James describes a basis for acceptable worship thus:
“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” (Jas. 1:27).
But by contrast, we read of the scribes:
“which devour widow’s houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation” (Mrk. 12:40).
It was a duty in Israel to take care of the fatherless and widows, yet not only were they neglecting their duty, the scribes were also causing the widows affliction, and coercing them to part with all their goods – devouring their houses.
But there was a certain poor widow who voluntarily gave all that she had to the temple treasury:
“there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto him, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: for all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living” (Mrk. 12:42-44).
It is her willing offering that we shall consider in today’s considerations. It is written of those who give: “every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). And again: “if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not” (2 Cor. 8:12). We see this in the poor widow under consideration – she demonstrated a willing spirit, and so her offering was not judged by its lack of intrinsic value, but proportionately, by the fact that she was willing to give everything.
GIVING VOLUNTARILY
Paul wrote that we should give “not grudgingly or of necessity”. Under the Law of Moses, there was a tithing system, whereby everyone had to provide a tenth of all their goods. Part of the reason for that was to sustain the strangers, the fatherless, and the widows (see Deut. 14:29, 26:12) to help alleviate their affliction and poverty. This was compulsory – “of necessity” – they had no choice but to give a tenth. But there was nothing to prevent a person from giving more, if thy so chose. If they were a cheerful giver, they could have provided more to these vulnerable categories of the congregation.
The record in Acts chapter 5 recounts how there were two individuals who made a show of giving everything in Divine service – yet they only gave a proportion:
“But a certain man named Ananias and Sapphira his wife sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and laid it at the apostle’s feet” (Acts 5:1-2).
In this situation, Ananias and Sapphira could have given a proportion, and that would have been fine. But their sin was that they pretended to give everything, when they had held some back for themselves – and this resulted in their deaths:
“Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whilst it remained, was it not thine own? And after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the spirit: and great fear came upon all them that heard these things” (Acts 5:3-5).
Sapphira also confirmed her husband’s lie and died accordingly. Yet by contrast to this deceitful pair, the widow under consideration gave her all, and was blessed by the Lord. As a “cheerful giver”, although she could have given just one of her mites, she gave everything – which was more in proportion than the Scribes who craved the praise of men, for they only gave a small part of their abundance.
OTHER POOR WIDOWS
There are other widows in Scripture who displayed the same expression of faith as the one under consideration. 1 Kings 17 describes how Elijah was to be sustained by a certain widow during a time of famine:
“arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee” (1 Kings 17:9).
The prophet duly went, and came to the widow, who was gathering sticks to cook a last meal for her and her son to eat, using up all the paltry amount of food that she had left. Then, “Elijah said unto her, Fear not: go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me and after make for thee and for thy son” (1 Kings. 17:13). This widow demonstrated a generous spirit, and made provision for Elijah, placing his needs above her own – and it was because she had such a spirit that it was promised: “thus saith Yahweh God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that Yahweh sendeth rain upon the earth” (vs 14), and so both the widow’s house, and the prophet were provided for by miraculous means.
The Law of Moses made provision for widows in another way, in addition to the tithes. Deuteronomy chapter 24 records the command:
“When thou cuttest down thy harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that Yahweh thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands” (Deut. 24:19).
Again, like the tithes, this was a giving “of necessity” – it was commanded of them. But again, there was nothing to stop the cheerful givers from providing more if they so chose, and that is what we see in the example of Ruth, the Moabitish widow and Boaz.
Ruth chapter 1 describes the circumstances that resulted in Naomi and Ruth, her daughter in law, being widowed. They returned to the land, following another period of famine, and Ruth the Moabitish widow went to glean, unwittingly as it happened, in the field of Boaz: “she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers” (Ruth 2:3), taking advantage of the legal provision, thus described above. But Boaz not only allowed her to glean behind his reapers as the Law commanded – he went over and above that which was required, and provided more:
“And when she was risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, let her glean even among the sheaves, and reproach her not: and let fall also some of the handfuls on purpose for her, and leave them, that she may glean them, and rebuke her not” (Ruth 2:15-16).
Moreover, as a token of love and fellowship, Boaz allowed the damsel to eat and drink with his reapers, and even made special provision for her:
“Boaz said unto her, At mealtime, come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers; and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was sufficed, and left” (Ruth 2:14).
Notice this, during a meal with his reapers, Boaz personally included her by handing her parched corn, enabling her to eat her fill. And in considering these things, we perhaps think of another meal many years later, where Messiah similarly extended a token of fellowship in the spirit of love and care: “Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.” (Jno 13: 26). And then we read that “he then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night” (vs. 30).
By contrast to Ruth, the virtuous woman (Ruth 3:11), Judas betrayed his master, and leaving the Light of the World, went out into the darkness of night.
CHOOSING THE POOR
It is a principle of Scripture that God has “chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him” (Jas. 2:5). There are those who are “destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness” (1 Tim. 6:5). This category of men delighted in the wealth and advantages of affluence, yet in real terms, they were “destitute,” having not the truth. The ecclesia at Laodicea was like this:
“… thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing: and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17).
These are they that trust in their wealth, rather than God. Of this class, Timothy was to:
“charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, not trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17).
As the Lord himself taught, it is hard for rich men to enter into the kingdom of God (Lu. 18:24). There must be a realisation that “a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth” and therefore to “take heed, and beware of covetousness” (Lu. 12:15).
The true disciples of Christ are not covetous of riches, or of this world’s goods. They rather “seek first the kingdom of God, and his Righteousness”, trusting that all the other things “shall be added” unto them (Mat. 6:33). Here is the true spirit of faith:
“… give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is Yahweh? Or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain” (Prov. 30: 8-9).
And Messiah echoed this: “give us this day our daily bread” (Mat. 6:11). The Lord himself demonstrated this spirit of relinquishing the pleasures of this life, being content with food for the day. He gave all that he had in Divine Service:
“ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes, he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Cor. 8:9).
The Lord, though he were the Son of the Highest, humbled himself to be a servant:
“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name …” (Phil. 2:6-9).
And this disposition must be found in the disciples:
“let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (vs 5).
Looking to the faithful example of the widow who gave all her living to Divine Service, we must go and go likewise. Laying down a life in service is the example of Messiah himself, we must emulate her example, and that of Messiah himself. Then, giving cheerfully according to our means, we will find grace and honour in the Kingdom to come.
Christopher Maddocks
