Orphans

Children without parents, whom God commands his people to protect and care for. Deuteronomy 10:18 declares that God 'defends the cause of the fatherless.' Psalm 10:14 says God is 'the helper of the fatherless.' The law required that portions of tithes and harvest gleanings be set aside for orphans (Deuteronomy 14:28-29, 24:19-21). James 1:27 defines pure religion as looking after 'orphans and widows in their distress.' Psalm 68:5 calls God 'a father to the fatherless.' Throughout Scripture, the treatment of orphans serves as a measure of a community's faithfulness to God's character of compassion and justice.