Jeremiah 49:7-11: a reflection

7Of Edom, the LORD of Armies says: “Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished? 8Flee! Turn back! Dwell in the depths, inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau on him when I visit him. 9If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? If thieves came by night, wouldn’t they steal until they had enough? 10But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he will not be able to hide himself. His offspring is destroyed, with his brothers and his neighbors; and he is no more. 11Leave your fatherless children. I will preserve them alive. Let your widows trust in me.”

In the midst of an oracle of judgment against Edom, a nation that would be brought low, there comes an unexpected note of tenderness. After pronouncing Edom's coming calamity, God says: Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive; and let your widows trust in me. Even in a message of judgment against a nation, God's heart turns to the most vulnerable, the orphans and widows who would be left behind, with a promise to preserve them and an invitation for them to trust in him.

Notice where God's care reaches, even in the midst of judgment: to the fatherless and the widows. These are the most vulnerable, those left behind, without protectors, easily overlooked. And God, even as he pronounces judgment, promises to preserve the orphans and invites the widows to trust in him. His heart, even here, turns toward the most defenseless, with care and a promise of preservation. God does not forget the vulnerable, even in a nation under judgment.

That reveals a truth about God's heart that runs throughout Scripture: his special care for the vulnerable, the orphan, the widow, the defenseless. Again and again, God shows himself as the protector of those who have no other protector, the one who cares for the fatherless and the widow. If you are among the vulnerable, the bereaved, the defenseless, those without a protector, hear God's word: I will keep your children alive; let your widows trust in me. God cares for the vulnerable; he has not forgotten you. And if God's heart is so bent toward the vulnerable, let ours be too; care for the orphan, the widow, the defenseless, as the God who protects them does.

Lord, even in an oracle of judgment against Edom, your heart turned to the most vulnerable, promising, I will keep your fatherless children alive, and inviting the widows to trust in you. Thank you for that tender care, which runs throughout your word: your special concern for the orphan, the widow, the defenseless, those without a protector. If I am among the vulnerable, the bereaved, the defenseless, help me hear your word: you care for me, you have not forgotten me, and you invite me to trust in you. And let your heart, so bent toward the vulnerable, shape mine. Help me care for the orphan, the widow, the defenseless, the overlooked, as you, their protector, care for them. You are the God who protects those who have no other protector; make me an instrument of that care, and let me trust you as my protector too.