Deuteronomy 10:18–19 (NKJV)
“He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
The Bible consistently distinguishes specific groups of people who are often defenseless against oppression. God commands His covenant people to regard these individuals as special objects of our concern. Among these are the strangers, or immigrants, living within our borders. If we look closely at biblical law, we find an underlying assumption: a nation that is materially blessed by God will naturally attract immigrants. Because of this, we must recognize that there is no biblical justification—and therefore no true economic justification—for prohibiting immigration altogether.
There is a popular mythology in our culture that immigrants simply take jobs away from citizens. It is deeply ironic that this belief is fiercely held by groups who are otherwise in violent opposition to one another. History gives us stark examples of this. In Southern California in past decades, Ku Klux Klansmen would patrol the Mexican border to aid government agents in rounding up undocumented immigrants, often subjecting them to horrific violence. On the completely opposite end of the political spectrum, during the 1974–1975 strikes near Yuma, Arizona, union representatives from the United Farm Workers brutally beat hundreds of Mexican workers to keep them from crossing the border and taking striking melon workers’ jobs.
God is firmly opposed to this kind of abuse. We must draw a clear line between defending a nation from military invaders or criminals, which is a biblical duty of the state, and treating mere immigration as a crime. When government agencies harass and oppress people simply for crossing a border to find work, they are acting in flagrant violation of the law of God.
The Scriptures are clear. God tells us that He loves the stranger, and He commands us to love him also. In the Bible, love is never merely a sentiment; it is always an action. Deuteronomy 10 defines this love as providing strangers with what they need in order to live—food and clothing. It angers God when we abuse them, trouble them, or make life hard for them. God requires the courts to administer the exact same justice to the immigrant as to the native citizen. Leviticus 24:22 says, “You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the LORD your God.” Oppression of the stranger is strictly forbidden and actively brings down divine judgment upon a nation.
However, the biblical command to treat the immigrant justly does not mean the abolition of all distinctions. It does not constitute a legal mandate for forced integration. Biblical law maintains a realistic appraisal of the often heathen backgrounds of immigrants. For example, Old Testament law permitted Israelites to sell meat from animals that died naturally to strangers, since pagan cultures generally had no objection to eating it, whereas God’s covenant people were forbidden from doing so (Deuteronomy 14:21). Furthermore, full citizenship in Israel was delayed for certain ethnic groups for three, and sometimes ten, generations (Deuteronomy 23:3, 7–8). The Bible recognizes these realities, yet it still commands justice, fair treatment, and positive concern for the welfare of the immigrant.
What then should a society do about illegal immigration? Gary North offered a set of practical, free-market solutions that align with biblical principles. First, require proof of immunization to protect public health. Second, abolish the minimum wage law. Third, abolish all public welfare programs. Fourth, abolish the requirement that the children of immigrants attend public schools at the taxpayers’ expense. After that, just let them work at whatever wage they can negotiate.
The real crisis at our borders is not caused by people willing to labor; it is caused by our homegrown socialist programs. The welfare state has turned hard-working immigrants into a perceived threat. In the nineteenth century, our great-grandparents were welcomed, or at least tolerated, precisely because there was no American welfare state to subsidize them.
God blesses nations for covenant obedience. If we practice kindness and true justice toward strangers, the Lord promises national blessing (Jeremiah 7:3–7). If we disregard His law and oppress the immigrant, God warns that He will judge us by making us immigrants ourselves. This is exactly what happened to Judah when they refused to heed Jeremiah’s warnings; they were sent into captivity. Upon their return, the prophet Zechariah reminded them of this history and exhorted them again to dispense true justice, practice compassion, and not oppress the stranger (Zechariah 7:9–14).
The prophet Ezekiel looked forward to the flowering of Christian culture through universal obedience to biblical law. He spoke of the complete assimilation of strangers into the covenant. This assimilation does not come about through the positive legal enforcement of external integration, but through a common adherence to the true faith. When Christians provide an evangelical witness to strangers by observing God’s justice toward them, it results in their conversion and discipleship. As Ezekiel 47:21–22 demonstrates, the inclusion of strangers in the covenant community is the beautiful result of our obedience to God’s Word.
Practical Applications for Obedience
We must evaluate our political and economic views through the lens of Scripture rather than partisan talking points. This means actively opposing the unjust mistreatment of immigrants while simultaneously advocating for the removal of the unbiblical welfare state that creates economic hostility. In our personal lives, we are called to demonstrate actionable love to the strangers in our own communities, looking for opportunities to provide for their needs and demonstrating the justice of God so that they might be won to the gospel.
Theological Reflection Questions
- How does the biblical definition of love as action challenge the way you view and interact with immigrants in your community?
- In what ways does the modern welfare state conflict with biblical law, and how does this unbiblical system create unnatural hostility toward those seeking work?
- Read Jeremiah 22:3–5. How does God’s warning of exile for those who oppress the stranger demonstrate the seriousness of covenant faithfulness in our civil laws?
