Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

The types of people described in the verse being asked about (the oppressed, the fatherless, and the widow) are those who would have had no one to care for them (especially in the societal context of the time, which God characterized in Isaiah 1 as being full of sin and rebellion), or to act as their natural earthly advocate, defender, or protector (as parents would normally do for a child, or as a husband would do for a wife).

As such, God took (and continues to take) a special interest in these people, and commands His followers to act as His agents in assuring that the oppressed receive relief and justice, and that the orphan and widow receive support and care.

We are all sinners, and God's love and redemption are available for Jesus' sake to anyone who places their faith in Jesus for salvation. But it is those who, out of gratitude to God for their redemption, work (as Jesus said in Matthew 25:34-36) to address people's earthly problems such as hunger, thirst, lack of clothing or shelter, sickness, and isolation or abandonment (as would be the case with orphans), who will be especially rewarded by God.

January 28 2016 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report