Daily Bible Reading On Immigration

I'm in the book of the Bible about the shortest man "Knee High Miah".

Neh 13:3 So it came about when they heard the law, they excluded all foreigners from Israel.

I've noted that all sorts of left wing denominations have suddenly discovered selective Biblical texts relative to immigration in light of Trump's temporary restrictions on travel to the US from 7 majority Islamic countries specially identified by the BO administration as sponsors of terror. It is quite refreshing to hear the ELCA quoting from Leviticus.

The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. – Leviticus 19:34

I await their quote and declaration of importance for our lives of other Leviticus scripture.

20:13 "If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."

The media calls it "Trump's Muslim ban" ... usually presented as permanent (wink, wink, nod, nod). I've heard that the media even in Christ's day tended to use "Trumped up charges" to crucify people.

We could talk for hours about "who is your neighbor", and the difference between "Caesar" (the government), vs you as an individual. If "Caesar" decides a nation needs borders. and they need to be controlled, does that make Christians immoral for being citizens? Acts 22:25 -- As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?”

That sounds strangely like Christians that happened to be Roman citizens were not treated equally to non-citizens, and that was fine. 

The bottom line is pretty much that:

1. VERY few of the admonishments to New Testament Christians (none?) are about taking on the government. You pay your taxes, you fight as a soldier if you are drafted, you act as a "good citizen". If the government asks you to directly deny Christ or similar, you stand up, refuse,  and take your punishment.
   
2. Outsourcing to the government isn't a "good work". YOU are to be neighborly, provide charity, etc. Voting for for someone that promises to take other people's money and give it to "the poor" is not "helping the poor"in a Christian sense. Forcing the other guy to help non-citizens isn't a "good work" either.
   
3. "Caesar" defines the borders of the country, the enforcement of those borders, etc.
   
4. YOU, help "the poor" as YOU  find them in your community ... and yes, you are admonished to love them if they are Islamic, atheist, gay, democrat, Vikings fans, etc  Your task is to help,  not to preach others about how THEY ought to love them and the form that love should take. Not judging means you don't get to judge ANYONE as bad, nor even good ... that is above your pay grade. Your mission  (which you pray to the Holy Spirit to aid you in accepting) is about LOVE.

I've come to appreciate the Old Testament more as life has gone on. To me, the Old Testament is clear on "God's ways are not our ways", and God is SOVEREIGN ... "The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom". It aids in making human pronouncements "less certain".

For OT attacking tribes / nations, the word can also be taken as "clear": I Sam 15:3

"Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.'"

That would be a hard one for my wife, she really likes donkeys! I find "the least of these" in the US to be the 60 million murdered in their mothers wombs. I believe that once our nation and churches are right with God on that, our ability to understand God's love will radically improve.

That is however only what **I** believe ... I'm not a bishop or anything, it is just what is in my soul. If we as Christians can search the scriptures on that issue alone and have general agreement, I believe the strength of our voice on other policies will increase tremendously.