AUGUST 2nd
THE PERSISTENT WIDOW AND THE UNJUST JUDGE (Continued)
Scripture Reading: Luke 18:1-9
1And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Enter the next character, a widow. Widows have a special place with God as evident in the Old and New Covenants. This widow is a beautiful type of a humble church who exercises the rights and power given to her by God. Her very being connotes deficiency. She has no husband and there is no mention of children, yet she has been wronged in some manner. She may be deficient according to man’s standard, but God has equipped her with the most powerful tool any believer can have. That tool is persistence in petitioning!
This widow only said five words. Avenge me of mine adversary. Five is the number of grace and she put God’s grace in operation with an unrelenting force. She, a picture of the church, has an adversary. First Peter 5:8 reveals the adversary as the devil. It cautions one to be sober and vigilant because our adversary, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. The greatest advantage our adversary has today is that most of the church does not fully understand that Jesus Christ has been made unto us righteousness (First Corinthians 1:30). Praise God for our Righteous Judge. We have been avenged to the spiritual maximum and most are still waiting for it.
Continued