Alfred Shropshire
"When a man is newly married... he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he has taken,"
What a great idea! It may be a bit impractical, but great nevertheless. This idea of exempting a newly married man from military duty was not geared toward extending the familial line by not putting the new groom in any situation, which might cost him his life. Rather, it was to form the basis for a happy and rewarding relationship with his new bride.
Today's worldly situations would argue against such a proposal. The cost of living alone makes it almost impossible to exempt one's self, let alone one's mate, from being a wage earner in order to make ends meet. However, to "cheer" one's mate, and family, should be an everyday occurrence, practiced without prejudice.
The Winter 2010 issue of Record, the publication of the American Bible Society, contains an article on the plight of women, particularly widows, in India today. There are over 359 million women in India. In rural areas, "widows are subjected to many Hindu cultural practices and beliefs of the past that have not evolved along with the Indian society. Women have to contend with huge injustices, and are prone to suffer even worst injustices if they are among the poor majority of Indian society... . Focusing on empowering women and girls is the most effective way to fight poverty, religious extremism and inequalities in [Indian] society."
In his first letter to Timothy, Paul gives sound advice, which still applies today. It's as new as it ever was. Paul says that believers should "... treat older women as you would your own mother. Show the same respect to younger women that you would to your sister." 1 Timothy 5:2 (CEV)
Father: The Golden Rule never goes out of style. Forgive us for not practicing it consistently. Amen
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