Oh, by the way, that is not a new concept. Visit the poor, the widow and the orphan. James exhorts the community to do the same. God certainly caused a considerable change in Sarah’s circumstance – from barrenness to motherhood. According to TWOT, “the basic meaning is to exercise oversight over a subordinate, either in the form of inspection or of taking action to cause a considerable change in the conditions of the subordinate, either for the better or for the worse. Genesis 21:1 ESV – “ The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised.”

It is first used in the LXX in Genesis 21:1:

This carries the meaning not just of going to visit, but to look upon in order to help or benefit, to look after, to provide for or care for, to look out for (defend), to choose or employ. The word translated visit is epikeptesthai. My uncle was a Baptist Minister (as was my grandfather) and I know how precious those times were to him and to the members of his church. I know that those visits were treasured times of fellowship. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Does that mean to simply drop in on them from time to time to see how they’re doing? In the churches in which I grew up that was a major part of being a “pastor” – going to visit the elderly, the infirm, the unemployed, going with words of comfort and probably a prayer for God’s healing and provision. What is it to truly fear God? How does a God-fearer, one who is upright, blameless, turning away from evil (like Job) behave? What actions befit one who claims to be a friend of God? Religious – Now James provides the solution to the riddle. Rodney Baker has contributed several TW’s on Religion while I am in South Africa. If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.

True religion widows and orphans