Daily Thought

At this point in the book of Exodus, God is laying down regulations for the guidance of His people to govern their behaviour in the wilderness. The first regulations are to do with altars, and directions are given for worship and modesty to go hand in hand. These are followed with regulations concerning slaves, quarrels, injuries, robberies, spiritism, and bestiality. Finally, there are regulations to do with protection for the underprivileged strangers, widows, orphans, and the poor.

The basic thing the Israelites had to remember was that at one time they had been vulnerable themselves. In Egypt they were slaves, and that experience should affect their behaviour towards the weak in society.

Widows and widowers have a special place in God’s affections. They have had to endure the pain of a broken relationship and have known sorrow and tears in the loss of their loved ones. The world and the believers may sympathize, but after a time their sympathy is called to go out to others and the bereaved are forgotten. God, however, keeps them right at the forefront of His thoughts and, when they have occasion to call on Him, He instantly moves for their protection and blessing. The Israelites are warned in the direst terms against afflicting such. God says, ‘I will kill you’, and the offender’s family will be visited with the same judgement, v. 24.

Many, today, are in sorrow because of the loss of a loved one. Such, as well as other disadvantaged, should be at the top of our prayer lists. We must never treat them brusquely, nor unkindly - we were once disadvantaged ourselves and rebellious too, yet God loved us with everlasting love. Widows and orphans can be of great value to an assembly of God’s people. They have God’s ear ahead of everyone else, and whatever they pray for, ‘if they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry’. Many an assembly and many an individual has been preserved by a widow’s prayers.

So, in turn, we who are blessed by a continuing relationship with our partner in marriage should pray for widows and orphans, yet an even more blessed thing is that they might pray for us.