Adoption and fostering in the Bible

Elaine Storkey unpacks three biblical characters’ stories to show that God has a heart for those cut off from their birth families 

You don’t have to look far in the Bible to find God’s concern for vulnerable people. The Psalms, for example, share God’s involvement with those orphaned. In Psalm 10, we’re told that God is their helper and defender, hearing their cries (vv14, 17-18). In Psalm 146:9, God watches over orphans and sustains them. In Psalm 82:3, God instructs us to defend them, and uphold their cause. In Psalm 68:5 God is even described as “father to the fatherless”.