Of Victims
2 Now here is our kinsman Boaz, with whose young women you have been working. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, observe the place where he lies; then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do." 5 She said to her, "All that you say I will do." (Ruth 3:2-5)
13 Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said, but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth." 15 She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah. (1 Kings 17:13-16)
38 As he taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40 They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." 41 He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. (Mark 12:38-42)
Ruth, the widow of Zarephath, and the widow who gave her last were all victims of their circumstances and of the dominant cultures in their times. Ruth, widowed without children, had vowed to remain with, her also widowed mother-in-law, Naomi as they migrated to Naomi's home of Bethlehem. As a Moabite, Ruth was a foreigner in Bethlehem so she submitted to whatever Naomi instructed her to do in an effort to secure their future. We often romanticize the story of Ruth seducing Boaz but, in essence, Naomi had Ruth use her looks and her body to potentially entrap an older male relative - to sell her dignity for the hope of security. The widow of Zarephath was preparing a final meal for herself and her son as an unrelenting drought threatened their lives. Elijah, rather blithely, asked the widow to prepare something for him before she made their final meal so that she might experience the miracle of God's provision. Finally, the widow whom Jesus pointed out to his disciples was understood to be giving her last resources after others were noticed contributing large
amounts of money to the temple treasury.
Had the people of faith been fulfilling God's law as laid out in Deuteronomy 24 and 26 - specifically the laws regarding widows and foreigners - these women would never have been in such dire circumstances. Throughout the Bible, God's instructions are consistent regarding our intentional care for those in need, those who have been outcast, those who've been marginalized. And, throughout the biblical narrative, the people of faith consistently failed to heed God's Word. Jesus reiterated God's command by emphasizing that loving our neighbor is equally as important as loving God. Yet we still struggle to prioritize, or even accurately identify, those whom we are called to love and serve. When we cast ourselves, and those in our known circle of care, in the role of the victimized widow in need of God's provision, we may miss the opportunity to truly love our neighbor. Of course we need God's care - and we have it! We are called, however, to make God's love known and tangibly available to those who can't see God's provision from their place of pain. Each of the widows highlighted was just doing her best to live, or die, with the hand she was dealt. May God open our eyes and our hearts to reach out to those who may not know how to ask for the grace, the help, the love that we all desperately need.
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; 7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; 8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD!
(Psalm 146:5-10)
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