How does God respond to the unwanted? - Unwanted - TouchPoints

Psalm 27:10Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.

Psalm 66:20Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

Ezekiel 16:6-8“But I came by and saw you there, helplessly kicking about in your own blood. As you lay there, I said, ‘Live!’ And I helped you to thrive like a plant in the field. You grew up and became a beautiful jewel. Your breasts became full, and your body hair grew, but you were still naked. And when I passed by again, I saw that you were old enough for love. So I wrapped my cloak around you to cover your nakedness and declared my marriage vows. I made a covenant with you, says the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.”

God loves the unwanted.

Genesis 16:7The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur.

God pursues the unwanted.

Isaiah 56:8“For the Sovereign Lord, who brings back the outcasts of Israel, says: I will bring others, too, besides my people Israel.”

Ephesians 2:12, 15In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. . . . He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.

God accepts the unwanted.

Genesis 29:31, 33When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive. . . . She soon became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon, for she said, “The Lord heard that I was unloved and has given me another son.”

Psalm 72:13He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them.

God has compassion on the unwanted.

Job 34:28“They [wicked people] cause the poor to cry out, catching God’s attention. He hears the cries of the needy.”

Psalm 22:24For he [the Lord] has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.

Psalm 34:6In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles.

Psalm 69:32The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.

Psalm 86:1Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help.

Isaiah 41:17“When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.”

God hears the cries of the unwanted and needy.

Deuteronomy 10:17-18“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing.”

Psalm 147:3He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

God ministers to the unwanted.

Psalm 109:30-31I will give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising him to everyone. For he stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them.

Psalm 140:12I know the Lord will help those they persecute; he will give justice to the poor.

God intervenes on the behalf of the unwanted.

Exodus 23:10-11“Plant and harvest your crops for six years, but let the land be renewed and lie uncultivated during the seventh year. Then let the poor among you harvest whatever grows on its own. Leave the rest for wild animals to eat. The same applies to your vineyards and olive groves.”

Deuteronomy 14:28-29“At the end of every third year, bring the entire tithe of that year’s harvest and store it in the nearest town. Give it to the Levites, who will receive no allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigners living among you, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all your work.”

Deuteronomy 26:12-13“Every third year you must offer a special tithe of your crops. In this year of the special tithe you must give your tithes to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows, so that they will have enough to eat in your towns. Then you must declare in the presence of the Lord your God, ‘I have taken the sacred gift from my house and have given it to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows, just as you commanded me. I have not violated or forgotten any of your commands.’”

God provides for the unwanted.

Deuteronomy 31:6“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

Isaiah 41:10“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

God strengthens, helps, supports, and leads the unwanted.

Psalm 12:5The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.”

Psalm 146:9The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.

Isaiah 25:4You are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat. For the oppressive acts of ruthless people are like a storm beating against a wall.

Jeremiah 49:11“I will protect the orphans who remain among you. Your widows, too, can depend on me for help.”

God protects the unwanted.

Psalm 10:14, 17-18You see the trouble and grief they cause. You take note of it and punish them. The helpless put their trust in you. You defend the orphans. . . . Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them.

Psalm 68:5-6Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

God defends and vindicates the unwanted.

Jeremiah 22:3“‘This is what the Lord says: Be fair-minded and just. Do what is right! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Quit your evil deeds! Do not mistreat foreigners, orphans, and widows. Stop murdering the innocent!’”

Zechariah 7:10“Do not oppress widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor. And do not scheme against each other.”

God forbids the oppression of the unwanted. Furthermore, he commands us to be fair-minded, to be just, and to do what is right toward the unwanted.

Exodus 22:22-24“You must not exploit a widow or an orphan. If you exploit them in any way and they cry out to me, then I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will blaze against you, and I will kill you with the sword. Then your wives will be widows and your children fatherless.”

Deuteronomy 27:19“‘Cursed is anyone who denies justice to foreigners, orphans, or widows.’ And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’”

Jeremiah 5:27-29“Like a cage filled with birds, their homes are filled with evil plots. And now they are great and rich. They are fat and sleek, and there is no limit to their wicked deeds. They refuse to provide justice to orphans and deny the rights of the poor. Should I not punish them for this?” says the Lord. “Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?”

Ezekiel 22:7-13“Fathers and mothers are treated with contempt. Foreigners are forced to pay for protection. Orphans and widows are wronged and oppressed among you. You despise my holy things and violate my Sabbath days of rest. People accuse others falsely and send them to their death. You are filled with idol worshipers and people who do obscene things. Men sleep with their fathers’ wives and force themselves on women who are menstruating. Within your walls live men who commit adultery with their neighbors’ wives, who defile their daughters-in-law, or who rape their own sisters. There are hired murderers, loan racketeers, and extortioners everywhere. They never even think of me and my commands, says the Sovereign Lord. But now I clap my hands in indignation over your dishonest gain and bloodshed.”

God promises judgment against those who oppress the unwanted.

Isaiah 53:3He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

Luke 2:34Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him.”

Luke 9:22“The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,” he [Jesus] said. “He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”

Luke 17:25“But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation.”

God empathizes with the unwanted with first-hand knowledge.