" Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless. " - Exodus 22:22-24

The existence of Evil, Poverty, and Suffering are the most potent arguments an atheist can make against the concept of a perfectly-Good and all-Powerful God. If He is all powerful, why do these three exist? Can it be that He is powerless to overcome them? If He is not powerless, then can it be that He does not will to overcome them... thus He cannot be perfectly Good, as even fallen creatures like us can agree that evil, poverty and suffering are bad! Knowingly allowing evil to exist while having the power to eradicate it immediately and forever is not good is it? Take a moment to think about it before you read on.... how can we reconcile this paradox?

The simple answer is - Yes He is going to eradicate them, just - not as per our timeline preferences - , and - not until they accomplish the purposes for which He has allowed them to exist. Please take the time to read "The Plan of God" post permanently pinned to the top of this Page's Post Feed to get a perspective on this topic - for now, just understand - our temporary sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the eternal joy that is the inheritance of His children!

The gut wrenching pain of losing a husband or of a life growing up without a family does NOT seem temporary to those suffering through it. Please just know, He knows and feels your pain as if He Himself were suffering through it, as He indeed feels the pain of all humanity.

Jesus wept. (Jn 11:35)

He wept for Lazarus, He agonized over a Jerusalem that would not receive Him though He would have sheltered her like a hen shelters her chicks ( Lk 13:34, Matt 23:37 ). He felt the pain of poverty and the pain of growing up in a small town where people called His mother a loose woman and Himself illegitimate. He felt the pain of being misunderstood, of being hated for doing good and telling the truth. He felt the pain of betrayal, not just by Judas, but by Peter. He felt the pain of the lashes on His back, the thorns on His head, the nails and the spear, the horrible pain of the sin of the world and the ultimate pain of His Father turning away His Face from Him... He has felt the pain of all humanity from the day of our first betraying Him in the garden, through the millennia of human existence till today, and will continue to feel it until it is finished. Yes, our God knows and understands suffering from a first hand experiential perspective!

Small wonder then that He instructs the nation of Israel not to add to the suffering of those that are carrying the cross of being a widow and orphan. Their pain is so severe that adding to it is cruelty in the extreme. His ear is always bent towards their voices, and He promises He will SURELY hear their cry. His terrible wrath will SURELY punish those who do this with the SWORD... capital punishment... but meted out by God Himself through the swords of those He chooses to use as His agents. The wives and children will have to suffer the consequences of the poor judgment of the husband/father. "Cursed is he who distorts the justice due an alien, orphan, and widow. " - Deut 27:19

We see this theme repeated throughout the Old Testament with the prophets (cf. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Malachi - Isa. 1:17, 23; Isa. 10:1, 2; Jer. 5:28; Jer. 7:6, 7; Jer. 22:3; Jer. 49:11; Mal. 3:5) repeatedly warning Israel that their actions in breaking this law would be the cause of judgement upon them, and we see the literal fulfillment of this in the overthrow of Israel by the Assyrian and Babylonian swords. His promises are SURE.

If you would be blessed rather than cursed, be the hands and feet of righteousness, and of a righteous and good God, and help them.

" Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." James 1:27 This was Jobs religion before such a term even existed. "..... I delivered the poor who cried for help, And the orphan who had no helper. The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me, And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy." Job 29:12-13

God works in the heart of the righteous to help because... "A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation."- Ps:68:5

This Father's Day, honor your Father by taking some time/money out to help those who have lost a husband, and those who have never known a father.

It would be the gift that He would want!