|
by
Doug Ward |
Throughout history people have moved frequently, migrating
to find food or employment, to flee from war or persecution, or simply to
improve their lives. Such moves often take travelers into foreign territory.
For
the patriarch Abraham, migration was part of a divine calling to bless the
nations. From his native Ur he traveled five hundred miles to Haran (Gen
11:31), then later journeyed an additional four hundred miles to Canaan (Gen
12:1-5). Abraham described himself as a "sojourner and foreigner" in
Canaan (Gen 23:4). Today we might call him a "resident alien" or
"landed immigrant"---one who takes up permanent residence in a
foreign country with the permission of the authorities in that country.1
Since Abraham did not own land in Canaan, he had to negotiate carefully to
obtain water rights for his flocks (Gen 21) and a burial site for his family
(Gen 23).
In
the days of the patriarchs, Egypt was the wealthiest country in the Mediterranean
region and a refuge for people from surrounding nations in times of trouble.
When there was a famine in Canaan, herdsmen would come to Egypt in search of
water for their flocks. The Egyptians provided help but kept close tabs on
foreign visitors, building a number of forts to protect their borders and
monitor traffic into their country.
The
Egyptians sometimes viewed these visiting herdsmen with contempt. One Egyptian
document, Wisdom for Merikare (c. 2200 B.C.),
comments on the plight of the "miserable Asiatic" who lacked water
and food.2 We see hints of this Egyptian prejudice
in verses like Gen 46:34, which comments that "every shepherd is an
abomination to the Egyptians." Here it was not the practice of herding
sheep that was the abomination, but the fact that this practice was associated
with needy foreigners.
Egyptian
ambivalence toward immigrants is reflected in their treatment of the children
of Israel. As Joseph guided Egypt through a time of famine, the Pharaoh was
happy to welcome Joseph's family to Goshen as resident aliens (Gen 46-47).
However, subsequent Egyptian rulers turned on the Israelites and forced them
into bitter slavery (Exod 1).
When
God rescued Israel from slavery, the Israelites were accompanied on the Exodus
by a "mixed multitude" of people of other nationalities (Exod 12:38). The same was true forty years later, when they
arrived back in Canaan (Josh 8:33). As part of Israel's overall mission to the
nations, it was anticipated that others would be drawn to the true God (Deut 4:5-8) and seek to become resident aliens in the
Promised Land. Such people were to be received with kindness, not as the
Egyptians had treated the Israelites. "You shall treat the stranger who
sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself,
for you were strangers in the land of Egypt," Lev 19:34 instructs. There
are similar admonitions in Exod 22:21; 23:19; Deut 10:19.
The
Torah, in contrast to other law codes of the Ancient Near East, grants special
protection to resident aliens, who did not own land in Israel and often lacked
the support of an extended family. They were allowed to glean the grain left in
the fields, along with the poor, orphans, and widows (Lev 19:9-10; 23:22; Deut 24:19-22). In the third and sixth years of every cycle
of seven years, a tithe was collected to help resident aliens ("the
sojourner" in the ESV) along with Levites, orphans, and widows (Deut 26:12-13). Moreover, Deut
10:18 states that God "executes justice for the fatherless and the widow,
and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing."
Resident
aliens are guaranteed equal protection under the law in the Torah. Law courts
are admonished to judge impartially, treating Israelite and alien alike (Deut 1:16-17). Equal protection implied equal
responsibility, with the same penalties for the same crimes. For example,
"Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, and whoever kills a person
shall be put to death. You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for
the native" (Lev 24:21-22) Sojourners could celebrate Passover if their
males were circumcised (Exod 12:48), and they could
offer sacrifices under the same rules that applied to native Israelites (Lev
22:17-19; Num 15:15-16). They were subject to the prohibition on leavened
products during the Days of Unleavened Bread (Exod
12:19) and were expected to fast and refrain from work on Yom Kippur (Lev
16:29-30).
The
sojourner or resident alien was a person who chose to live in Israel and adopt Israelite
ways. Such people were welcomed, even when they came from peoples that were
often enemies of Israel. Rahab (Josh 1), Ruth, and the Amalekite member of
Israel's army in 2 Sam 1 are specific biblical examples.
There
were other foreigners who came in contact with Israel, like people who came for
temporary employment or business dealings. These people did not have the same
responsibilities as resident aliens, so they did not enjoy the same privileges.
For example, they could not observe Passover (Exod
12:45) or benefit from sabbatical year debt forgiveness (Deut
15:3). Such restrictions provided some incentive for a foreigner in Israel to
become a resident alien.
When
Israel did not live up to the standards of the Torah, they received correction
from inspired prophets. Through the prophet Malachi, for instance, God promises
judgment "against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the
widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner" (Mal
3:5). The New Testament epistle of James continues this type of rebuke against
employers who, motivated by greed, exploit their workers (James 5:1-5).
Sojourners can be especially vulnerable to this kind of exploitation.
Although
our world today is much different from that of ancient Israel, the principles
of the Torah have modern applications. For example, a country should not grant
resident alien status to a group of people and then turn against them, as the
ancient Egyptians did to the Israelites. The United States now looks back with
shame upon its treatment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War.
Employers should not bring workers into a country illegally and then take
advantage of their vulnerable position to enslave or otherwise exploit them.
Actions like these certainly violate the principle of love of neighbor (Lev
19:18; Matt 22:37-40) and other commandments mentioned above. Finally, it is
worth noting that just as ancient people were attracted to Israel's God and his
ways, modern non-Christian immigrants and refugees often come to faith through
the witness of Christians in their host countries. The arrival of such immigrants can be
viewed as an opportunity for evangelism rather than a cause for fear.
1See James K.
Hoffmeier, The Immigration Crisis: Immigrants, Aliens, and the Bible,
Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 2009, p. 50.
2Hoffmeier,
pp. 40-41.
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