Exodus 22:21-24
~16 min read
💭 Consider this: All believers have been spiritually “down-and-out”. How has God reached out to you in your need? Who do you now have the privilege of reaching out to and how are you doing so?
TRANSCRIPT
Our text for tonight's message is taken from Exodus 22:21-24. All of us are familiar with the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, where Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen”.
Oftentimes, we think of the Great Commission only as physically going out to foreign lands to share the gospel. Whilst that is true, sometimes God will bring the world of unbelievers to our very doorstep, and we do not even need to travel, and yet be able to fulfil the Great Commission.
When people have been evangelised to, as they have believed, they are brought into the church, and we minister to them; we disciple them. But do we pick and choose whom we want to minister to? What about those who are down and out, people who are poor, who do not have a place in society, who do not even have a roof over their heads? Perhaps they are homeless, without family support, or unemployed and in great need. Do we treat them the same way as we treat everyone else in the church?
Here in this passage, this law was given to the children of Israel on how they ought to treat the weakest and most vulnerable people in society: strangers, widows, and orphans. Notice there is a sense of progression in which the focus begins with those who were weak — the strangers — moving on to the people who were weaker, the widows, and finally to the weakest of them all, the orphans. They were considered the down and out, not only in those days but even in our modern times.
Most of the time, people would simply glance through these verses and think in their minds that they had never oppressed the strangers, widows, and orphans in the past, nor would they do it in the future, and then they quickly move on to the other verses. But there are more spiritual lessons we can learn and apply to our lives than just this matter of oppression. One of which is to reach out to the down-and-out. So, we want to look at this passage with a gospel perspective, with a ministry perspective. The title of our message is “Reaching Out To The Down-And-Out”.
I. The Strangers
Beginning with the strangers, verse 21, “Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt”. A stranger was a foreigner, a sojourner, also sometimes called an alien. They were always at a disadvantage. They didn't know the language, didn't understand the culture or social norms, didn't have any connections. It would be hard for them to look for jobs, and even those jobs that were available to them would be jobs that nobody would be willing to do. Now, this is very typical even in our times, where foreigners are often employed to do the most menial jobs or low-paying jobs that the locals are unwilling to do. In most cases, they would often be exploited simply because they have no choice.
But God's people were not allowed to take advantage of the foreigners. Here, through Moses, God used the same word “oppress” as in Exodus 3:9. Let me read for you. Exodus 3:9 says, “Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them”.
In other words, God was saying to oppress the foreigners is something unthinkable; it is an action most ungrateful. Why? Because remember, you were once strangers in the land of Egypt, and you cried out unto me, and I answered your prayers by delivering you. How then can you, the oppressed, turn and become the oppressors? God forbid. You must never do that. Indeed, the world will treat the foreigners any way they want, but God's people have a responsibility not only to avoid doing that; we are to welcome them and to love them.
Later on, Moses further elaborated on this law in Leviticus 19:34, “But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you,” – which means treat him or her as one of you – “and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God”. This is the same principle taught by our Lord Jesus Christ: to love thy neighbour as thyself (Matthew 22:39). And the greatest love we can ever show to the foreigners is to share with them the gospel, the message of salvation.
Dear friend, Australia is a country made up of migrants from all over the world. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people migrate to Australia. Students from all over the world come here to study. In fact, last year alone, we had close to one million international students. Most of them will return to their home countries after graduation. While they are here in Melbourne, if they are studying law, political science, or economics, when they return home, some of them will serve as political leaders, economic leaders for the next generation. Can you imagine the great influence and potential they would have?
But have you ever considered the gospel's influence and potential if they have heard and believed in the gospel? If they have been ministered to by us, the Christians, during their stay here in Melbourne, consider the potential of the gospel outreach when they return to their own countries. With the advancement of modern technology, flying from one country to another is so available. Never in the history of the Christian church has there ever been a generation like ours where we have such a huge opportunity to have a world of unbelievers at our very doorstep.
How can you and I say that we are concerned about the saving of souls, about evangelism, when God has brought this world of unbelievers to our very doorstep and yet we do not reach out to them? May the Lord forgive us for our lack of being engaged in evangelism efforts. We must welcome the foreigners, reach out to them, no matter who they are, where they come from, what they look like, or how well they can communicate.
Instead of oppressing them, we reach out to them not only through friendship, not only through helping them with shopping, transportation, food, or helping them to become accustomed to this country, or to learn the English language. Most importantly, we must share the gospel and pray that they would believe so that when they return to their own countries, peradventure they would reach out to their unbelieving family members, relatives, friends, and so forth. God has brought the unbelieving world to our very doorstep. The question is, what are we going to do about it?
There was a true testimony of an international student who said to the woman who had brought her to Christ, and this is what she said, ‘You have built a bridge to me through friendship, and then through evangelism, Jesus came walking over the bridge.’ What a testimony! We pray that we will not only just read this passage and think that not oppressing the strangers is good enough. But, you and I must reach out to them with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
II. The Widows
Next, we move on to the widows. Verse 22, "Ye shall not afflict any widow". In those days, widows suffered not only the loss of their spouses but also the loss of their livelihood. Without the man of the family to support them, widows often struggled to survive. In those days, women were often neglected because the priority was given to the men.
It was said that the Jews would always begin each morning with a word of prayer, and one of the first things many Jewish men would pray each morning would be a prayer that goes something like this, ‘God, I thank you that I was not born a slave, a Gentile, or a woman.’ The reason why they said this was because of the low status of such individuals in the land.
The slave was despised not only because he had no property or status, but because he had to do some of the most degrading jobs in the land. The Gentiles were despised because they were considered unclean, as they did not perform the purification rites of the Jews. The woman was despised because there was no wealth or heritage attached to her name.
How much more a widow? Many would see her as a burden waiting to be exploited. But notice God's laws included all these individuals. In the preceding verses, God gave specific laws regarding the slaves. Right? Here, He gave laws regarding the foreigners, of whom many were Gentiles, and then widows.
God cares for the widows. Perhaps the best example in the Bible of someone who showed love and care for the widows was none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember when Jesus was crucified on the cross? While He was hanging on the cross, just before He died, the Bible tells us, “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved,” – which was the Apostle John – “he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home” (John 19:26-27).
At that time, the people were shouting, ‘Crucify Him! Crucify Him!’ Standing at the foot of the cross was a group of five people different from the mocking crowd. Along with the disciple John was Mary, the mother of Jesus. Perhaps when she looked at Jesus crucified on the cross, she was reminded that many years ago, Simeon prophesied to her that one day her soul would be pierced through because of Him (Luke 2:34-35). It must have been very painful for her. Beside her stood Salome, the mother of James and John; there was also Mary, the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene, the one from whom Jesus cast out demons.
When the Romans crucified a person, they would elevate the cross above the ground, but the people could still see and hear the crucified person. One of the reasons was to enable the people to look into the eyes of the one crucified, so that they could experience the intense pain, and invoke fear in the hearts of the people that crime does not pay.
So, John, Mary, and the rest of the people were able to draw near enough to hear Jesus speak very softly. At this point, Jesus was already at the climax of His pain. Most certainly, He would have had great difficulties even to breathe, and yet He said, "Woman, behold thy son!" and to the disciple, "Behold thy mother!" It was in the same loving manner He addressed her at the wedding in Cana. It was in a very respectful way.
There He committed Mary to the care of John. Most likely, Joseph had died by this time, or else Jesus would not have made such a commitment. He could not commit the care of Mary to His unbelieving relatives, so He committed her to the disciple. What lesson can we learn from here; from this short saying, "Woman, behold thy son!" and to the disciple, "Behold thy mother!"?
When Jesus bore our sins, the agony of the cross, and the wrath of God, in the midst of all that, in His dying moments, His thoughts were directed toward Mary, who was a widow. Our Lord Jesus did not just command us to care and help the widows, to show love and concern for the widows; He taught us by His perfect example while dying on the cross. How can we not obey him?
III. The Orphans
Next, Moses moved on to say in the second part of verse 22, "Ye shall not afflict … (the) fatherless child." If widows were vulnerable, the fatherless child, or orphan, would be worse. If there was any group of people in society that was the weakest and most vulnerable, it would be the orphans. There was no one to provide for their needs, no one to protect them from adversaries.
Though they did not have physical fathers, they have a heavenly Father. The psalmist David said, God is “A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows" (Psalm 68:5). And as their Father, He would provide for their needs, and oftentimes He would use His own people as instruments to provide for the widows and orphans.
For example, later on in Deuteronomy 24, God said to His people that when you harvest your fields and you forget to take the grains, do not go back to take them. Leave them there for the widows and orphans. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyards, do not go back a second time. Leave them behind for the widows and orphans (Deuteronomy 24:19-21). That was how the widow Ruth was able to glean the grains left behind in the field belonging to Boaz. So, special laws were given to provide for the widows and orphans through God's people.
In the eyes of the world, the widows and orphans were defenceless. But if God was their Father, would He not defend them? Most certainly, He would. So, God gave this stern warning to all the people in verse 23, “If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry”. In other words, if you ever think of afflicting the widows and orphans, think again – when they cry unto me in their afflictions, I will hear, and I will answer.
Verse 24, “And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless”. The consequence of afflicting the widows and orphans, the most vulnerable in society, was deadly. They will be killed. One theologian rightly said, ‘If you are so heartless and soulless as to afflict the widows and orphans, you do not deserve to live.’ And when you are killed, what would happen to your wife and children? Your wife would be a widow; your children would be orphans.
As God's people, we ought to understand who our God is. He is our Father. He is the Father of all His children, whether they be rich or poor, strong or weak, married or single. It doesn't matter. All of them who profess faith in Him are His children, and God has a special love, especially for those who are down and out, like the widows and orphans.
Take a moment and consider this: as parents, we love all our children, right? We will show attention to all of them, especially those children who need us the most, especially those children who are weak and sick. How much more our heavenly Father? In James 1:27 – maybe you can turn with me to James 1:27, the Apostle James said, “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”.
James was speaking of true spirituality. If you claim that your religion, your belief system, is pure and clean, it is free from corruption and contamination – James was not speaking about what the world or even the believer himself perceived, but what God perceived as true spirituality; that was why he said, “before God and the Father”. So, if you are truly spiritual, then you will do this: you will visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.
Why? Because you are obeying the very commandments of your God, who said to you, Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and love thy neighbour as thyself (paraphrased from Matthew 22:37-39). You are obeying the very commandments of the Almighty God. So, instead of afflicting the widows and orphans, you and I are to care for and help them; and when we do that, we are doing it unto God.
Remember, our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 25:35-36, which all of us are very familiar with, Jesus said, “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me:” – Jesus used the same word, “visit” – “I was in prison, and ye came unto me”. In other words, you watched out for Me, you cared and helped Me. Then the disciples asked him, ‘When did we do all these things to You?’ And Jesus said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me”.
IV. Three Lessons on Loving the Down-And-Out
There are several valuable lessons we can learn from Jesus and the Apostle James when they used the example of showing love to one of these who were considered the least of the brethren, to those who were down and out. And who were the down-and-out? Most certainly the widows, the orphans. They were the people with the greatest need in the early church. They had nothing, no one to support them, no close relatives, no jobs for them. Therefore, it was obvious that they were in desperate need; they were in their affliction.
Three lessons we can learn, at least. The first lesson is: if we cannot see those who have great needs, like widows and orphans, how can we see those whose needs are not that obvious? Sometimes there are people around us, standing right before us, in great need, and yet we cannot see. If you and I cannot see that which is obvious, how can we see that which is not obvious? Widows and orphans are most obvious; they are in desperate need.
The second important lesson is that God wants to use us to be His instrument to provide for others. Sometimes we hear people who share their prayer items. They experience difficult times; they are in great distress. We are able to help, we have the means to help, and yet we say to them, ‘Brother, I will pray for you.’ We should stop praying – as in, stop asking God to use others to help them – but that we ourselves should rise up to be His instrument to provide for the need.
Most importantly, the third lesson we can learn is that widows and orphans represent those people who are not able to return the care and help we have rendered unto them; no way for them to repay us, so to speak. Some people do help others, but they only help those people whom they expect to return their acts of generosity. They invite those people to their homes, expecting to be invited to their homes in return. They visit those who are sick, expecting them to visit them when they themselves are sick. They give gifts, expecting to receive gifts in return.
God does not want us to do that. He wants us to love without expecting to be loved, to help without expecting to be helped. That is what pure and undefiled religion means; that is the religion of the Bible; that is what it means to be a Christian.
A word of encouragement to all those who have been serving the elderly in the Monash Gardens. Most of the elderly living in the Monash residential home are widows and widowers. When you visit them, you are doing it unto the Lord. You are doing it unto one of these who were considered the least of the brethren, those who are down and out. There’s nothing you can expect from them in return, absolutely nothing.
To all those who gave to the mission works in Myanmar, there is nothing you can expect from them in return. To all those who are reaching out to the foreigners, to those international students, after their graduation, they return back to their home countries. You may never see them again; there is nothing you can expect from them in return. But you are not expecting anything from them in return. God knows what you have done, and He who knows, He who is the Father of all His children, the widows, the orphans, He will bless and reward you in due time.
Dear friend, let us reach out to all those who are down and out with the gospel message, most importantly, because only the gospel is able to save; and we do not pick and choose whom we would minister to. It doesn’t matter whether they are rich or poor, strong or weak, married or single, whether they are widows or orphans. All the more we should reach out to them. When we do that, we are doing it unto the Lord.
Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank Thee for Thy laws given to Thy people, and even though Thou hast given these laws especially to the children of Israel living at that time, but we living on this side of the cross, we are able to apply spiritual lessons into our lives, and we want to apply Thy truth so that all of us may be found faithful in Thy sight. O Lord, Thou hast taught us Thy laws pertaining to strangers, widows, and orphans; people who are down and out. We ought to care for them, love, and help them in every possible way that Thou hast provided for us the means to help them, O Lord, most importantly, with the gospel message.
Help us always to look at the things we do with a gospel perspective, with a ministry perspective, because we want to glorify Thee. O Lord, all the things we do, it is for Thy glory and Thy glory alone. So, teach us that we will obey Thy word. Help us that we will reach out to all, especially those who are down and out, to the glory of Thy precious name. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.
THE BOOK OF EXODUSGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassGod’s Prophecy and Promise Had Come To PassExodus 1:1-7
From Prosperity to PersecutionFrom Prosperity to PersecutionExodus 1:8-14
God’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesGod’s Protection in the Midst of AdversitiesExodus 1:15-21
The Faith of JochebedThe Faith of JochebedExodus 1:22-2:10
Moses in EgyptMoses in EgyptExodus 2:11-15
Moses in the Desert of MidianMoses in the Desert of MidianExodus 2:16-25
Moses and the Burning BushMoses and the Burning BushExodus 3:1-9
Who Are You?Who Are You?Exodus 3:10-15
Who Am I?Who Am I?Exodus 3:10-15
God’s Message to Israel and EgyptGod’s Message to Israel and EgyptExodus 3:16-22
What If They Still Don’t Believe?What If They Still Don’t Believe?Exodus 4:1-9
Send Someone ElseSend Someone ElseExodus 4:10-17
Moses’ Return to EgyptMoses’ Return to EgyptExodus 4:18-20
When Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseWhen Things Seemed to Get Better, They Got WorseExodus 5:10-21
When We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesWhen We Have Done Everything Right, and Yet Trouble ComesExodus 5:22-6:5
Having to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceHaving to Learn the Same Lesson TwiceExodus 6:6-12
Faithful or UnfaithfulFaithful or UnfaithfulExodus 6:13-27
What God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceWhat God Wants Is Our Faithfulness and ObedienceExodus 6:28-7:7
The First Plague - The River of BloodThe First Plague - The River of BloodExodus 7:14-25
The Second Plague - The FrogsThe Second Plague - The FrogsExodus 8:1-15
The Third PlagueThe Third PlagueExodus 8:16-19
The Fourth PlagueThe Fourth PlagueExodus 8:20-32
The Fifth PlagueThe Fifth PlagueExodus 9:1-7
The Sixth PlagueThe Sixth PlagueExodus 9:8-12
The Seventh PlagueThe Seventh PlagueExodus 9:13-35
The Eighth PlagueThe Eighth PlagueExodus 10:1-20
The Tenth PlagueThe Tenth PlagueExodus 11:1-10
The First PassoverThe First PassoverExodus 12:1-13
The Feast of the Unleavened BreadThe Feast of the Unleavened BreadExodus 12:14-28
Departure From EgyptDeparture From EgyptExodus 12:29-42
This Do In Remembrance of MeThis Do In Remembrance of MeExodus 12:43-51; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Message 2: What is Church to you? My Covenantal Family!Exodus 12:48-49, Colossians 2:11-12
Redemption and ConsecrationRedemption and ConsecrationExodus 13:1-2, 11-16
Precious Lord, Take My HandPrecious Lord, Take My HandExodus 13:17-22
Between the Desert and the Red SeaBetween the Desert and the Red SeaExodus 14:1-14
Crossing the Red SeaCrossing the Red SeaExodus 14:15-31
The Song of PraiseThe Song of PraiseExodus 15:1-21
Will You Obey Or Not?Will You Obey Or Not?Exodus 15:22-27
The Danger of a Complaining SpiritThe Danger of a Complaining SpiritExodus 16:1-3
God’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsGod’s Response to Israel’s ComplaintsExodus 16:1-10
The Test of FaithThe Test of FaithExodus 16:11-20
Lessons About the SabbathLessons About the SabbathExodus 16:21-36
Do Not Test GodDo Not Test GodExodus 17:1-17
Lift Up Your HandsLift Up Your HandsExodus 17:8-16
The Blessedness of ReunionThe Blessedness of ReunionExodus 18:1-12
Why Do We Have Leaders?Why Do We Have Leaders?Exodus 18:13-27
I Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsI Will Carry You On Eagles’ WingsExodus 19:1-6
Approach God Fearlessly or FearfullyApproach God Fearlessly or FearfullyExodus 19:7-15
God Reached Out And SpokeGod Reached Out And SpokeExodus 19:16-25
Thou Shalt Have No Other GodsThou Shalt Have No Other GodsExodus 20:1-3
Thou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesThou Shalt Not Make Graven ImagesExodus 20:4-6
Thou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameThou Shalt Not Dishonour God’s NameExodus 20:7
Thou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayThou Shalt Keep The Sabbath DayExodus 20:8-11
Honour Thy Father And Thy MotherHonour Thy Father And Thy MotherExodus 20:12
Thou Shalt Not KillThou Shalt Not KillExodus 20:13
Thou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryThou Shalt Not Commit AdulteryExodus 20:14
Thou Shalt Not StealThou Shalt Not StealExodus 20:15
Thou Shalt Not LieThou Shalt Not LieExodus 20:16
Thou Shalt Not CovetThou Shalt Not CovetExodus 20:17
The Response To The Ten CommandmentsThe Response To The Ten CommandmentsExodus 20:18-21
How God Wants Us To Worship HimHow God Wants Us To Worship HimExodus 20:22-26
Why Would God Allow Slavery?Why Would God Allow Slavery?Exodus 21:1-11
The Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — a life for a lifeExodus 21:12-17
The Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeThe Punishment Fits The Crime — an eye for an eyeExodus 21:18-36
The Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsThe Punishment Deters The Crime — property lawsExodus 22:1-15
The Character Of GodThe Character Of GodExodus 22:16-20
Reaching Out To The Down-And-OutReaching Out To The Down-And-OutExodus 22:21-24
The Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodThe Compassion, Authority & Holiness Of GodExodus 22:25-31
Truth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthTruth Cannot Be Subjected To Anything But TruthExodus 23:1-9
Remember Who God IsRemember Who God IsExodus 23:10-19
What Must We Do To Have VictoryWhat Must We Do To Have VictoryExodus 23:20-33
How We Ought To Worship GodHow We Ought To Worship GodExodus 24:1-4, 7
On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?On What Basis Can We Approach His Majesty?Exodus 24:4-8
If Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceIf Thy Presence Go Not with Me, Carry Us Not Up HenceExodus 33:12-23
