The Father and the Orphan

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

THE FATHER AND THE ORPHAN

Prov 23:10-11

10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, 11 for their Defender is strong; he will take up their case against you.

NIV

We have seen this principle before just a short while ago about moving boundary stones, but this time it in regards to the fatherless. Children may not know exactly what their property consists of. Certainly in the time of Solomon there were not orphanages to care to the fatherless. But does fatherless also mean motherless and thus an orphan? Of course in the time of Solomon women had no identity of their own and could not be land owners or have any property at all. There whole identity was first as a daughter then as a wife and mother. So it did not matter about the mother, but only if the father was dead then the first born son would inherit all his father owned. If that son was very young and was not aware of the boundary lines it would be rather easy for the neighbor to encroach on that land. The widowed mother would have not voice in the matter. It is also clear the Defender, who is defined as their kinsman, is strong. The Hebrew word here carries the meaning of the law of kinship, a redeemer. This person by the law given to Moses was to marry the widow and buy or take back all that belongs to the son, if it were encroached upon or lost. But how does this, if any, apply to us today. As we noticed in the previous proverb about boundaries. We considered not moving any benchmarks in religion, creating new dogmas, rites and ceremonies. We considered not making any new religions that make more sense to us and fit our needs rather than God’s. But here it is about the fatherless. This could apply to those of us who have children and that we should be careful to train them up in the ways of the Lord, rather than in the ways we think they should be trained, as in our moved position from the truth. But this also can apply to those who are not considered yet as children of God. It is possible we could view the unbeliever as not being considered as a child of God and thus in a sense fatherless, as we once were. It is possible that we move the boundary lines of the truth of God in order to either take advantage of them, or bring them to some form of man-made religion rather than bringing them to the Father. We see all too often some high profile supposed evangelists leading the fatherless done a path other than the truth, for their own benefit. But God will not stand still for that kind of stone moving. He will not stand for those who are not yet his to be deceived, to have their heart and minds encroached upon. We know it is his desire that none should perish, but that all should be saved. All people are his creation, believers and unbelievers alike. Jesus went to the cross for every sin for all people, not just an elect few. So then we should be careful not to move the standard of God, not to move the benchmark in order to bring someone to some form of religion. All mankind is in a scene a kinsman of God as he is the Father. Yet in a sense because we who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior have been given the right to be called children of God.

John 1:10-13

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

NIV

So then in this sense those who are of the world, the unbeliever has not been given the right to be called children of God and thus are then fatherless. Yet God still watches over them and we should not take advantage of them in any way, or look down on them as orphans, but bring them to our Father.