James 1:27

27 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.(KJV)

The first part of this verse states: Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this. The word "Religion" in the original Greek is "Threskeia," and according to Strong's concordance it means "ceremonial observance: -religion, worshiping." In Rienecker/Rogers Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament this word expresses "the worship of God, religion, especially as it expresses itself in religious service or cult."

Understanding this passage in the context of worship is a very radical departure from how we define and practice worship in the church today. Yet, the significance seems unavoidable when realized not only in the context of worship, but that God the Father considers worship in this form to be "pure and faultless," or to put it another way it is considered by Him to be "Christlike."

Looking at the second part of this passage: To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, let us refer to "Sharing God's Heart for the Poor -- Meditations for worship, Prayer and Service," by Amy Sherman, the founder of Abundant Life Ministries in Charlottesville, Va. This is what Amy writes about the word "visit" (or "to look after" in the NIV):

The word "visit" in Scripture is connected with the idea of rescue and redemption. In some translations, Exodus 3:7 is translated as God saying that He has "visited" His people Israel in Egypt and took note of their suffering. And this is immediately followed by God's statement, So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So here we have a connection between the visitation of God and His plans to deliver the Jews from slavery. Here, visiting involves rescue and deliverance. In Luke 1:67-79, the father of John the Baptist, Zechariah, exults in a prophetic word that foretells the coming of Jesus the Messiah. In verse 68, he says, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, for He has visited His people to redeem them." Again, we see the connection between visiting and deliverance, visiting and redemption.

If the idea of worship through serving is a radical departure for us in ways that we have typically defined worship then the implications for us in viewing the visitation of the widow and the fatherless from the perspective that Amy has brought to light should greatly increase the importance with which God's people should weigh the necessity for this as an ongoing priority in our worship of God.

This now brings us to the third and final part of this passage: (and) to keep himself unspotted from the world.

The word "keep," according to Strong's Concordance is translated from the word tero (tay-reh'-o); and it is: "from teros (a watch; perhaps akin to 2334); to guard (from loss or injury, properly, by keeping the eye upon; and thus differing from 5442, which is properly to prevent escaping; and from 2892, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus), i.e. to note (a prophecy; figuratively, to fulfil a command); by implication, to detain (in custody; figuratively, to maintain); by extension, to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively, to keep unmarried); by extension, to withhold."

KJV-- hold fast, keep (-er), (pre-, re-) serve, watch.

In the original Greek text "and" does not appear, so, when this whole passage is read without the connecting word "and," what is being presented here to us in very plain language is the fact that as Christ's betrothed we cannot be betrothed to another (i.e. the world). The implication here, based on viewing the third part of this passage in this context then becomes quite staggering for us. In effect, to be guilty of not worshiping God in this way is to be unfaithful to our Betrothed, which can only mean faithfulness to another. Perhaps, to put it more plainly, there was a time in Biblical history when the guarantee of a bride's virginity was determined by placing a special covering on the bed for the wedding night. Whether that bride had been with another would be revealed by the staining of this covering. The care of the widow and the fatherless appears, according to James 1:27, to be the litmus test of our own faithfulness as Christ's bride to our ever faithful Bride groom.

It is also interesting to note that the word "keep" that is used in this passage is very similar in meaning and principal to the word "keep" that was first used in Genesis 2:15: And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. (KJV) In the original language according to Strong's Concordance the word "keep" is: "shamar (shaw-mar'); a primitive root; properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc.:

KJV-- beward, be circumspect, take heed (toself), keep (-erself,), mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch (-man)."

This word is used again several more times in Genesis in what should be consider very significant to this discussion:

Gen 3:24
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. (KJV)

Gen 4:9
9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? (KJV)

Gen 17:9 9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. (KJV)

The significance of this word being used in these passages lies in the fact that God created a setting in a Garden of His own creation for Adam, and ultimately Eve, to preserve it in accordance with God's commands. When, through their own deception which led them to be guilty of unfaithfulness, they found themselves exiled to a place outside of paradise that, by comparison, could be termed a place of desolation. The ideal, to preserve, or "keep the way of the tree of life" in effect, occurs both inside the Garden as well as outside of it. The way into the perfect paradise is blocked by the Cherubims and a flaming sword so that Adam and Eve cannot return by the same route in which they left. To return requires that we be both born again in spirit and ultimately our physical selves must die as well.

In terms of preserving, or keeping the way to the tree of life open outside the Garden God makes it very clear that one, we are our brother's keeper (Gen. 4:9), and two, our faithfulness to Jesus is measured in accordance with the keeping of His covenant that He made first between Himself and Israel beginning with Abraham (Gen. 17:) and then with us through Jesus. And in Jesus, the image of marriage is created as the object that we are to be in constant preparation for as we anticipate the coming of the end of this age and the great day of the wedding feast at which time the Church, Christ's Bride will be joined at the altar with our ever faithful Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.

This brings us back, once again, to what it means to be faithful, what it means to remain pure and undefiled, and what it means not be deceived as Eve was as it is expressed by God in 2 Cor 11:2-3:

For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3.) But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (KJV)

Based on James 1:27 how is it possible to define the simplicity that is in Christ any other way? Especially, when we look at what has been recorded in Zechariah 7 with regard to God's rebuke of Israel for her unfaithfulness. In verse 5 and 6 in this chapter in Zechariah God questions whether Israel's faithfulness is to Him or a Church system, so to speak:

Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? 6.) And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?

The reasons for God's questioning Israel's credibility in their devotion to Him is revealed in verses 9 and 10 where He exhorts them :

9.) Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother: 10.) And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. (KJV)

Obviously, if Israel had been faithful in the first place to include these areas as part of their worship of God they would not have been confronted by God in this way. In the same way, if they had recognized their guilt in being unfaithful when they were confronted with it through the Prophet Zechariah the consequences that they ultimately suffered would not have happened. Unfortunately, they did not listen to the Lord's Prophet and their fate, which is recorded for us in the last verse of this chapter reveals the very tragic consequences that Israel ultimately suffered as a result of their unfaithfulness.

14.) But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate. (KJV)

Although, God is the one who scattered Israel, this passage goes on to place the blame on Israel for "laying the pleasant land desolate." It should be noted that according to Strong's Concordance the Hebrew word for widow used in verse 10 in this same chapter is:

"'almanah (al-maw-naw'); fem of 488; a widow; also a desolate place:

KJV-- desolate house (palace), widow."/p>

So, in effect, the land in which Israel inhabited at the time, a land which God had given to them, had become like the widow, in part, because of their oppression of the widow and the fatherless.

With regard to worshiping God through the mandates that are presented in James 1:27, the New Testament records at least 2 significant events that stand in stark contrast to Zechariah 7 in their outcomes. The first event is John 19:26 when Jesus, as His very last act on the cross, entrusts His widowed mother into the care of his disciple John. Since Jesus was the eldest son the responsibility for making certain that His widowed mother would be cared for fell on His shoulders. Although, this act does not prove that Jesus is the promised Messiah, if He had failed to provide for His mother it would have cast serious doubt on this claim. With this last act, though, in that Jesus is the word made flesh, we see through His death and ultimate resurrection that follows the Gospel rapidly begin to spread.

The second event takes place in Acts 6 when a plea (Isaiah 1:17) was made to the Apostles that the Greek widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. Details are not given as to how much time passed before this problem was solved, but since it had to do with hunger it probably happened fairly quick.

In the progression of meeting this need one of the most striking aspects is the high standard set for those that are chosen to, literally, wait on tables.

Acts 6:3, Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. (KJV)

What is, perhaps, equally amazing is the fact that once those 7 men were chosen the Apostles actually laid hands on them and prayed for what they were about to do. Apart from the significance that is being attached to James 1:27 in this discourse what other possible explanation could be given to explain what happened to Israel in Zechariah 7 when they would not heed God's rebuke, and by contrast what happened in Israel according to Acts 6:7 as a result of both hearing and to responding to the needs of "widows in distress?"

Acts 6:7, And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. (KJV)

As part of this discourse it is also important to point out that single mothers should be regarded as widows as well. According to John MacArthur, in his study "Caring for Widows", I Timothy 5:3 defines who is a widow based on condition and not circumstance. The condition of being bereft due to the absence of a husband is what determines a woman's status for being a widow rather than how she came to be in that condition. There is no age attached to this mandate either. So, any woman, of any age, regardless of whether her husband has died, abandoned her, divorced her, in prison, or even in a nursing home, these woman must be recognized as widows and subsequently given the honor that they are entitled to receive. This, of course, means that for those widows who are younger, and have children, that their children justifiably should be considered as fatherless.

Having presented a Scriptural foundation for the necessity of the Church, Christ's Bride, to view the mandate presented in James 1:27 not just as an area of mercy ministry, but as a primary means for worshiping God through the display of His mercy, Widows Harvest Ministries thus appeals to the church to make as her priority, even as we make our Sunday morning worship time a priority, one of the primary means for worshiping God in the communities where we have been called to serve.

Churches need, as part of their vision, a mission that is solidly based on Scripture, focused on worship and that can be implemented in practical ways that allows for whole families as well as individuals to learn to minister together through outreach in communities and, at the same time, to receive back encouragement and to be ministered to. The mandates presented in James 1:27, as the basis for this, will accomplish all of this and more.

In Conclusion