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In Luke 18:1-8 the Lord Jesus told the disciples a parable “to the end that they ought always to pray and not lose heart”—v. 1:
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The significance of this parable is profound, and we need to know God as He is revealed here—vv. 7-8.
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The widow in verse 3 signifies the believers; in a sense, the believers in Christ are a widow in the present age because their Husband, Christ, is apparently absent from them—2 Cor. 11:2.
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Like the widow in the parable (Luke 18:3), we believers in Christ have an opponent, Satan the devil, concerning whom we need God’s avenging:
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This parable indicates the suffering we have from our opponent during the Lord’s apparent absence.
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During His apparent absence, we are a widow whose opponent is troubling her all the time.
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While our opponent is persecuting us, it seems that our God is not righteous, for He allows His children to be unrighteously persecuted—1 Pet. 2:20; 3:14, 17; 4:13-16, 19:
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Throughout the centuries, thousands upon thousands of honest and faithful followers of the Lord Jesus have suffered unrighteous persecution; even today many are undergoing unrighteous treatment—Rev. 2:8-10.
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Our God seems to be unjust, since He does not come in to judge and vindicate; because of this situation, the Lord Jesus used an unjust judge to signify God, who does not seem to do anything on behalf of His persecuted people—Luke 18:2-6:
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Our God is a God who hides Himself (Isa. 45:15), as the book of Esther indicates.
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We need to realize that the omnipotent and omnipresent God whom we serve hides Himself, especially when He is helping us—John 14:26; Rom. 8:26.
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We cannot see Him, and apparently, He is not doing anything; actually, in a hidden way He is doing many things for us—vv. 28, 34; Esth. 4:14.
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The widow in the parable kept coming to the unrighteous judge and asking him to avenge her of her opponent; we ought to pray persistently for this avenging and should not lose heart—Luke 18:1, 3:
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When our Husband is apparently absent and we are left on earth as a widow, temporarily our God seems to be an unrighteous judge—v. 6.
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Although He appears to be unrighteous, we still must appeal to Him, pray persistently, and bother Him again and again, for He will carry out quickly the avenging of His chosen ones, who “cry to Him day and night”—vv. 7-8a.
Morning Nourishment
Isa. 45:15 Surely You are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, the Savior.1 Pet. 4:19 So then let those also who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls in well-doing to a faithful Creator.
Often the children of those who are faithful followers of the Lord ask their parents why they are suffering persecution. They may ask, "Since we love the Lord Jesus so much, why must we suffer?" Usually the parents do not know how to answer. It seems to the children that the Lord whom their parents follow is not righteous. We also may wonder why we suffer, since we love the Lord and follow Him. The parable in Luke 18:1-8 answers our question.
When our Husband is apparently absent and we are left on earth as a widow, temporarily our God seems to be an unrighteous judge. Although He appears to be unrighteous, we still must appeal to Him, pray persistently, and bother Him again and again. (Life-study of Luke, p. 351)
Today's Reading
We need to be careful in understanding a parable such as the one recorded in 18:1-8. We should not try to understand it in a natural way. On the one hand, this parable indicates that the Judge is sovereign. This means that whether or not He judges is up to Him. Seemingly without reason, He may either listen to the widow or not listen to her. This parable reveals that He is the sovereign Lord and that He judges whenever He chooses.On the other hand, this parable indicates that we need to bother the Lord by praying persistently. We need to say to Him, "Lord, praying is up to me, not up to You. You never told me that I should not pray. On the contrary, You charged me to pray. Therefore, Lord, I am praying now for Your vindication." (Life-study of Luke, pp. 351-352)
Many people often ask why the living God does not discipline people who act recklessly and lawlessly and do works of unrighteousness. Even believers question why the living God does not seem to hear their prayers. The answer is simple: He is a God who hides Himself. When the Lord Jesus was crucified, God hid Himself. He did not judge the ones who crucified the Lord by striking them with lightning. God did not say a word; it was as if God did not exist. Hence, some of those present shook their heads and mocked the Lord. They said, "He trusts in God; let Him rescue Him now if He wants Him" (Matt. 27:43). The Lord Jesus trusted in God, but while He was hanging on the cross, it was as if there were no God in the universe. God was hidden when the Lord passed through this great trial.
God is a God who hides Himself. He often hides Himself in space and in time. It seems that we pray to Him but do not receive results and that we trust in Him but He ignores us. We must understand that it takes time as well as endurance to experience the living God. The day that the Lord was crucified, God hid Himself. But after three days, He raised Jesus from the dead (Luke 24:6-7). After another forty days Jesus was lifted up into heaven (Acts 1:3, 9-10). After yet another ten days, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended (2:1- 4). We must say that God is real; He is a living God (1 Thes. 1:9), and He is also a God who hides Himself.
It seems as if God did not see the Roman Empire persecuting the church in the second century. The Roman Empire used every conceivable means to afflict and slaughter Christians, but God did not stretch forth His hand to stop it; rather, He hid Himself. However, a century later the Roman Empire was divided and eventually disappeared. In contrast, the believers of Christ have remained and have spread to various places because of the true and living God. (CWWL, 1957, vol. 3, "The Living God and the God of Resurrection," pp. 8-9)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1957, vol. 3, "The Living God and the God of Resurrection," ch. 1; CWWL, 1956, vol. 2, pp. 3-13; CWWL, 1956, vol. 3, pp. 15-33