POOR WIDOW?

"And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him..." Luke 18:3

To be a widow in Bible times was not easy. In fact, to be a woman in those days was not easy – let alone a widow. Widows were defenseless, commonly poor, and were liable to be oppressed by those in power. There were no special welfare or social security programs to look after them. If you were a widow, you were on your own. You might as well have died with your husband.

Such was the predicament of widows in those days that God Himself gave special orders that people should take care of them: "Do not take advantage of a widow..." Ex 22:22

Judges, in particular, were instructed by God to pay special attention to the cause of the widows (see Isaiah 1:17).

The above scenario places a special meaning on the parable of the persistent widow told by the Lord Jesus. He could have just said "there was a woman in that town..." or a man, or even a child. But He particularly mentioned a widow. Why?

Because the widow was the best symbol for all those who were oppressed, poor, lonely, powerless, troubled, helpless – in short, she represented the most suffering people on earth. The Lord Jesus was teaching that even these people can find justice and help for their lives, just like the widow did.

But perhaps one of the central messages of this parable is this:

The fact that you are a good or suffering person does not mean that you will be automatically blessed.

The story says that the judge was evil, implying that the widow was righteous. The fact that she was so confident to ask for justice against her adversary further reinforces the idea that she was a good woman.

But being a good woman, righteous in her ways, and a widow worthy of special attention from society, did not mean that she would be free from oppression. Nor did it mean that when oppressed, she would get justice automatically.

Though righteous and deserving of pity, she still had to go to the judge and fight for her case. She did not wait for the judge to come and see her, or for a superhero to swoop down and bring justice to her door. She herself (as she couldn't afford a lawyer) kept going to the judge, even though he was rejecting her over and over. She might have been a poor widow, but she was no fool.

Likewise, Christians must learn from the example of the widow.

Many Christians live their lives worrying too much about doing everything right in the eyes of God – but forgetting that their blessings will not come automatically, just because they are good people.

Being just, righteous and God-fearing are qualities that every Christian must have – it's our obligation. But these things alone will not bring us victory if we don't fight to get justice for our cause!

Too often we just give up at the first obstacle. Too often we trust that because we're not sinners like those who don't serve God, we should automatically be blessed and justified. These attitudes only make us sit and wait for the judge to come to our door – but He will never come!

When you are troubled and have no one to turn to, instead of waiting for the justice of God, be like that widow.

Don't give Him rest.

Quote:

"She did not wait for the judge to come and see her, or for a superhero to swoop down and bring justice to her door."