Orphans and Widows Lamentations 5:3

As Jeremiah prays for the Lord to remember, consider and behold the events which have occurred within the city of Jerusalem, he has given details concerning the way their inheritances and houses have been given to strangers. In chapter five and verse three of Lamentations, Jeremiah reminds the Lord of the orphans and widows. We read:

We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers are as widows.

The verse begins, “We are orphans and fatherless,” The result of Jerusalem being conquered by Babylon was there were “orphans” or “without fathers” and “fatherless” which means “without the head or founder of a household, group, family, or clan”. In other words their ancestors such as fathers and grandfathers were gone, and they were left to live without the leadership of them in the home.

The verse continues, “our mothers are as widows.” The mothers within the city were also affected. They were “as widows” or “without husbands”. We can imagine that many married women watched as their husbands were killed before them or reports of their deaths were given by others as the conquering enemies prevailed. Oh the anguish which must have been a large part of the devastation Jerusalem felt as their enemies took charge over them.

As we think about these words, our hearts may go out to those who have been affected by war. When Judah was defeated, no doubt there were many orphans and widows left as a result of it. These were the living casualties which were touched by the rebellion of the people of Jerusalem, and as a result of the people's insistence to keep within their own way rather than God's, their families were damaged because of it. In the book of James in chapter one and verse twenty-seven we are told:

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

May the words of Jeremiah keep us in the ways of God, and may the words of James help us to remember to reach out to those who are afflicted within this world.

Next time Jeremiah shares about water and wood, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

 

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