The Bible On Immigration

There is a growing concern about the lack of security at our southern border. Many illegals are flooding into our country unawares. Drugs, especially fentanyl, are peddled by Mexican cartels to our children, frequently resulting in death and grieving, heartbroken parents. Some illegals (all of whom have broken the law by entering illegally) wish ill of America by committing acts of terrorism. We must secure our borders to prevent devastating harm. The Bible, God's Word, has guidelines to help solve this issue. It should be noted here that whenever the phrase “strangers and sojourners” is used in the Bible, it refers to legal immigrants.

            Way back in the early Old Testament period, the Bible reveals that national borders were recognized. In Numbers 20:16-22, the children of Israel had already fled Egypt and traveled through the Red Sea on dry ground. Now they were approaching the border of Edom by way of Kadesh and asked permission to pass through Edom to get to the Promised Land but were denied entrance. Though Edom’s refusal may have been wrong, the Jews acknowledged her borders.

Not only were national borders recognized, but they were also controlled. In the previous Bible passage, there were guards at the border of Edom. They had a say in whether or not Israel could gain access. Other nations denied passage to them as well. We see more of what happened in Judges 11:16-20. Though Israel was mistreated, the principle of a nation exacting its authority over who it allows to come in is seen. We see this principle in the workplace where an employer weighs things in his mind to determine if the person he is interviewing would be a good fit for the company. The home is also an excellent example of who is and is not welcome to enter.

            Every nation has a right to regulate those who enter. Vetting processes must take place to ensure the safety of our nation. National security is one of the government's most, if not the most, essential functions. Every immigrant must be willing to submit himself to the laws of whatever country he desires to be a citizen of. No exceptions should be made lest we cheapen the privilege for honest immigrants wanting to come to America. In Genesis 46:31-34, it is seen that Israel followed Egypt’s laws by residing in Goshen, just outside of the city proper, since shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians.

            A good example of what an immigrant looks like is found in Joseph in the Old Testament. His brothers all hated him (Genesis 37:4) and planned to leave him for dead (37:24-27), but then decided to sell him to the Midianites, who then sold him as a slave to Egypt (v. 36). Joseph was sold to Potiphar “an officer of Pharaoh’s, and captain of the guard” (Genesis 37:36; 39:1). God’s Word says that Joseph was a prosperous man and Potiphar trusted him to the point that everything in his house was availed to him (39:4, 6, 8). It wasn’t long until Potiphar’s wife seduced Joseph daily, but he kept resisting her. One day she grabbed him by his coat which he took off and ran out of the room. With his coat still in her hand, she saw that as an opportunity to attract attention and falsely accuse him of rape (39:12-15). He spent a couple of years in prison until Pharaoh needed someone to interpret his dream. Joseph interpreted the dream with God's enabling and gave Pharaoh the steps needed to help with the upcoming famine.

Although Joseph faced especially turbulent circumstances, God was with him. Even as a slave, he learned the Egyptian language, observed Egypt’s customs and laws, including marrying an Egyptian woman, and proved himself a model citizen of that nation. He is especially noted for becoming second-in-command under Pharaoh.

            A bad example of an immigrant is the account of two men, in Joshua 9, from Gibeon, that stood before Joshua. These two Gibeonite men entered Israel from another neighboring nation and made themselves look utterly pitiful. They disguised themselves in old, tattered clothing and shoes and brought moldy bread to manipulate Joshua’s emotions and gain special favor with him. Joshua failed to use the vetting process by not seeking counsel before making his rash promise to them, which placed a significant burden upon Israel.

            If we want to see America safe, secure, and respected by all other countries, we must get busy implementing policies and taking action to help us move forward. President Ronald Reagan said, “A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation.” Similarly, if a father cannot do all he can to protect his home, he is irresponsible. If we don’t protect our borders, children will continue to perish, and a host of other problems will continue to increase. Think on these things.