The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 188

all (Deut. xxiv. 17). The forgotten eheaf in the field, and the gleanings of the olivo hou~hs and of the vineyards, were t-0 be left for the stranger, the fatherless, Rnd the ";dow (Deut. xxiv. 19-21); and cursed was be to be who perverted the judgment of the Mme (Deut. x:nii. 19). When God suste.ined Elije.h, at the time of judicial drought and famine in the land, be sustained the widow 11.nd the fatherleBB at the Mme time; &nd who knows how m&ny widows &nd fatherleee besides? It is part of the praiBe which is due to God in song, that he relieves the fatherleee 11.nd the widow. A Father of the fatherless, a11d a Judge of the widows ie God, in hie holy habitation (Ps. lxviii. 6; cxlvi. 9). There can thus be no mistake about God's interest in those who are left without their natural provider e.nd protector. But then on the other hand, thlll!e very same Scriptures which a&BUre us of Go<Is concern, remind w of man's cruelty, unrighf,eQUBneBB, and oppression. Job tells us of those who drive away the e.ss of the fatherless, and take the widow's ox for a pledge (:uiv. 3); and it was part of memory's brightening, as he thought upon hie happier past, that he had delivered the fatherlees and ce.used the widow's heart to sing for joy. God sent Isaiah to the hypocrites, the forme.l religionists who BBtiated God with ceremonial observances, to bid them tum to the realities of righteousness; and one of the foremost things among these was to judge the fatherless and plead for the widow. The faithful city had fallen, until 1.ho.o;e whOl!e duty it WIii! to judge the fa.therlese, and have the cause of the widow come tn them, had sunk into companions of thieves and seekers of bribes. In the parable of the judge who feared not God, neither regarded man, we may be sure there is great ~i~nificance beyond the purpose for which it was spoken. While first of all it teaches the need of importunity in prayer, it reminds us e.ls-0 bow hard it is for the feeble woman, whose sphere bas been the seclusion of home, to come out in the world and make her way against the oppressor and against the judge, who would be quick enough to listen to her if she WIii! only rich, and could bribe him. By sheer carelessness and thoughtlessness, by the sin of omission even more than the sin of commissi:on, we may fall into the wickedness of afflicting the widow and the fatherless; and to be on the alert to succour them is the only way in which we can effectually guard against this wicked- ness. We see that even in the Church of Christ, and in those first days when all that believed were together, and had e.11 things in common-when all seemed so beautiful and promising, heaven fairly begun on earth-even then, and only too soon, the widows he.,aan to complain that they were neglected in the daily ministrations. Some of thi-s perhaps wa.s mere mendicant grumbling, but much of it would have a real cause. The only way we can keep the oppressor's heart out of us is to have the heart living and actiug under the power of a Divinely-inspired love. It is a first principle of Christian ethics that if we are not doing good, we are doing ill; and we may be parties to the worst oppression, even when we are not thinking of oppression at all. Jn what tt light does this Mosaic injunction bring out the teaching of James e.s to that practical element iu pure religion of visiting the fatherless and the widow. If the Christian- hi,; opponwiities, his motives, his consolations, his resources to help and advise being what they are--4l.oes not visit the fatherless and the widow, depend upon it others will with very different designs. The greatest promptitude and decision are needed to anticipate the action of the rapacious and selfish.-Y. Vers. 25-27.-The treatment ojthepoor. Herearetwo regulations,commanding not to be usurious in the lending of money to the poor, and not to retain the pledged oarment over night. How forcibly they bring out the one crowning ill connected with poverty in the eyes of the world ! The poor man is the man without money; and lack of money bars his way in only too many directions. Let him be ever so noble in character, ever eo heroic, wise, and self-denying in action, it avails nothing. The poor wise man delivered the little city that was besieged by a great king ; yet no man remembered that BBme poor man. These Israelites had gone out of Egypt with immeru,e wealth, but probably even then it was very unequally distributed; and the tendency would be, a.s the tendency always is, for the inequality to become greater still. lleuce in this regulation God was addressing those who from the inordinate feeling of desirn which wealth inBpires, would be peculiarly tempted to take advantage of the poor. God never 6hows any mercy to the rich man so far as his riches are concerned. 'l't,oi;L ricLcs are full of peril, and fuller of peril to their owner than to any one else, Cl!. XXIII, 1-19.] THE BOOK OF EXODUS.