Day 161 - God sets the Solitary in Families!

Today's Reading: 1 Chron. 7-10 and Ps. 68

For my brief comments today, I'm just going to say I appreciated the reminders of God's tender compassionate love for the lonely and apparently forsaken.

I love these passages in Psalms 68: "A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains." (Ps. 68:5-6)

I've heard many reference this passage as saying that God creates physical families... in other words, if you are an orphan He gives you parents, if you are widow or single, He brings you companionship.  That may be the case, but beyond this, I see these passages saying that the fatherless, the widows, the solitary (or those alone), find God to be all-sufficient for them. He provides their home. HE IS THEIR HOME!

The following comments I read in the Bible commentary. I find these thoughts of great encouragement to those of us that live alone.

The word rendered solitary means properly one alone, as an only child; Gen 22:2, Gen 22:12, Gen 22:16; and then it means alone, solitary, wretched, forsaken. See the notes at Psa 22:20. The word rendered “families” would be more literally and better translated as in the margin, houses. The idea then is, not that he constitutes families of those who were solitary and alone, but that to those who are alone in the world - who seem to have no friends - who are destitute, wretched, forsaken, he gives comfortable dwellings. Thus the idea is carried out which is expressed in the previous verse. God is the friend of the orphan and the widow; and, in like manner, he is the friend of the cast out - the wandering - the homeless; - he provides for them a home. The meaning is, that he is benevolent and kind, and that they who have no other friend may find a friend in God. 

What an encouragement. We have a friend in God! He looks after those who are alone, who seem forsaken or perhaps homeless in the worlds eyes! He is our home!

[I just realized that I accidentally missed a days worth of blogging -- June 8th. I have notes in my journal, but I did not blog online and thus, so this should be my Bible notes for June 10. Sorry about the mixup! So go back and catch up on June 8th, which I never blogged!]

Tomorrow's Reading: 1 Cor. 11-12, and 2 Cor. 12