God’s law taught Israel how to treat the stranger justly. As our nation struggles to respond to the immigration crisis, we need to go God’s Word to make sure we are not treating them unjustly.
Tag: god
The Law of God and the Stranger Among Us
God’s law is not silent on how to treat the strangers, who live among us. The church should have God’s view on immigrants, not the latest political theories.
National Rebellion and the Judgment of God
The current immigration issue is a manifestation of God’s judgment upon this land. Therefore, the remedy is not more border agents, border walls, or deportation agents, but national repentance.
The Ultimate Watchman: God’s Border Policy for Israel
The security of Israel’s border was not sourced in the strength of their military, but their obedience to God’s law. The same is true for us. Our border security is not sourced in more walls at the border or hiring more ICE agents, but bringing our homes, churches, and nation in alignment with God’s law.
The Word of God: The Catalyst for True Reformation
All reformation comes when the church returns to the Word of God.
Isaiah 7 and 8 Explained: Judgment, Misplaced Trust, and Immanuel
Isaiah 7 and 8 address a question that is easy to recognize even when the ancient names are not: Where do you turn when you are afraid?
King Ahaz faced a real military threat. His answer was to seek protection from Assyria, a power much greater than the enemies at his border. Isaiah brought a different answer. Judah’s security depended on trusting God, not on purchasing the favor of a stronger king.
Here is the sharp edge of the passage: the power Ahaz trusted to rescue Judah would become an instrument of Judah’s judgment. Yet judgment would not cancel God’s promises. Running through these chapters is the name Immanuel, meaning God with us.
To understand the unusual names, invading insects, and overflowing rivers, we need to keep both truths in view. Judah would be humbled. God would remain faithful.
Deuteronomy 22:6–12 Explained: Stewardship, Safety, and Distinctions
What does a bird’s nest have to do with a rooftop railing? And why would laws about seeds, farm animals, and clothing appear alongside both?
Deuteronomy 22:6–12 brings these ordinary things into the life of Israel’s covenant with God. Its concerns are practical, but they are not merely practical. The passage addresses the preservation of life, the responsible use of creation, and the importance of remembering whom God’s people serve.
The central lesson is that stewardship carries responsibilities. Receiving something for your use does not give you permission to use it carelessly. That applies to a house, an animal, a field, and, by spiritual application, the people entrusted to your care.
Some of these commands are straightforward. Others raise difficult questions about their purpose and their application to Christians. Understanding them requires a distinction of its own: the difference between what the text explicitly commands, what its imagery suggests, and how a principle might apply today.
Isaiah 7:14 Explained: Immanuel, King Ahaz, and the Promise of Hope
Isaiah 7:14 announces the birth of Immanuel, whose name means God with us. Matthew identifies this promise with the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. But the prophecy first appears in a setting that looks nothing like a peaceful Christmas scene. Judah faces invasion, its king is frightened, and the future of David’s royal house appears to be in danger.
That setting matters. The promise of Immanuel answers a question larger than how one king will survive one war: Will God keep his covenant when the people entrusted with his promises refuse to trust him?
Isaiah’s answer is that Judah’s unbelief will bring judgment, but it will not cancel God’s faithfulness. Ahaz looks for security in Assyria. God directs his people toward a different king altogether.
Deuteronomy 22:5 Explained: Clothing, Gender Distinction, and Christian Modesty
Does God care what people wear? Deuteronomy 22:5 makes it difficult to answer with a simple no. The verse prohibits women from wearing what belongs to men and men from wearing women’s clothing, then describes the violation as detestable to God.
But that immediately raises practical questions. What makes clothing masculine or feminine? Does this command still matter for Christians? And how do we take it seriously without turning personal preferences into another set of commandments?
The central principle in the creation-order reading of Deuteronomy 22:5 is that clothing should respect, rather than deliberately erase, the distinction between men and women. Applying that principle requires attention to Scripture, cultural meaning, modesty, and the heart. It requires more than a list of approved garments.
Isaiah 6 Explained: God’s Call, Judah’s Judgment, and the Hope of a Remnant
Isaiah 6 is often remembered for the prophet’s willingness to serve God. But willingness is only part of the story. Isaiah offers himself before he knows what his ministry will involve. Then he discovers that his preaching will meet resistance, deepen Judah’s hardness, and announce a judgment that God has already determined.
That makes this chapter more demanding than an inspirational message about finding your purpose. It asks a harder question: Will you serve God because of who he is and what he has done, even when the work is difficult and the results are not what you hoped?
To understand Isaiah’s commission, we need to hold together three things: God’s holiness, his mercy toward sinners, and his authority over the outcome. Separate them, and the chapter becomes either discouraging or sentimental. Keep them together, and even its darkest passages contain hope.
Psalm 77 Explained: Finding Hope When God Feels Distant
What do you do when you pray, but comfort does not come? When you remember God’s goodness, yet your present circumstances seem to contradict it?
Psalm 77 meets you there. Asaph describes sleeplessness, overwhelming grief, and questions about whether God’s mercy has come to an end. He is not writing from a comfortable distance. He is a believer struggling to make sense of suffering.
The central lesson of Psalm 77 is that hope grows as we bring our distress to God and deliberately remember his character and his works. The psalm does not promise that the trouble will immediately disappear. It shows how faith can recover its footing while the trouble remains.
Deuteronomy 21:22–23 and 22:1–4 Explained: Christ’s Curse and Love for Your Neighbor
What does an ancient law about an executed criminal have to do with Jesus? And what do wandering livestock have to do with loving your neighbor?
More than we might expect. Deuteronomy 21:22–23 establishes limits on displaying an executed person’s body and requires burial that same day. Paul draws on this passage in Galatians 3 to explain how Christ bore the curse of the law for his people. Deuteronomy 22:1–4 then gives concrete instructions for protecting a neighbor’s property and helping an animal in distress.
Together, these passages bring two truths into focus: Christ delivers his people from condemnation, and redeemed people are called to practice active love. That love involves more than keeping your hands off someone else’s belongings. Sometimes it means putting your hands to work on their behalf.
