“Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.”
~ Psalm 82:3
Hi James and Ellen,
Are you thankful that you have a dad and a ma? If you are thankful that you have a dad and a ma, why are you thankful that you do? What would you do if you did not have a dad and/or a ma? There are a lot of kids throughout planet Earth who do not have a dad and/or a ma. A kid who does not have a dad and a ma is called an orphan. A kid can become an orphan after something catastrophic happened to his or her dad and ma. A relative or relatives of a kid who has become an orphan may have the orphaned kid move in with him or her or them. The relative or relatives may decide to adopt the orphaned kid – which will make the orphaned kid legally his or her or their kid. A kid who has become an orphan because something tragic happened to his or her dad and ma will sometimes have a stranger or strangers adopt him or her – which will make the orphaned kid legally his or her or their kid. Sometimes a dad and/or a ma will have so many kids that they just cannot take care of one more kid so they take their new baby to a state sanctioned agency for the agency to find another home where the family in that home is willing to raise the baby. Sometimes a dad and/or a ma are so mean to their kid or kids or a dad and/or ma so totally ignore their kid or kids that a state sanctioned agency will take their kid or kids away from them. The agency will find another home for the kid or kids to live in where the kid or kids will be hopefully treated much better and where the kid and kids will hopefully not be ignored. These homes where a kid is or kids are put in to live – after a dad and/or a ma thinks that they no longer have room in their place for one more kid or because a dad and/or ma are really mean to their kid or kids and are hurting their kid or kids or because a kid is or kids are being totally ignored by his or her or their dad and/or ma, are called foster homes. There are times when a dad and/or a ma will kick one of their kids out of their house because they do not have enough money to take care of that kid or because they do not have enough room in their house anymore for that kid or because they just do not want that kid around anymore for one reason or another. When a kid is kicked out of his or her house by his or her dad and/or ma, where do you think that the kid will go? A kid who has been kicked out of his or her home will sometimes start living on the streets with other kids who have been kicked out of their houses. These kids are called street kids. Have you ever seen a street kid? How would you like to be a street kid? Street kids are not liked very much. To stay alive, street kids will go through garbage to find food to eat. To get money to stay alive, street kids will do things that you would never ever think of doing. To try to escape their bleak lifestyle and hopeless future, street kids will sometimes sniff glue and take drugs.
There were kids when David was living on planet Earth who did not have a dad and a ma. What do you think that guys and gals did with kids who did not have a dad and a ma when David was living on planet Earth? Asaph played the cymbals in David’s temple choir. David’s temple choir was tasked to sing praise songs to God in front of the Ark of the Covenant. Asaph also wrote psalm songs. Twelve of Asaph’s psalm songs are in the Psalm Book. Psalm 82 is one of the Psalm Songs that Asaph wrote. Asaph was thinking about kids who did not have a dad and a ma when he wrote in verse 3, “Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.” Your grandmaa and grandpaa often see street kids near where they are living in Guatemala City. What do you think that your grandmaa and grandpaa should do when they see a street kid? Some of the street kids who your grandmaa and grandpaa see will go from car to car asking or begging for money. Your grandmaa and grandpaa sometimes see street kids who they know are younger than six years old asking or begging for money from the guys and gals who are in cars that are stopped at a traffic light. Sometimes kids who may not even be six years old yet will go from car to car that are stopped at a traffic light to try to get whoever is in the cars to buy a small box of Chiclets or a piece of candy that they are trying to sell. Other kids will juggle oranges or limes or blow fire from their mouths in front of the cars that are stopped at a traffic light. After juggling oranges or limes for a few moments or blowing fire – which is putting a small amount of gasoline in their mouths and then lighting the gasoline with a burning wick that they have in their hand just as they are blowing the gasoline out of their mouths, the little kids will then go from car to car asking for money from whoever is in the cars stopped at a traffic light. Your grandpaa will sometimes have a young kid shine his shoes who is trying to earn money by shining shoes. How would you like it if instead of going to school, that you have to do something – like shine shoes, to earn money for something to eat?
God has blessed you with a house to live in and a ma and a dad to raise you. God is blessing your dad and ma with having a house to live in and two kids to raise. There are a lot of kids throughout planet Earth who are not as blessed as you are – who are being abused by guys and gals who are only thinking of themselves – who are literally and figuratively fighting to just survive while making streets their homes – and who have no one thinking about them let alone caring about them. God knows the names of every single kid who has no dad and/or ma and who is making streets their homes. God sees what every single kid does who is living on planet Earth who has no dad and/or ma and who is making streets their homes. God per Asaph is not happy with guys and gals who do not care about kids who do not have a dad and/or ma. If you had the opportunity to do something today for kids who do not have a dad and/or ma who make streets their homes and beg to stay alive, what would you want to do for these kids?
Psalm 82 (247)