Borders & Immigration

All political topics are in some way biblical topics.

In and through the Gospel, Jesus judges and corrects

all views and doctrines.

Revelation 7:9 (NLT2) After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands.

How do you think John knew this vast crowd was “from every nation and tribe and people and language”? 

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God likes UNITY. But He doesn’t want everyone to be the .

Borders

• God seems to regard borders as meaningful and important

Deuteronomy 32:8 (ESV) ⁸  When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. (…”under the care of divine guardians” – (MSG))

(MULTILINE REVEAL BIG)

Acts 17:26-27 (NIV) ²⁶  From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. ²⁷  God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

(MULTILINE REVEAL BIG)

• Ezekiel 47:13-23 details the Promised Land’s boundaries.
• Joshua 13-19 describes the borders the Lord established for the tribes of Israel.

Proverbs 23:10-11 (NIV) ¹⁰  Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, ¹¹  for their Defender is strong; he will take up their case against you.

(MULTILINE REVEAL BIG)

Immigration

• In the US, “Immigration” is a word covering a LOT of activities. We have People coming from other nations:
  • To visit friends and family
  • To tour our country
  • For education
  • For business
  • To live here and raise their families
  • Some are coming for unacceptable reasons
• They are coming in different ways
  • Temporary visas
  • Some want to become citizens
  • Some are crossing at designated Border Entry Points
  • Some are crossing wherever they can
• All of it falls under the political heading of “Immigration”

A good question:

How would God have us deal with immigration?

• The direction God gave the nation of is instructive in this – and has some wisdom we might apply in our situation

NOTE: A translation issue: When the Bible uses the English words “foreigners”, “strangers”, &/or “aliens”, in the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek they used more words than that had specific meanings and uses that we don’t translate well.

Similar to “Love.” In English, we translate the following Greek words with the one English word:

• Storge – the natural affection of family members
• Philia – strong friendship
• Eros – “sense of being in love” – same root at “erotic” (sexual)
• Agape – unconditional love regardless of circumstances

• Here are several words in Hebrew/Aramaic, and their corresponding meanings:

“Ger” – a Permanent Naturalized Resident/Citizen

“Nohkrim” or “Toshab” – a Temporary (Pagan) Visitor

“Zur” or “Zar” – Those Who Come to do Harm

• How is each group to be treated?

Permanent Naturalized Resident/Citizen – ger (גֵּר‎)

• The word ger means someone who wants to convert to be one of you. Ruth the Moabite is an example:

Ruth 1:16-17 (NIV) ¹⁶  But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. ¹⁷  Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”

• The gerim (plural of ger) were expected to follow the laws and the commandments of God, but the gerim were not the as Jews.
  • The ger followed almost all the same laws, and received almost all the benefits
  • But, for instance, generally weren’t allowed to own land or worship in the inner courts of the Temple
• Yet those differences were erased upon marriage or adoption, because they were then officially incorporated into the Jewish family.
• The ger were subject to the same laws as a Native-born Israelite

Numbers 15:15-16 (NLT2) ¹⁵  Native-born Israelites and foreigners are equal before the LORD and are subject to the same decrees. This is a permanent law for you, to be observed from generation to generation. ¹⁶  The same instructions and regulations will apply both to you and to the foreigners living among you.”

(MULTILINE REVEAL BIG)

Leviticus 24:16 (NIV84) ¹⁶ anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.

(MULTILINE REVEAL BIG)

Exodus 12:43-49 (NLT2). ⁴⁸  “If there are foreigners living among you who want to celebrate the LORD’s Passover, let all their males be circumcised. Only then may they celebrate the Passover with you like any native-born Israelite. But no uncircumcised male may ever eat the Passover meal.”

(MULTILINE REVEAL BIG)

• God wanted the Ger to be treated well

Deuteronomy 10:17-19 (NLT2) ¹⁷  “For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. ¹⁸  He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. ¹⁹  So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Leviticus 19:33-34 (NLT2) ³³  “Do not take advantage of foreigners who live among you in your land. ³⁴  Treat them like native-born Israelites, and love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.”

(MULTILINE REVEAL BIG)

Temporary Pagan Visitor –

Zarim (זָרִים) or Nokhrim (נָכְרִים) or Toshab  (תּוֹשָׁב)

• Nokhrim didn’t believe what Jews did
  • or have the same values
  • or have the same worldview
• Nokhrim were travelers
  • Traders
  • Visitors
  • Sometimes emissaries
  • Occasionally invaders
  • Generally peaceful
  • Kept foreign citizenship and worldview

• The laws for citizens were not applicable to nokhrim :

Deuteronomy 23:20 (NLT2) ²⁰  You may charge interest to foreigners, but you may not charge interest to Israelites, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything you do in the land you are about to enter and occupy.

Deuteronomy 14:21 (NLT2) ²¹  “You must not eat anything that has died a natural death. You may give it to a foreigner living in your town, or you may sell it to a stranger.

Deuteronomy 15:1-3 (NLT2) ¹  “At the end of every seventh year you must cancel the debts of everyone who owes you money… ³  This release from debt, however, applies only to your fellow Israelites—not to the foreigners living among you.

Deuteronomy 17:15b (NLT2) Be sure to select as king the man the LORD your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite; he may not be a foreigner.

(MULTILINE REVEAL BIG)

All Ger were at one time “nohkrim/pagans.” [Example: Ruth the Moabite]

How do these Temporary Pagan Visitors become Ger?

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Those Who Come to do Harm –

Zur (‏זוּר‎) or Zar (זָר)

• Zur – a word referring to something discordant that should be expulsed; can mean “loathsome”

Isaiah 1:7 (NIV) Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire; your fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, laid waste as when overthrown by strangers.

(MULTILINE REVEAL BIG)

Psalm 54:3 (NLT) For strangers are attacking me; violent people are trying to kill me. They care nothing for God.

(MULTILINE REVEAL BIG)

Jeremiah 51:51 (NIV84) “We are disgraced, for we have been insulted and shame covers our faces, because foreigners have entered the holy places of the Lord’s house.”

(MULTILINE REVEAL BIG)

Ezekiel 28:7–10 (NIV84) ⁷ I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor. ⁸ They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas… ¹⁰ You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.’ ”

• Not every instance of zur and zar are in the context of ruthless conquering invaders, but I found no references to ruthless conquering invaders that didn’t use zur or zar.

(MULTILINE REVEAL BIG)

How do you think God recommended treating the zur?

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• We have, generally speaking, 3 groups of people coming to our borders: What are appropriate BIBLICAL policies to hold regarding each?

“Ger” – a Permanent Naturalized Resident/Citizen

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“Nohkrim” or “Toshab” – a Temporary (Pagan) Visitor

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“Zur” or “Zar” – Those Who Come to do Harm

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NEXT WEEK: Israel, Hamas, & Gaza