Comfort The Fatherless And The Widows
(Transcript)
By Warren Zehrung – July 18, 2014

When is the last time you had the opportunity to take care of an orphan or a homeless widow?  That predicament does not seem to come up that much – does it?  Who are the fatherless and the widows today?

James 1:

27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit [with aid and care] the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Has pure religion become passé in today’s world?  Is relating to the elderly becoming a lost art in God’s Church?  Orphans are almost always adopted, and in that way they are cared for.  Widows have their Social Security or Supplemental Security Income to take care of their needs.

Have governmental programs taken care of the obligation that was once the duty of the brethren?  Some of the Church groups have stated publically that the Government has supplanted the Church’s role in providing assistance to those in need.

When James wrote his epistle, the nuclear family was the norm.  A nuclear family is one that is defined as consisting of a father, mother, and children.  When James wrote in the first century, whenever a family unit was broken apart, there were no governmental agencies for every eventuality.  Back then, orphans and widows were easily cast aside because of their lack of financial and political resources.

For the most part, Church brethren do not encounter orphans on the street without a foster home or similar agency to provide care and financial assistance.   Likewise, there are few instances of widows who are not being provided for with government or Church support.  Some might conclude that a Christian only need keep himself unspotted from the world to be practicing pure religion.

How does a Christian practice pure religion in an increasingly socialized environment?  How can we put these things together today, and how can we do what God intends?

God wants us to be like He is, and there is no end of opportunities to apply the principles that James is alluding to here.  Two of the major problems facing this nation are those of the fatherless teens and the neglected elderly.  These two factors alone account for a great deal of the social ills of this country.

Understand this brethren:  Over my lifetime I have observed that no matter how many billions of dollars the Government throws at the problem – the waste, abuse and poverty get worse and worse.  That is because there is no spiritual component in the Government programs.

While claiming compassion and generosity – the Government creates more homeless, fatherless and impoverished broken families.  God does not view situations the same way that the world does.

In order to signify His tenderness, mercy, and goodness to them; God speaks of the fatherless and the widow as His own children.

Psalm 68:

4  Sing unto God, sing praises to His name: extol Him that rides upon the heavens by His name JAH, and rejoice before Him.

5  A father of the fatherless, and a judge [defender, protector, advocate] of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.

God embraces those who are isolated and alone.  Not only is God concerned for the fatherless and widows in their affliction; they have great influence with Him.  He is listening to the prayers of those who in their helplessness are crying out to Him.

The elderly are a veritable library of wisdom and an encyclopedia of experiences to draw from – and not to avail ourselves of their insight is a great loss to us.  God is teaching us to have respect for our elders.

Proverbs 16:

31  The hoary head [gray hair] is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.

God does not intend for people to face old age in dread, helplessness and need.  God shows us how He respects those who are both weak – and those who have lost the vigor of youth.

Psalm 146:

8  The Lord opens the eyes of the blind: the Lord raises them that are bowed down: the Lord loves the righteous:

9  The Lord watches over the strangers; he sustains the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turns upside down.

We are to care about the orphans, the lonely, and widows just like Jesus did.  Jesus is the advocate of the helpless and the widow.  Jesus will come in judgment against those who mistreat the fatherless and the elderly.

Malachi 3:

5  And I will come near to you to judgment; … and against those that oppress …the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.

It seems to me that “religion” in the Church of God today has taken on a different task than that we find in the Bible.  In today’s Church atmosphere, the spiritually needy are easily cast aside, forgotten and discarded.

Rather than pursuing this excellence of comfort, peace, justice, encouragement, and consolation, towards the needy, the Church of God has turned its focus to …much greater endeavors???  There is no more important task than following God’s lead in comforting the fatherless and the  widows.

We live in a time when most of the various Church of God groups seek to be the biggest and the best, and to have the most far reaching Gospel, and to be doing the most powerful work.  They forget that this is the Work of God – and not the work of men.

Zechariah 4:

6  … This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

God is the one doing the work.  We are not the ones doing the work.  The part of the work we are privileged to do – should we be doing it our way – or should we be doing it God’s way?  The world’s governments have forgotten that there is a spiritual component to compassion and generosity—has the Church of God also forgotten why God has asked us to Comfort the Fatherless and Widows?  Our God is a giver of comfort and a giver of compassion.

In the same way that a government forcefully redistributes resources to its constituency—the Churches of God today have forgotten their primary role.  Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.”  That is not a command that can be shoved to the back burner so that a Church organization can be the biggest and the best!

Let’s go back and try to understand some basics.  We will see that God commands that we provide for the needs of the fatherless and the widow and the stranger – and I hope that we have the wisdom to see that this is not just about filling their empty bellies.

Deuteronomy 24:

17  Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge:

18  But thou shalt remember that you were a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

God is saying that you would be wise to remember what it is like to be helpless and in slavery.

Deuteronomy 24:

19  When thou cut down thine harvest in thy field, and has forgotten a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.

Do you want God’s generous blessings in your life – or do you want to miserly glean every last grain from the ground.

Deuteronomy 24:

20  When thou beat thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

21  When thou gather the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

22  And thou shalt remember that you were a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

Deuteronomy 26:

12  When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;

13  Then thou shalt say before the Lord thy God, I have brought away the holy things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them:

Not only are hungry bellies filled with bread—these Scriptures are for the purpose of showing that all the essentials of the needy – physical and spiritual are to be fulfilled.  Not only are hungry bellies filled – but the one doing the giving is changed – he becomes more like God who is compassionate, comforting, giving and charitable.

When Government programs take a person’s money to give away to their constituents – it leaves the tax payer angry and broke, and it creates an expectant class of people in poverty who will be hungry again tomorrow.  God’s programs are not like that.  God lifts the needy out of poverty while creating willing generous providers.  God wants us to be like Him!

God is a father to the fatherless.  A widow especially in ancient times was powerless.  God made provisions so that widows and others who needed to be defended would be cared for.  I think that everyone in God’s Church believes that he practices pure religion.  However, God thought it beneficial to add the definition of pure religion to the Holy Scriptures for those who would actually incorporate it into their belief system.

I must ask myself, “Who have I comforted, consoled, encouraged?”  Did I visit any who were sick, homeless, elderly or imprisoned?  What about those who are spiritually needy and asleep—have they been encouraged?  It changes us when we comfort others.  It changes us to be like God is.  God designed the system.  Jesus lived by it.

Jesus provided for His mother… Mary.  He did not cause consternation for His mother.  He comforted His mother knowing how very painful for Mary:

John 19:

25  Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.

26  When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by [John], whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son[Jesus indicating John]!

27  Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

28  After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

In dying – Jesus was honoring His elderly mother – He cared for her.  Jesus legally and formally had John adopt His mother for her care in her old age.  He did not wash his hands of His Godly responsibility.  Mary became a converted member of the New Testament Church of God.

Isn’t it interesting how God set up the plan:  Mary cared for and nourished Jesus until He could care for Himself – and then Jesus cared for His mother when she could no longer able to care for herself.  That is the way it is supposed to work!

What I found surprising is that when I got to Pasadena – I found those who did not understand that there are spiritual applications for God’s instructions.  Let me give you a few examples:

There was a very elderly couple in Pasadena whose adult daughter lived with them and looked after their needs.  They lived in a very large, beautiful million dollar home – which they deeded over to their daughter – so that she could have it after they had spent their last days in their home.  The daughter was not in the best of health, but she met and married an ordained man who worked for the Worldwide Church of God.  The daughter got sicker and died – but the laws of California were such that the ordained man became the recipient of the deed to the large, beautiful million dollar home.  It was all legal.

He evicted the very elderly couple so that he could have the large, beautiful million dollar home all to himself – and as all nursery rhymes end – he lived there happily ever after.  The thing that irked me is that the Worldwide Church of God had no problem with that.

I think that I know how God felt about that – God is not mocked.  God does not wink at man’s legalities.

Isaiah 1:

16  Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17  Learn to do well; seek judgment [justice], relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

That ordained man stayed with those who brought the apostasy on the Church.

We are talking about how the fatherless and the needy, and the elderly and the widows are to be comforted – God says.

I do not know how many of you remember the song, “The Little old Lady from Pasadena.”  One day I was a passenger in a car with a man in downtown Pasadena – when we encountered a little old Lady from Pasadena.  She was doing the little-step Tim Conway shuffle – and taking a good long time to get across six lanes of traffic in downtown Pasadena.

The “Walk / Don’t Walk” interval at the intersection did not allow enough time for her to make it entirely across the wide street.  The driver came screeching up to her and was honking at her in his impatience.  He was perturbed at her because he was being delayed.

God does not look at old people as nuisances.

Exodus 22:

21  Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

22  Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.

23  If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;

24  And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

That is how God feels about the elderly.  God comes to the aid of the helpless.  Let me give you one last Pasadena example:

There were lots of “High powered’ ministers at Pasadena – that thought too highly of their positions.  One day, the highest ranking congregational minister in Pasadena, privately made a deprecating remark about one of the elderly ladies in the Church.

I responded to that leading minister that he had better be nice to her because “you may be working for her in the millennium.”

Brethren, I want you to know this:  That was not a common understanding in Pasadena in those days…  In fact there was a misunderstanding that your rank in the Worldwide Church of God would determine your standing in the Kingdom of God.

“I will be fifth in the Kingdom of God,” one evangelist said.

I suppose that was after Jesus Christ, Abraham, David…  But, that is not the way God looks at it.

Matthew 20:

23  And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

If you are considered ‘of little consequence’ to the leading ministers now – that does not equate with your being of no consequence to God.  God says of the fatherless and the widow, “I will surely hear their cry.”

We have had the perpetual problem in God’s Church of looking down our self-righteous noses at many of those people in the world.  We forget that we are privileged to be called now to be examples to those who are not so blessed.

Jesus is keeping a record book so that all things may be judged or justified.

Deuteronomy 27:

19  Cursed be he that perverts the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

How will Jesus deal with things?

Proverbs 15:

25  The Lord will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the border of the widow.

Lawyers throw her out on the street – but God comes to her rescue – it is a promise.

Deuteronomy 10:

17  For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regards not persons, nor takes reward: [bribes]

18  He doth execute the judgment [defends the cause] of the fatherless and widow, and loves the stranger [foreigner dwelling among you], in giving him food and raiment.

19  Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

20  Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.

I want to read you a letter from a widow lady that could be applied to many who are forgotten and put away.  She writes,

“I do not feel the joy of my older years.  I have worked hard all my life and still must do so.  Where will this all end?  My loneliness is overwhelming.  I wait for the day I can join my husband in the grave.  I have children who are in their forties and fifties.  I have not seen my son nor heard from my daughter in many years.  I have grandchildren I have never seen.  I don’t understand what I did wrong.  There are many of us in the Church of God who are suffering from this grief.”

The way that some grown people in the Church of God are treating their parents is simply inexcusable.  It is in violation of God’s laws – shame on them.  How is it that it is so easy for us to forget who gave us life?

In the ultimate sense, it is God who gave us life, but we must all acknowledge that it was our mother and father who physically gave us the life we have.  No one else on earth did.  And for that they deserve very great honor and respect – and they will deserve that honor from us for the rest of their lives.

Loneliness and despair are not readily apparent from a distance – so a parent may easily be destitute or in desperate need of help without it being widely known.  In God’s eyes it is a very serious matter – it could even shorten one’s life if not heeded.

Exodus 20:

12  Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God gives thee.

That is the first commandment with a promise attached to it.

Ephesians 6:

2  Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)

Let’s look at some examples in Luke.  Luke was a physician - and he had a soft spot in his heart for the weak and the elderly.  Let’s notice God’s relationship with Anna.  She must be over a 100 years old.

Luke 2:

36  And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;

Her life was still of great value to God.

Luke 2:

37  And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

38  And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spoke of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

God honors Anna by mentioning her name and story in the Bible.

Luke 4:

25  But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;

26  But unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Zarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.

She had lost all her means of support – but God had not forgotten her.  In this world we tend to look at where the power and money are working.

Luke 7

12  Now when He came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and many people of the city were with her.

She had no welfare – she was totally dependent on her son.  Jesus did not despise her or look down on her.

Luke 7:

13  And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

14  And he came and touched the funeral bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.”

15  And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

16  And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.

God blessed that faithful widow with her son so that she would be cared for in her old age.  Luke was empathetic and sensitive to medical issues and people in distress:

Luke 8:

43  And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

44  Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.

45  And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

46  And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.

47  And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.

48  And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

Jesus comforts those who are in distress.  The reason that God comforts us is so that we will learn to comfort others.  Notice this example of comfort that God gives us.  These are the most important Scriptures in today’s sermon:

2 Corinthians 1:

3  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

4  [The Father of mercies] Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them [the Fatherless and the Widows] which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted by God.

Paul drives it home!  This is the spiritual application that we have been speaking about – it has come full circle.  When we Comfort the Fatherless and Widows, we in turn are comforted by God.

What do we do to enable those who are in real need?

Luke 21

1 And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.

2  And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. [very little]

3  And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:

Notice how God looks at things.  Her two bits or two bucks counted more – because God looks at things proportionately.

She went without fresh vegetables or fruit to be generous – and that was stored up in heaven in God’s sight.

Luke 21:

4  For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury [her lack, her poverty] hath cast in all the living that she had. [she needed what she gave to God]

Jesus points out that God is not impressed with boasting or bigness.  Her gift was greater than that of the rich and the powerful.  It is not about buildings and establishments ...Jesus said:

Luke 21:

5  And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,

6  As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. [‘kataluo’ demolished or dissolved]

How many times will Church organizations have to split and be thrown down before men finally believe that God looks on the heart?  Luke wrote of Paul's dreadful treatment of the saints:

Paul / Saul was working for his headquarters at the time – before Jesus awakened him – thinking he was doing right – until he measured his actions against God’s Word.

Acts 26:

9  I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

10  Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.

Paul [Saul] was killing Church people…

Acts 26:

11  And I punished them often in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto foreign cities.

Think about what it was like for those widows who lost their husbands at the hands of Paul.  He had to face them later… How could they find forgiveness?  Only with God's help – we know.

Brethren, the time is coming again soon.  The government will seek out Christians as enemies of the state.  And there will be too many who will side with the government against faithful Christians – because they have never learned to measure God’s Truth against hierarchical government religion.

Thinking that they do God a favor these members shall betray their brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death (Mark 13:12).  It will be because they worship church organizations and have not learned to take a stand for Truth.

When I came to Arkansas over 20 years ago we met some very poor elderly ladies that we came to refer to – lovingly – as the “Cucumber Ladies.”   Herbert W. Armstrong appealed to the farmers early on.  Those elderly ladies tithed on the cucumbers that they raised in their garden – and sold on the road side – though they had nothing for themselves.  No one on this earth had much concern for those ladies – I buried both of them in the faith.

1 Corinthians 1:

27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

Those ladies were impoverished – they had nothing to be desired.  God will use them to confound the wise – and I believe even the “wise” ministers who did not serve them as they should have.

1 Corinthians 1:

28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are:

This world is going to be turned upside down.  The high, the mighty, the arrogant, the haughty are going to be shown for what they are worth.

1 Corinthians 1:

29  That no flesh should glory [boast or be proud] in his presence.

We are not to glory and take pride in accomplishments, organizations, buildings, The glorious temple at Jerusalem no longer exists.  Nothing is enduring – except the Spirit of God.

At Pasadena in 1985 who would have believed you had you said, “There will be nothing remaining of this organization in ten years - every stone will be thrown down.”  And yet it is gone – as we saw in Luke 21:6.  God is not impressed with the powerful and the influential - and those who are able to make everything turn out their way.

1 Corinthians 1:

31  That, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord.

Glory in the Lord:  Not in any status you have attained… Not in any degrees you have earned… Not in any clubs or organizations to which you belong… Not in any position to which you have attained… Not in the people you know and hang around with… Not because of your Ivy league or law firm connections…

There is a story of respect for the elderly and weak in the Scriptures that is very touching – it reflects the Mind of God.  It demonstrates how God feels about the fatherless and the widows.  God does not want to see anyone being oppressed.  He provided a system that was not demeaning to anyone – and was profitable to the newer generations coming along.

God did not intend a life of total ease and unending pleasures for the elderly.  But He knew that when they got older and began to be a little feeble that they would not be able to compete in a harsh society with cut-throat competition.  God knew that without protection the elderly would have their lands taken away by the banks and lawyers.  They would have lost everything and perished.

It is better to have a little room of their own on the property that they had developed for so many years – and be able to pass along life’s lessons and experiences for the profit of the younger generation.

Naomi becomes an elderly widow and Ruth is ‘fatherless’ without any support.

Ruth 1:

1  Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land [of Israel]. And a certain man of Bethlehem-Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

2  And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi [pleasant], and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

3  And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.

4  And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.

5  And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.

That left Naomi widowed and Ruth as much as orphaned.

Ruth 1:

6  Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread. [famine was over]

7  Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.

8  And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the LORD deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.

9  The LORD grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.

10  And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.

11  And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

12  Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;

13  Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieves me much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD is gone out against me.

14  And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.

Ruth – a Moabites woman – possessed that Godly attribute of respect and honor for her helpless elderly mother-in-law.

Ruth 1:

15  And [Naomi] said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.

16  And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou go, I will go; and where thou lodge, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

Ruth had great respect for the elderly Naomi.

Ruth 1:

17  Where thou die, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if anything but death part thee and me.

18  When she saw that she was steadfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.

19  So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?

20  And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.

21  I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?

22  So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

Ruth 2:

1  And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech; and his name was Boaz.

2  And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter.

Remember how in Deuteronomy 24:19 and Leviticus 19:9   that in harvesting you left some grain in the field for the destitute.

Leviticus 19:

9  And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.

Ruth 2:

3  And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

10  Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto [Boaz], Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou should take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?

11  And Boaz answered and said unto her, It hath fully been shewed me, all that thou hast done unto thy mother in law since the death of thine husband: and how thou hast left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knew not heretofore.

12  The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

13  Then she said, Let me find favor in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens.

Boaz is a type of Jesus Christ.  Boaz comforted both the widow, Naomi and Ruth.

Ruth and Boaz  are in the New Testament – in the lineage of Jesus Christ!

God is pleased when we Comfort the Fatherless and Widows.

End:  Comfort The Fatherless And The Widows

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Sermon:  "Comfort The Fatherless And The Widows"

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