Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 8 · Chapter 22
CHAPTER XXII. Whether they might take the ſonnes of the Prophets widow for debt or not?
2 KING. 4. Now cryed a certaine woman of the wiues of the ſonnes of the Prophets unto Eliſha ſaying, the Creditour is come to take unto him my two ſonnes to be bondmen.
IT is a pitifull thing to adde griefe to thoſe who are in griefe already; this widow ſhee was in griefe already, and thoſe who would take her ſonnes from her, adde new griefe unto her. The Lord ſaith, Make not ſad the heart of the widow. Iere. 22.3. Elias 1 King. 17.20. ſaid unto the Lord, O Lord my God, thou haſt brought evill upon this widow with whom I ſojourne, by ſlaying her ſonne: As if he ſhould ſay, is it not enough O Lord, that thou haſt taken away her husband, but thou wilt take away her ſonne alſo? The Lord could not doe wrong to this widow by taking away both her ſonne and her husband; but they who came to take this poore widowes children, did great wrong to her, in adding new griefe to her.
The widow in the Hebrew is called [Almonah] muta ab [Alam] ſilere, foreign Vidua ab foreign Silere. foreign Vacua.becauſe ſhe hath no body to ſpeake for her; and ſhe is called [Rikam] emptie. Ruth 1.21. becauſe ſhe wanteth a husband to defend her; a widow who liveth in pleaſure, ſhee is dead while ſhee is living, 1 Tim. 5.6. but a widow that is a widow indeed and deſolate, truſteth in God, and ſhe is civilly dead when ſhee wanteth the meanes to helpe her.
The Lord forbiddeth in his Law to take to pledge the upper or the nether Milſtone, which are the meanes to maintaine the mans life, Deut. 24.6. The widowes two ſonnes were (as it were) the nether and the upper Milſtone to gaine her living. Secondly, the Lord forbiddeth to take to pledge the cloths in which the poore man lieth in the night, for he ſaith, when he cryeth unto me I will heare, for I am gracious, Exod. 22.27. And when thoſe two ſonnes of the widow were taken from her, did not the Lord heare her, a poore woman, a poore widow, the widow of one that feared the Lord, the widow of a Prophet? Yes verily, he heard her and that quickly; And, he that ſaith, Touch not mine anointed, and doe my Prophets no harme, Pſal. 105.15. ſo he ſaith, touch not the Prophets widow, nor her ſonn…s, and doe them no harme. Thirdly, the Lord commanded them when they went to ſeek the pledge, that they ſhould not goe in into the houſe to fetch it, but they ſhould ſtand abroad, and the man ſhould bring it out himſelfe, Deut. 24.10. But they who violently tooke away the womans ſonnes obſerved not this, but did as the wicked ſervant in the Goſpell, who tooke his fellow-ſervant by the throat, ſaying, Pay me that thou oweſt, Mat. 22.28.
Object. Yee will ſay, this was a juſt debt, and therefore ought to be payd.
Anſw. See what Eſay anſwereth, Chap. 58.6. Is not this the Faſt that I required, to undoe the heavie burden, and to let the oppreſſed goe free? This debt was a heavie burden vponupon the poore womans ſhoulders, and therefore they ought to hauehave remitted it.foreign Pignus. Funis. Iob. 22.6. Thou haſt taken a pledge from thy brother: Hhobhel, ſignifieth both pignus and funis a pledge, and a cord, becauſe it bindeth as ſtrongly as cords doe; and the Greekes call it foreign, Quaſi obligatio, ſuppoſitum, & obnoxios ſibi ſubijcere, with this cord they would hauehave bound the poore widow.
Iob when he deſcribeth the oppreſſor, Chap. 24.3. he ſaith, he taketh away the widowes Oxe for a pledge; he taketh the Oxe, the beaſt that is ſo needfull for her, therefore he that tooke an Oxe was bound to reſtore fiue Oxen for him, Exod. 22.1. Againe, to take the widowes onelyonly Oxe, we ſee how Nathan exaggerateth the rich mans fault, for taking the poore mans only ſheepe, 2 Sam. 12. And if it be oppreſſion, and a crying ſinne to take the poore widowes Oxe, what a ſinne was it to take her ſonnes, who ſhould hauehave relieved her in her neceſſitie? Ezek. 18.16. it is a note of the childe of God, that he withheld not the pledge from the poore. In the Originall it is [Hhabhol lo hhabhal] Pignorando non pignoravit, foreign Pignorando non Piguoravit.the repetition of the ſame word ſignifieth to take away the pledge, and to keepe it.
The widow of Tekoah, when one of her ſonnes had killed the other, and the revenger of the bloud came to kill, ſhe deſired that her other ſonne which was aliue, might be ſaved, becauſe he was her unica pruna, her onelyonly ſparkle that was left aliue, 2 Sam. 14. Wherefore to take this widowes two ſonnes from her, was to put out her light.
The concluſion of this is. Concluſion. Of all ſorts of oppreſſion this is one of the greateſt, to doe wrong to the fatherleſſe, and the widow; for the Lord is a father to the fatherles, and a Iudge of the widowes, Pſal. 68.6. therefore men ſhould beware to wrong or harme them: God will defend their cauſe, he relieveth the fatherleſſe and the widow, Pſal. 146.9. And he that is their Redeemer is ſtrong.