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THE REMARRIAGE OF WIDOWS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16
Deuteronomy 25:5-12

Malachi 2:14-16

 

“…Because the LORD
hath been witness between thee

and the wife of thy youth…”

 

THE REMARRIAGE OF WIDOWS
 
The subject at hand is also part of family life. Here, the inheritance of widows was allowed, but this came with strict instructions. This was a necessary statute because there were always widows who were left by their husbands who died mainly at war. This was a law that touched again on the subject of marriage.
 
The law allowed the widow to be remarried to a brother of the deceased or a near kinsman; and the first son that would be born would bear the name of the dead husband. This kind of arrangement is exemplified in the case of Ruth, the wife of one of the sons of Elimelech. When Naomi, the mother-in-law, asked Ruth to go back to her parents, Ruth refused to go and chose to remain with Naomi. Thus, they both left Moab for Israel. Ruth was a hardworking young woman and she laboured to provide for their domestic needs. Naomi applied this law and sought the help of the kinsmen of her husband. At last, Ruth was married to Boaz and had a son, Obed (Ruth 1-4).
 
This law was given to ensure that Israel would continue to exist as a nation, for the Messiah must come from Israel. In the New Testament era, the Apostles spoke of the remarriage of widows. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul answered a question raised about marriage. He asserted that a widow or a widower is free to remarry whosoever they will but only in the Lord. Another remark related to marriage (Deut 25:11-12) was that the wife was not to interfere when her husband was involved in a fight with another man. She was not to defend her husband by putting forth her hand to take the other man by his private parts. That would be an offence and she was liable to be punished. Once again, the reason for this law was to ensure that the man could carry on his family line.
 
THOUGHT: Marriage must be between one man and one woman, and only death parts the union.
PRAYER: Father, grant Thy grace to widows.

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