Proper Welcome (3/4)

The exchange of fire continues between the U.S., Israel, and Iran, with other Gulf region countries having become targets of Iranian retaliation.  Iran has long had proxies in the region who have done its bidding, and there are people who are sympathetic to the cause of jihad, as directed in the Muslim Koran, spread out far and wide, perhaps even extending to the U.S.  This is a result of policies that allow unvetted people bent on terror to enter our nation.  

The New York Post stated recently: "Although no specific credible threats have yet been publicly revealed, counterterrorism agencies are already dedicating resources to thwarting potential revenge attacks on US soil, according to those familiar with the situation."  The article referenced Fox News, stating: "Chris Swecker, a former assistant FBI director, said Sunday that terror 'sleeper cells' in the US are likely hard at work plotting their revenge for the US-Israel attacks on Iran."  He attributed this to open-borders policies. 

Recently, there has been discussion about the meaning of a Scripture verse contained within this passage from Leviticus 19:
33 “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.
34 You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
35 “You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measures of length or weight or quantity.
36 You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

Verse 34 has been used as a proof text to support immigration of all sorts - legal and illegal. So, when a prominent Christian Bible teacher and former pastor uses it with little context, as we saw occur recently, there was no doubt concern and strong reaction.  A Christian Post article related:

Reformed Baptist theologian and retired pastor John Piper faced overwhelmingly negative responses to a Wednesday X post that quoted an Old Testament verse about welcoming the stranger, which many took as a veiled take on U.S. immigration policy.

"You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God," Piper tweeted, quoting Leviticus 19:34. "Christians know the miserable bondage we were all in."

The article quoted from one of our Faith Radio programmers, stating:

Pastor Jack Hibbs, who serves as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, California, clarified in a response to Piper's post that foreigners expecting to join ancient Israel were expected to assimilate to their religion and laws.

"The foreigner who came among the children of Israel, were to be accepted in as converts, and not to be mistreated, but to be treated as brothers, even though they were immigrant foreigners. It was their faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that was the criteria," Hibbs wrote.

Don't miss this - strangers were welcomed, but there was an expectation here.  Jack Hibbs was not alone in his criticism.  The article also noted:

Author Katy Faust, founder and president of the children's rights nonprofit Them Before Us, echoed Hibbs by listing multiple references from the Torah that explain the foreigner and sojourner were "expected to respect and abide by the laws of Israel."

Podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey also noted that the expectations of immigrants to Israel in the Old Testament were "far stricter regulations than what we have currently."

"The tolerance for illegal migration in ancient Israel was zero. A sojourner had to follow laws about circumcision, food, marriage — all of them," she said.

Others joined in with their criticism of Piper and the message that he seemed to be sending.  Tom Buck, a Reformed Baptist pastor out of Lindale, Texas, referenced a 2008 article on Piper's website, writing on X:  "Whatever Piper meant in this post, here’s what he said about illegal immigrants. They should not be deported but pay a fine, just like we do with illegal parking." The article said: “Just like illegal parking is against the law and we are charged a reasonable fee when we're caught, so too we should charge a reasonable penalty for illegal immigrants but one that doesn't require them to return to their home country.”

A few years ago, the American Association of Evangelicals released a short document called, Wise Welcome: A Bible Study on Immigration.  It was written by Professor James K. Hoffmeier.  In the foreword, Kelly Monroe Kullberg wrote:

Like many, I’ve wondered if we could open America’s borders to welcome all who want to enter. Perhaps this is one way of fulfilling the Great Commission, as well as alleviating suffering, I reasoned. But as I’ve studied the Bible, I've come to see that one could not arrive at an “open borders” position, or a “closed borders” position, without cherry-picking the Bible. In Scripture, we find principled discernment or what we call Wise Welcome.

She went on to write: "...ignoring biblical wisdom, on any issue, creates the chaos and harm that we see in our daily news. Loss of employment to cheaper labor. Human trafficking. Sanctuary cities. Caravans. Children without parents. Voter fraud. Escalating disease, drugs and crime. Few issues are dividing Americans, including Christians, more than illegal immigration. How tragic and unnecessary when a biblical understanding of wise welcome me could heal both the Church and nation, including helping the poor both home and abroad."

Now more than ever, we need a strong policy on immigration - not just in America, but around the world.  I believe that we are not to walk in fear, but we do need to be on the alert, because there is a migration, an infiltration into various nations by people who are bent on doing harm, in the name of a spiritual quest.  We also recognize that unfettered immigration puts an incredible toll on government resources and weakens our communities.  Yet, you still have those who chastise and demonize those who are called to enforce our immigration laws and protect our communities - and our security as a nation has been further threatened by Congressional inaction in funding our vital national security interests, holding the budget for the Department of Homeland Security hostage to score political points.  

We need to pray for our communities - for safety in these difficult times.  And, pray for our leaders that they will not politicize a very real military action that has begun to liberate a nation that has posed a major terror threat to our world.   We should continue to remember our military in prayer, and as Scripture teaches, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.