Thus saith the LORD; “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, and say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates.’ ” Thus saith the LORD; “Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people. But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by Myself,” saith the LORD, “that this house shall become a desolation.”
Jeremiah 22:1-5
orphan
Landmarks and the Gospel of Grace
“Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: for their Redeemer is mighty; He shall plead their cause with thee.” Proverbs 23:10-11
“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24
Pray that we as Christians always deal faithfully with those who have no father or mother. That we respect the things that are theirs as we respect what is in our own possession. Remember that the One who has redeemed us is also their Redeemer.
Let us have a heart like the apostle Paul that no matter what comes into our path of life, that we consider none of those things; even our lives; are worthy of our concern: nothing but the gospel of Jesus Christ which is the gospel of grace.
If you have not experienced the gospel of grace you can call on the One who provides it by His death on the cross, His burial and resurrection. “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Day Three Hundred and Three
What do I want for Christmas?
I want the poor, the orphan, the elderly, the sick, and all people to be treated justly, and fairly by all who name the name of Christ and by all who are in positions of authority in government.
He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.” Proverbs 14:31 (NKJV)
“The rich and the poor have this in common, the LORD is the maker of them all.” Proverbs 22:2
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Luke 4:18-19
Caring for the Stranger, the Orphan, and the Widow
“When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot 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. When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.” Deuteronomy 24:19-22 (KJV)
It is said elsewhere that they were to even leave the corners of their fields (Leviticus 23:22); and in these verses it includes the widow. It is called “gleaning” for the widow, the orphan and the stranger of the land to go out into the fields and the orchards, and the olive groves, and the vineyards to harvest what they could find.
This was a command of the LORD, and was a blessing from God to do so. The commandments of the Lord are not grievous (1 John 5:3). We are blessed by God in keeping His commandments. We bless others by keeping these commandments. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
The above is a good thing for a Christian business man to follow today. Sure the practice of the law above involved agriculture, farming, sowing and reaping; however these same principals can apply to any legitimate business. There are many businesses who have more profits than they need; many CEO’s who make exorbitant salaries, bonuses, etc. why not make some of that available to their employees, and neighborhood people in need? Gleaning does not need to be just agricultural.
If you are a Christian business man consider this way, and when you do I can see you being blessed by God greatly.
The Fire and Hammer 