Wednesday 12 May 2010

A Persistent Widow.

I think the reason I started to blog is just to have a good rant about stuff and put down my thoughts on just general life. Now sense has returned to the country I can stop ranting about stuff and actually do something important like actually reading my bible and working out God's plan for me. So I am going to post my thoughts on some of the things I have been reading recently.

Luke 18:1-8 (English Standard Version)

Luke 18

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

1And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.2He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' 4For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'" 6And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

There are three characters in the story to look at.

First of all the widow. Here is a woman with no influence, no power the lowest of the low. In Jesus time the lowest in society was the widow. Today it would probably be immigrants, single mothers etc. She has no influence on the judge at all. She cannot help him politically or bribe the judge she does the only thing she can do.

Second the Judge.

"In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. Verse 2.

You will not get justice from this man just because your cause is just. By not fearing God i think we can take it he has no respect for the law. So why does he give her justice (does he even care that it is justice)?

'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming” verses 4-5

She keeps bothering him for justice. Because she keeps on complaining over and over again he eventually gets sick of her so gives her the justice she seeks not out of good motives but because he wants her to stop bugging him.

Thirdly to confirm is that God is not like the unjust judge.

How often do we pray for things in passing a quick mention and nothing more?

7And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Why is it that God does not just answer straight away? V8 is the clue.

It is not that God does not, cannot or will not answer. It’s for us so we have faith.

Verse 1 prefaces the whole thing really

1And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

Keep on praying. Keep on asking and asking on your knees for the things you believe in

It’s not about what you want but if it is just and right and Godly then continues to pray and petition the Lord for it.

This challenges me that I definitely do not pray enough. I offer the occasional prayer and just leave it at that. I should be praying more often than I do and keep being persistent in prayer.


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