Jewish rabbis believe that because the bible is God’s Word, there is nothing in the bible by chance. Every word and punctuation mark has some significance. Two students studying to become rabbis were discussion a passage from Deuteronomy which says that God commands us to put the Word of God on our hearts. Why not in our hearts? They asked a rabbi & who said that our hearts are closed & the word of God cannot get in. But the word sits & waits for when our hearts are broken so that the word will fall gently inside.
When things are going well for us, when we’re strong & confident & successful, God’s word sits on our hearts. It can’t get inside because we are too full of ourselves. But when we fail or hurt or struggle, God’s word falls gently into our hearts
The central characters of the scripture today are widows. In the biblical world, they were the most vulnerable members of society. They had no pension or welfare or social security to provide for them. With their husbands, they had nothing so needed to depend upon God alone. It’s when we’re desperate, broken & lost that we finally allow the word of God inside our hearts.