Savoring the Scripture

The Care of Widows in the Scripture In the Old Testament, a widow was left in a difficult position with the death of her husband.   She could not inherit from him and thus if she was childless she may have the opportunity to marry her husband’s brother and stay in the family.   If she had children, her eldest son was to care for her. In the OT, God made provision for the widows by having them participate in the triennial third tithe, gleaning, and religious feasts (Deut. 14:29; 24: 19-21; 26:12). There was blessing from the Lord for those who followed this command to help provide for the widow, orphan, and alien.   God commanded the people not to pervert justice for the widow (Deut. 27:19), and He Himself would be her defender and execute justice on her behalf (Ex. 22:22; Deut. 10:18, 24:17,19; Ps. 146:9). In the NT, Paul expected families to care for their widows (1 Tim. 5:4-8), and the church would care for widows who were widows indeed (1 Tim. 5:3-16). However,...

In the first post on hospitality( https://savoring-the-scripture.blogspot.com/ ), we looked at 1 Peter 4:9-11 and saw that hospitality seeks to meet the needs of others cheerfully and graciously in a practical way without complaining by opening our home and ministering our gifts by God’s power to those we have the privilege to serve.  In this post we will look at two more passages that give us more insight on hospitality: Romans 12:13 and Hebrews 13:2.   Seek Opportunities Hospitality usually does not just happen.  There is an intentionality to hospitality that requires the believer to seek opportunities to practice it. Rom. 12:13, “Contribute to the needs to the saints and seek to show hospitality.” This word translated “seek” means “to follow or press hard after, to pursue with earnestness and diligence in order to obtain.” [1]   This does not sound like the happenstance hospitality. Occasionally the act of hosting others in our home happens by accident...

       “Hospitality is simply practical love.” [1] Hospitality has been defined as the friendly and generous reception and welcome of people, including friends, family, and strangers, into your home to care for them in some way. In 1 Timothy, the requirement for elders of the church is that they be hospitable (1 Tim. 3:2). For the widow to be included on the list for widows she would have needed to show hospitality to strangers, wash the saints’ feet, and assist those in distress (1 Tim. 5:10). But hospitality is the command for all believers, and it is a tool by which a God-fearing woman can meet the needs of the saints, strangers, and those in distress. In the OT with the nomadic way of life, hospitality was an essential part of the culture.   Along with the reception into the home for food and lodging, protection was provided.   Hospitality was considered a sacred duty and it was taken very seriously. Generational friendship was even establishe...