heart sing for joy." (also see Job 31:16, 22).
The Old Testament echoes with further statements of God's justice exercised on behalf of widows (see Psalm 68:5; Psalm 146:0; Isaiah 1:17;1:23). As God manifests His justice and protection, he urges the widows themselves to trust Him as a mark of true faith (Jeremiah 49:11; 1 Timothy 5:5). The spiritual and moral unrighteousness of Israel in the Old Testament was marked by the lack of regard they had for widows (Ezekiel 22:7; Zechariah 7:10; Malachi 3:5).
Why is God so concerned to show His protection and justice toward widows? To evoke in His people the same level of concern for them. Human self-interest often motivates acts of kindness or "philanthropy". In other words, when people typically do good deeds for others, there is often an ulterior motive, some sort of "kickback" they hope they will receive. Even churches can fall prey to this trap of the flesh, catering ministries to people whom they perceive will advance the church's programs and mission.
Yet as we learned in the last post, passages such as James 1:26-27 show us that when caring for widows, who in all likelihood have only enough resources to take care of themselves or may even require our protection, we get an insight into the heart of God. God's grace toward us flows from who He is as the God of grace. In loving His people, the reciprocation of love in return will always be far less. God doesn't love on the basis of what others can do for Him (for He is God, and He needs no one to complete Him). God shows mercy for the sake of that person. In relating to widows, we learn much of God's love. In such exchanges, the widow will often have more to give to us than we could have contribute to them.
In addition to God's mercy and grace, we find His justice expressed on behalf of widows. God's justice is rooted in His character as the God who is right (i.e. righteous). It is the right thing to do to look out for the well-being of widows. Such a principle extends into other areas, whether orphans or people that require us to slow down, put aside our busy agenda, and get involved in what God is trying to show us through being used by Him to bless others.
The Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We have learned in our study of "a theology of widowhood" that we can learn through the lives of widows such principles as:
1. Proof of genuine faith.
2. God's Providential care.
3. God's Provision.
4. God's protection and justice.
I want to end this short study with this fifth and final truth. The Lord Jesus Christ had quite a bit to say about widows. Furthermore, His teachings and actions about them and toward them laid the foundation for the teaching about widowhood we find in the remainder of the New Testament.
In the first three Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), Jesus derides the Pharisees for their hypocrisy in not only acting carelessly toward widows, but in their exploitation (see Matthew 23:14; Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47).
I find it interesting that of the four women mentioned in Jesus' genealogy in Luke 3, three of them were widows (Tamar, a one-time widow, Genesis 38:15 and Matthew 1:3; Ruth in Matthew 1:5; Bathsheba, whose husband was killed by decree of King David during a battle, 2 Samuel 11:22-26; Matthew 1:6). The inclusion of widows in the bloodline of our Lord's humanity underscores the importance God assigned to widows in His overall purposes of redemption.
Our Lord Jesus Christ utilized the lives of widows in His teachings to His disciples. Who can forget the miracle of the raising of the son of the Widow from Nain in Luke 7:11-17. In that episode we see insight into Jesus' compassion for this lady in his remark to her in verse 13, "When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” Jesus then brought her boy back to life, proving He has power over life and death.
Or how can we not recall the wondrous parable He told of not giving up in prayer when he spoke of a widow making her appeal for justice to an unjust judge in Luke 18. The parable begins with the following prologue in Luke 18:1 "Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart."
The widow pleads her case to the unscrupulous judge. Though he has no concern for her on a personal level, yet because of her persistence and his annoyance at her, the judge grants her the request. Jesus then closes the parable with these words in Luke 18:7-8,
"now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
One more example of how widows highlight to us the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ is in the famous example he uses of a widow giving all she had in Luke 21:1-3,
"And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury. 2 And He saw a poor widow putting in two small copper coins. 3 And He said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them."
The One who came to give His life used the widow as an illustration of the sort of heart we are to have toward God. We not only get insight into Jesus Himself, but also the expectations He has of us through how He illustrated certain principles through widows.
Some observations on how the early church cared for widows.
We see how this emphasis of Jesus on widows came to have prominence in the early church. One of the first major pastoral crises in the church erupted between Jewish and Grecian widows in Acts. Consequently, the Apostles were moved to request the church to select seven men, no doubt the forerunners to the Deacon ministry, to aid the widows who were in distress. The Apostles knew that care for widows was a litmus test for the church regarding its ministry and spiritual health (see James 1:26-27).
A touching scene in Acts 9:39-41 involving the death of a certain Dorcus, and how she was dear to the widows of the early church, was a context for attestation of the Apostle Peter's apostolic credentials. God used him to bring her back to life. Again, God included widows in a major turning point in redemptive history, which in this case provided proof of the power of Jesus Christ, through the working of the Spirit, operating in the early apostolic church in Acts.
I find it intriguing, yet making perfect sense, that nearly an entire chapter in 1 Timothy 5 would be devoted to detail instructions on the church's ministry to widows. I can think of hardly a clearer test of Christ-likeness than to see how well a local church takes care of its widows.
In a busy, twenty-first century church world, do people slow down enough to make sure every widow is heard, cared for, or perhaps learns from the widow what she has learned from God in terms of His protection, providential care, and strengthening through difficult times. These thoughts hopefully drive home to reader how ministry to widows can teach the Christian much about how to exercise the love and compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Closing thoughts:
Over the last two posts, we've looked at what I call "a theology of widowhood". The goal was to glean truths we could learn about God and Christian living through the lives of widows (or widowers). In this study we noted five important truths or theological touchpoints.
2. God's Providential care.
3. God's Provision.
4. God's protection and justice.
5. The Person of the Lord Jesus Christ
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