Don’t Despise the Afflicted

“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up” (Psm. 27:10). I’ve seen it time and again in my life, how that God truly does show favor to the fatherless and the orphan. So does he to the widow as well. You’d better be careful my friend, who you choose to throw out or shut out; for God will take them in and you may be the one on the outside looking in. God will always favor someone to whom men have shown undue disfavor. A good example to look to in the Bible is Jephthah in the book of Judges. The scripture says that he was the son of an harlot, and that he was basically disowned by the remainder of his siblings for being so: “And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman” (Judg. 11:2). But when trouble came their way by means of the children of Ammon, who did those siblings have to go to for help:? “And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the Lord deliver them before me, shall I be your head? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The Lord be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words: (Judg. 11:6-10). So Jephthah the son of an harlot was not good enough for the rest of his brethren, but God saw to it that he became the captain and head of them anyway.

Be assured my friend that God has not changed the way he does things. He absolutely loves to turn the tables on the pride of man, and make it continually clear that it is "HIS judgments [that] are in all the earth,” not man’s (Psm. 105:7). The scripture says without refute, “He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts” (Lk. 1:51). If you are disadvantaged by men my friend, don’t be dismayed; only “cast your care on him; for he careth for you” (I Pet. 5:7). Be diligently admonished by the Psalmist David, and you cannot go wrong: “Trust in the Lord, and DO GOOD; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart… Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming” (Psm. 37:3,4,7-13). That is a seriously beautiful passage for those who are like minded with the writer, and it is just as seriously dreadful for anyone on the wrong end of what is written. It’s okay to be cast out or looked down upon, for those who follow this exhortation. We just don’t want to be the ones who are passing undue judgment on someone who is already disadvantaged, because they may come back to be our head. Amen.