Old Law:
Deut 24:
19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow.
21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow.
Psalm 10:
14 But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
Plasm 10:
17 You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
Psalm 41:
1 Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; (a little stretch, I know)
the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.
Psalm 68:
5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
6 God sets the lonely in families,
he leads forth the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
Psalm 82:
3 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; (see, its similar)
maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
Proverbs 23:
10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone
or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Defender is strong;
he will take up their case against you.
Jeremiah 49:
11 Leave your orphans; I will protect their lives.
Your widows too can trust in me.”
New Law:
Epehsians 1:
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—
James 1:
27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
I need to do a little more searching, but this is quite a good amount of biblical support for the church to take care of orphans. Why have we given this task over to the states/federal governments? I heard a statistic that if every church in America would put it on their hearts to work to have one child adopted, we could empty out the Foster Care system!! Wow. How easy could that be? Of course, once we’ve accomplished that, we would need to start working on helping orphans in other countries too. So much work to do, and so little time.
Dear Lord,
Please help the church (all Christians) to recognize that we are failing in our mission. I pray for revival of the hearts and minds of those who claim Jesus as their Lord. I pray that Christians will turn out to the polls to make a stand for our rights and morals as followers of Christ. I thank you for a relaxing weekend with friends.
Amen