Widows have never been a popular group in any era of history. Many cultures had such a low regard for widows that in some cases they were buried along with their husbands. At other times, the culture did not allow women whose husbands had died to remarry. This was true even if the marriage occurred when the woman was a child.1 This overlooking of widows must also have been true in terms of Old and New Testament histories because there are repeated instructions and warnings to care for widows, as well as orphans.
Two passages are well known but rarely given much heed, in our day, within the body of believers. Too often, Christians are quick to cite the shortcomings, distortions, and negative effects of modern humanistic statism, without first taking the mote out of their own eyes (Matt. 7:5).
The two passages that are virtually ignored, or merely given lip service, are:
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:27)
So I would have younger widows marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no occasion for slander. (1 Timothy 5:14)
How many Christians are overly concerned about their religion being pure and undefiled? Based on the amount of time given to visiting orphans and widows, most would fail. Some would counter that they do not have many widows in their congregation, and those widows in their church have family that attend to them. This reveals that the term widow in our day is often considered synonymous with an elderly woman whose husband has died.
{This essay originally appeared in the Sept-Oct issue of the Chalcedon magazine Faith for All of Life.}
The Kingdom-Driven Family 