Lord’s Day, Vol. 8 No.18
Appealing to God
1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? (Lk. 18:1-8 KJV)
Our Lord Jesus comforted the church in her distress by a parable to pray and not to faint, appealing to our Father in heaven who is the just Judge for His people.
The widow in the parable has no recourse for her grievances but to continue to appeal to, albeit, the unjust judge. She was in a desperate plight. She has no other to turn to right her wrong. This parable by our Lord Jesus teaches us the lesson never to give up seeking the Lord: “men ought always to pray and not to faint”. Prayer is the believer’s power with God. Persistence in prayer is not the natural habit of the believer. Jesus uses this parable to teach this lesson. This parable encourages us to never stop praying even in the toughest of circumstances. Our faith cannot be seen but our prayer life can be seen, it is evidence of true faith. It gives hope to the children of God who are going through any trouble, call upon Him and He will help you. He is always fair, always just, on our part, we must make sure we are on the Lord’s side.
Verse 1 gives the teaching point – “men ought always to pray and not to faint”. Verses 2-5 gives the parable featuring 3 key or prominent characters or elements of the parable (1) the undeterred widow (2) the unjust judge whom the widow sought persistently to vindicate the wrong done to her (3) the adversary who was the source of the widow’s misery, and verses 6-8 gives the application.
By way of a rhetorical question, verse 7 gives the contrast between the unjust judge and the just and righteous God, the Judge of all judges, who will certainly vindicate His children in distress who refuse to give up calling on Him. Verse 8 gives then the punch line for every believer living in the days just prior to Jesus’ Second Coming to show your faith by your good work of persevering prayer.
This is the test of true faith. When we stop praying, we stop believing. When we pray, God gives us faith. Faith keeps us praying and praying strengthens our faith, paradoxical but true. This is the mysterious interplay of man’s responsibility and God’s sovereignty.
1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought (a necessity of law and command, of duty) always to pray, and not to faint.
And He spoke also a parable to them, the King James translator correctly translated in the italics “to this end” to show purpose. Jesus speaks this parable “to this end”, to this purpose, “that” He is speaking to encourage, exhort, give confidence in the heart that “believers must always pray and not faint”.
2…There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
The first word in verse 2 is the “judge” and the first word in verse 3 is the “widow.” These are the two key characters in the parable to watch.
This judge whom Jesus described is one who is not given as a symbol of God but is used to contrast what God is not, in verse 6, Jesus calls him unjust. He “fear not God and neither regarded men.” These words are in the “present tense” meaning it is his way of life do what he likes with total disregard to the plight of his supplicant. In short, this judge is himself a wicked man. He is a law to himself, he doesn’t rule according to God’s law which is the guide for Israel’s judges.
Ancient Israel was a theocracy, God rules by His appointed judges. These judges give the absolute final word in any dispute or judgment for any criminal. There is no appeal. No higher court. Whatever an Israelite judge said to the criminal is final. The judges of Israel are to rule according to God’s laws. They are to reflect God’s law to the people. Their sacred appointment was to mete out justice according to God’s Word. However, when judges become corrupt and take bribes, justice is perverted. The poor and innocent have no recourse but to cry out to God for divine justice. This widow we can see is in great distress and in her helpless estate, being sorely pursued by her adversary, enemy or tormentor. This “adversary” is the widow’s tormentor. He is the main culprit for the widow’s trouble. This is the reason for her misery and her having to seek redress.
Our Lord is helping us to contrast human judges and the Divine Judge who is infinite, eternal, and unchanging in His justice. The purpose is to give us hope that He will certainly help, to patiently wait upon Him. Amen.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee