Ever wonder what sorts of people enjoy special treatment by God? Well,
verse 25 of Proverbs 15 gives us our answer, for it says:
The Lord will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the
border of the widow.
There is evidently a contrast here between the kind of people that God
helps and the kind of people He doesn't help. The proud positively do
not get any assistance from God; in fact, He destroys the very foundation
their life is built upon, for it is erected upon inordinate self-esteem,
or rather, an unreasonable conceit of one's own superiority. According
to the Bible, the whole house or family suffers under these conditions.
God's face is forever set against those who exalt themselves and live
separately of Him. The widow however, is the type of individual God will
come to the aid of. Let's think for a moment of the characteristics of
a widow...
In Matthew, Mark & Luke, the Bible refers to the man of the house as "the
strong man". So then, we could say a woman who is widowed is one who has
been stripped of a large percentage of her strength, in a manner of speaking.
I am reminded of my mother now that my father has gone to be with the
Lord… She has lost a big portion of herself to death; she is desolate,
completely alone. Hence, a widow is one who is utterly dependent upon
others for help and protection in many different ways. As expected, the
widow was naturally taken care of by family first when her husband, her
strong man died. If not, the local church was instructed to be on the
alert and ready to lend a hand in regard to her state of affairs. Both
parties are commanded by God to willingly accept responsibility for her,
as you'll see in the verses below...
1 Timothy 5:3
Honour widows that are widows indeed.
1 Timothy 5:16
If any man or woman that believeth have widows, let them relieve them,
and let not the church be charged; that it may relieve them that are widows
indeed.
1 Timothy Chapter 5 speaks in depth about widows and how to care for them.
It is only right that the local church show compassion to these women
who were in sincere need. However, there are some guidelines the Bible
gives in this chapter as to how this assistance should be carried out.
Before the church was expected to help a widow, she had to truly be deprived,
meaning without any family around to care for her so that the church was
not wasting it's resources. Believers were encouraged to fulfill their
responsibilities to one another, especially to any widows within their
family so that the church's resources could be used on people who were
undeniably all alone. In fact, God says he who provides not for his own
is regarded as worse than an unbeliever! Whether we like to admit it or
not, there are many kinds of individuals, and whole families who prey
on churches for handouts needlessly, having no interest to improve their
own situation with hard work; and so, the reason for clear Biblical guidelines.
So then, we find then in 1 Timothy 5:5 the guidelines for which widows
the church did help:
Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth
in supplications and prayers day and night.
It is confirmed here again that a widow whom the church helps is one who
has no other support system. She should not be a self-indulgent person;
a seeker of pleasure, but a godly woman with holy affections, one who
hopes in God and completely trusts in Him. Though this lady has experienced
hardship in her life through the death of her beloved, she has a heart
for people and intercedes for them with her ministry of prayer. The humble
widow accepts the help of others and does not oppose assistance… This
is who the church is to come to the aid of, and that my friend is the
very same posture God upholds when He sees it present in our hearts!!
Remember - our verse for the day says, He establishes the border of the
widow. Why would any of us not want to be a magnet for the Lord's assistance?
Luke 13:34b-35a
…how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth
gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house
is left unto you desolate…
Now, you may or may not be a widow in actuality, but do you have a widow's
attitude today, dear lady? Or do you have some other support system going
on in your life besides trusting in God?? Do you understand how poverty
stricken you are apart from Christ? Maybe you still don't think you need
the Lord yet or even the help of the local church, or brothers and sisters
in the Lord... Maybe you're insulted or offended when others try to help
you spiritually and encourage you to do right. Are you living separately
as a member of your church by attending only when you "feel" like it or
at whatever time a tragedy hits your home? Are you a self-indulgent person,
busy seeking personal pleasure rather than seeking after God? If and when
you do pray, is your prayer life one that is filled with begging God for
handouts for yourself, or do you include prayer for others? Are you driven
by compassion to reach out to those who are hurting, striving to help
meet their needs, or can't you see past your own interests yet?
In verse 13-15 of 1 Timothy 5, many of the younger widows fell to the
temptation of misusing their idle time. As their love for God grew cold,
they began to fill their time with wandering about from house to house
tattling and being busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. Some
even turned aside after Satan...
Psalm 146:9 says
The Lord preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow:
but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
Ladies, sweet relief is promised to those who humbly recognize their deep
need for the Lord. We all need to adopt a widow's attitude, amen? Only
eternity will reveal the value and enormous importance godly widows have
played in the ministries of God around the world! They have been some
of the greatest assets among the churches, spiritual powerhouses and the
backbone of prayer meetings because of their great faith in their Lord.
Remember the story of the widow's mite? Mark 12:42-44 says:
And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which
make a farthing. And he called unto his disciples, and said unto them,
Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all
they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their
abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all
her living.
No wonder God establishes the border of the widow; no wonder He comes
to her aid! What a precious, personal relationship this woman had with
her Lord! What faith is demonstrated by the consecration of her whole
life as manifested through this very act of sacrificial giving. What entire
trust she has placed in God... In spite of her personal grief, in spite
of the loving memories that linger on her heart, in spite of the loneliness
and isolation she may now be battling, in spite of her tears or fears,
in spite of her weaknesses, in spite of the unknown, she still serves
the Lord! She has learned that Christ alone can make her whole. Ladies,
have we grasped the same understanding?
In closing, you and I can either bring judgment upon ourselves and wax
wanton against Christ as the younger widows we read about, or we can bring
God's special treatment into our lives simply by having a godly widow's
attitude. Think about it... How would your relationship with God change
if your husband died? Would you learn to trust in the Lord then, talk
to Him more, depend upon and rest in His strength and help afterward?
If so, why wait until you are a widow for such behavior to come about!
I daresay the godly woman's heart was right BEFORE death visited her home...
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2002 Pamela A. Iannello
