Immigration is a huge issue worldwide, and in America the topic has been debated on the presidential campaign trail and in the Supreme Court. What does God want us to do about foreigners (the Bible’s term for immigrants, refugees and aliens)? In this devo you can use with your group, it’s really not that complicated.
The Backdrop
It’s obscure, but it’s huge. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were given an intriguing instruction. It wasn’t about pork, manna or lamb sacrifices. Rather, it was about foreigners.
First, some quick back story. You probably are aware of the Israelites’ captivity in Egypt, which started with Jacob’s family, through the events of Joseph moving to Egypt. It ended 400 years later through the events of Moses. They were finally free to trek to and inhabit the land God had promised them. After a 40-year delay in the wilderness because of their disobedience, they finally inhabited their promised land of milk and honey. Along their journey, the Israelites were given detailed instruction for living in this land as God’s people. Among the laws about sacrifices, burnt offerings and the Sabbath, they were given this obscure instruction about foreigners. Below are samples of these instructions. As you read these samples, note the reason God gives for the instruction.
“Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt” (
“Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt” (
“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God” (
“Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this” (
Before we go too far, it helps to know how the word foreigner is being used in these verses. Some versions translate the word from the Hebrew as alien or stranger. In essence, it’s somebody who does not belong to the tribe but somehow has found him or herself in the tribe’s territory. Maybe he’s passing through and got lost. Maybe she visited and stayed. The bottom line is, they’re those who are unfamiliar with the territory and the people.
With that in mind, read the passages again and note what God says about how to treat foreigners and why. To help yourself notice the detail, make a list of what you found, then check that against the lists below.
How to Treat Foreigners:
1. Don’t mistreat them.
2. Don’t oppress them.
3. Treat as a native-born.
4. Love them as yourself.
5. Don’t deprive them of justice.
Why:
1. You know how they feel.
2. You were once slaves/foreigners in Egypt and the Lord redeemed you.
The So What:
Take a minute to write down two or three reasons why you think God singled out the foreigner as someone for the Israelites to pay attention to and care for.
With this single command, God tapped into two big concepts: empathy for mankind and gratitude for God. Because Israel knew how if felt to be foreigners, they were in a unique position to offer encouragement and help. Because it was God who rescued them from that foreign land, each time the Israelites helped a foreigner, they were remembering what God did for them, a remembrance that kept them grateful for God’s redemption.
These two big concepts are very much in play today. If you pay attention, you’ll notice God will bring people in your path who are experiencing things you already have experienced. Maybe it’s someone who is seeking God the way you sought God in becoming a believer, or maybe it’s someone who is experiencing a life struggle similar to one you’ve experienced. God is asking you to enter in with these people and their situations. He is asking you to minister to them out of the redemption and comfort that God has brought you. He is asking you to remember His work in your life.
Take a minute to write down any foreigner situations God might be bringing your way. After you’ve written a few down, view the examples below.
Examples:
1. The new student who just moved in from another school district.
2. An immigrant family, someone who has moved from another country, either permanently or temporarily. You may have more in your neighborhood than you think.
3. Someone who is experiencing a life challenge that you have already experienced or navigated (e.g., relationship breakup, death in the family, cut from a sports team, didn’t get the part in a play). Your empathy will encourage them.
Now Do This:
Think through a specific action you could do to reach out to the foreigners in your life. Remember that one of the ways God asked Israel to treat the foreigner was to “love them as yourself.” So when thinking about what you could do, ask yourself what kind of help you would want if you were in that situation.
Seal the Deal:
Did you notice in Deuteronomy 24 that God gave foreigners the same importance as orphans? It must be a big deal to take care of the foreigner. Make it a goal to implement one of your ideas within the next 48 hours. You’ll be tapping into empathy for others and gratitude for God at the same time. That’s huge.
