Key Verse: Isaiah 1:17 

“Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.” 

In our world today everyone likes to act like they are oppressed. They love to act like the system and the world is against them. And for certain people and groups this may true. However there are two groups of people in the Bible that God says truly are oppressed. They are the widows and the fatherless. James 1:29 says, “Pure and undefiled religion before the fathers is this, to take care of widows and orphans in their time of need.” In this verse James is telling us that God desires us to take care of the needy, and that this is a true sign of being a follower of God. In Isaiah 1:17 God is telling Israel that they need to learn to do that which is good, and justice is good. How can they be just? By rebuking the oppressor. Who is the most oppressed in society? Who is the most vulnerable? Widows and orphans. 

Isaiah tells us to defend the fatherless. What does this mean? Children without fathers often become easy prey for the enemy his evil workers. They are very susceptible to temptation and bad people because they lack the protection and wisdom that a father is give his children. God says that is now the our job as Christians to protect them. It our job to mentor them, fight for them, and teach them the ways of God! 

Isaiah then tells us that we must plead for the widow. This means we must make sure that the widows in our community and our church are taken care of. Widows are often overlooked and forgot about in our world today. They are victims of loneliness and depression because some have family members that that don’t care about them, and others don’t have family members at all. We have to plead their cause and make sure that society and the church doesn’t forget to take care of and love them. 

Friends here at Bentonia Baptist Church we have 10 widows in our church, and two fatherless boys. It our job to love on them, take care of them, and remind them that we care about them. I want to challenge you to give one of the widows in our church a call or text today. Go bake them and cake and visit with them. Surprise them by taking them to dinner. Do something for them. It would mean the world to them. Next time you see the two boys that we have in our church with no father, talk to them. You men, give them a handshake and ask them how they are doing. It’s our job to take care of these groups!!