Whether you read Moses and the prophets, the Psalms and the Proverbs of Solomon, the four Gospels, or the book of Acts and the letters to the churches in the New Testament, you will not be able to read far without the subject of widows coming up. There are about eighty direct references to widows in the Scriptures.
Fundamentally, God is the kind of God who keeps a careful eye on the widow. He is profoundly concerned for her, together with the stranger and the fatherless.
The incarnate Son of God is like him. He cared for his widowed mother John , he raised from the dead the son of the widow of Nain and returned him to his mother Luke , and, in the spirit of the prophets, condemned those who took advantage of widows Matthew In line with this, God commanded that the nation of Israel care for widows, being diligent to not isolate them or take advantage of their vulnerability.
Deuteronomy shows how God provided for widows so that they were not excluded; instead, they enjoyed full participation in the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. This book calls church leaders to take biblical exhortations to care for widows seriously, offering wise guidance and practical suggestions for ensuring that widows in their congregations receive the support and encouragement they need. However, when the nation of Israel turned away from serving God, they also turned away from his commandments.
Who suffered when that happened? Widows were among the first casualties. The Old Testament prophets reproached those who wronged widows and called the nation back to its God-given responsibilities e. Too often we turn away from God because we are angry with Him for taking away the love of our life.
Ruth clung to her dear mother-in-law. She forsook the worship of Chemosh, the Semitic god she feared, for a life-long commitment to Yahweh, the God she had yet to know. The Moabite widow became a beloved wife, mother and the great-grandmother of Jesus. Instead of allowing her overwhelming loss to engulf her in self-pity, Dorcas used her solitary moments to minister to the poor:.
When he Peter arrived, he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them. Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows , and presented her to them alive.
Dorcas cultivated a community of widows, a safe place for women to share their pain and an outlet to use their gifts to help others. The prophetess Anna is only mentioned in two short verses of the New Testament, but her story gives us the greatest inspiration in the loss of a spouse:. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Anna, alone and probably destitute, lived her life worshipping God. She drenched the temple floor with her tears. How unfair to lose her family at such a young age! But Anna prayed and praised her entire life.
Her unfailing devotion to God was rewarded. Widowhood is not to be withered I believe. HOW can we have a complete picture of how Jehovah God views women?
Colossians The dealings Jesus had with the women of his day show that Jehovah and Jesus respect women and that they certainly do not approve of the oppressive treatment that is so common in many lands today. Consider, for example, the occasion when Jesus spoke to a woman at a well.
On the contrary, it was to the Samaritan woman that Jesus for the first time plainly identified himself as the Messiah. On another occasion Jesus was approached by a woman who for 12 years had been suffering from an embarrassing and debilitating flow of blood.
When she touched him, she was instantly healed. Yet, Jesus did not berate her. And how happy Jesus must have been to cure her! Instead, he dignified women by allowing them to be the first eyewitnesses of his resurrection. So, far from being biased against women or condoning chauvinistic attitudes toward them in any way, Jesus showed that he respected and appreciated women.
Violence against them was completely contrary to what Jesus taught, and his attitude, we can be sure, was a perfect reflection of the way his Father, Jehovah, sees things.
The general pattern was one of subordination of women to men, just as slaves were subordinate to the free, and young to old. Male children were more highly esteemed than female, and baby girls were sometimes left to die by exposure.
In many cases, they were almost put on the same level as slaves. The Bible was written at a time when customs reflected this attitude. Even so, divine law as expressed in the Bible showed a high regard for women, which was in marked contrast with the attitudes of many ancient cultures. Lovingly, God enabled the prophet Elisha to multiply her supply of oil so that she could pay the debt and still have sufficient oil for her family. She thus preserved her family and her dignity.
The prophets repeatedly condemned the exploitation of women or the use of violence against them. Do them no violence. And do not shed any innocent blood in this place. Micah The God of justice sees and condemns as evil such suffering caused to women and their children.
Far from being oppressed or being viewed as inferior, such a woman is appreciated, respected, and trusted. She sees a field and proceeds to buy it. She makes undergarments and sells them. She gives belts to the tradesmen. She is vigorous in her strength and activity. Moreover, her words of wisdom and her loving-kindness are greatly appreciated. As a result, she is highly esteemed by her husband, by her sons and, most important, by Jehovah.
Women are not to be the oppressed victims of men who take advantage of them, mistreat them, or subject them to abuse of any kind.
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