Musing - What Does the Bible Say About Immigration?

 Hebraic Musing - What Does the Bible Say About Immigration?

You have probably heard that God’s Word says we should "show love to the foreigner" as a support for sanctuary cities and open borders.  Their supporting verse might be “When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born.  Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt….”  Lev.19:33-34 NIV   We need to address three important contextual questions before applying that Old Testament Israelite law to today’s situations:

 1.  Was there such a thing as territorial sovereignty in OT times?

 2.  What ancient Hebrew words described “stranger” or “foreigner” or “aliens”?  What do those words really mean?

 3.  What was the purpose of Sanctuary Cities or Cities of Refuge?

TERRITORIAL SOVEREIGNTY    Even in biblical times, nations had clearly recognizable borders typically demarcated by natural features like rivers and mountains.  During biblical times, and even now, wars were fought over those boundary lines, and forts were placed at those boundaries to defend each nation’s territory.  Ancient equivalents of the modern visa were required before people could enter another sovereign territory.  After the exodus from Egypt, God’s people requested permission to pass through Edom in Numbers 20:14-21, and when that permission was denied, the Israelites were turned away.  Foreigners had to obtain a permit to enter another land.

HEBREW WORDS (Stranger, Alien, Sojourner, Foreigner) IN CONTEXT   The most significant Hebrew word is “ger” which has been frequently translated as “stranger” in KJV and as “alien” in NIV.  It typically means “to sojourn” or “to live as an alien.”  (I lived in Europe for 3 years as an alien!)   BUT problems have arisen as some modern translations began interpreting the “ger” simply as “foreigner” because in Hebrew the words “nekhar” and “zar” represent the concept of “foreigner.”  But what are the differences?   
All three are foreigners who might enter another country, but the “ger” had obtained the legal permission to enter from the appropriate authority.   For instance, when Joseph’s family traveled to Egypt in Genesis 47:3-6, they appealed to no less than the king of Egypt and were granted permission to reside in Egypt as legal residents, “gers.”  Another example is when Moses received permission to “sojourn” in the land of Midian after he fled Egypt.  Moses was accepted into the family of Jethro, marrying his eldest daughter, Zipporah, and Moses took on responsibilities caring for Jethro’s flock.  This enabled Moses to call himself a sojourner (ger) not a foreigner (nekhar) even though he lived in a foreign land. 

So the “ger” are those who follow the path of a legal immigrant while “nekhar” or “zar” are “illegal immigrants.”  God makes a distinction, in the Old Testament, and that distinction holds true today.   Important – the “ger” in Israelite society could receive social benefits such as the right to glean fields (Lev. 19:9-10), and they could receive resources from the tithes (Deut. 26:12-13).  In legal matters, the citizen and the “ger” were to be treated equally with one law applying to both (Num. 15:15-16).  In employment, the citizen and the “ger” were also to be paid alike.  In all these cases, no such provision was extended to the “nekhar” or “zar” – “illegals.”

SANCTUARY CITIES or CITIES OF REFUGE     Exodus 21:12-14 establishes the practice that if anyone kills someone accidentally, they may flee to a “Sanctuary” city where they may be safe until the case could be heard, thus protecting them from the law of retribution – an “eye …, tooth… life for a life.”  The cities of refuge were not places to avoid trial or punishment, but places to make sure that the offender had the opportunity to a fair trial.  Note – American cities that try to use biblical justification for circumventing the rule of law by creating sanctuary cities for the illegal aliens are misappropriating Scripture and corrupting laws which uphold justice and order.

The New Testament is still very clear about being kind.  “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2 NIV

Points to ponder

Are we Christians sojourners/aliens in a strange land with Jesus Christ as our City of Refuge?

♫  “May we be a shining light to the nations, A shining light to the peoples of the earth,
      Till the whole world sees the glory of Your name.  May Your pure light shine through us.” ♫

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                      March 8, 2022
Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith”
“Biblical Marriage (by Yosef)”    Weekly “Hebraic Musings”     InsightsByYosef.blogspot.com/
Note – Inspired & excerpted from “What Does the Bible Say About Immigration?” Debbie Wuthnow, Pres., iVoterGuide.
            Full article available on request.