Once in a while an issue comes along that divides bible believing Christian. Seldom are those issues theological. Most of us know false teaching when we see it. They are usually moral or political. One of the reasons they divide us is that the evangelical church tends to wait to comment on moral issues until they become divisive, then we step in with our Biblical platitudes and expect the world to capitulate to our ideas. Soon we find that the church's view is as divided as the world. The unwritten rule in many Christian circle is we do not talk about political and social issues. Those are not kingdom issues and we let the world deal with them.

The purpose of Samson's Jawbone is to instruct Christians on how to apply biblical truth to spiritual, moral and political issues, because they cannot be separated. All spiritual truth has moral application, and all moral actions have political consequences. No Christian can be a fully committed  disciple and ignore the political realities of her time. While no one wants to hear their pastor's political opinions every Sunday, to neglect the moral and spiritual issues of our time completely is to fail to meet our obligation to be a witness to the world and to teach the whole counsel of God. This failure becomes evident when issues arise like we currently see on the U.S. border arise. What is the compassionate Christian view towards immigrant, refugees, asylum seekers at the border? If we claim to be a Judeo- Christian nation what guidance does the Bible give toward these issues?

This week former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Attorney General Jeff Session both quoted scripture in defense of their particular immigration policies. Both quoted commonly held passages out of context merely to give credibility to their positions. Christians who politically favor one or the other embraced their statements as justification for their own beliefs.  For too many years we expected politicians to be our spiritual leaders and to enact biblically based policy. Rather than speaking to the world from an informed Christian world view we have voted for politicians based on some kind of collective sense of how closely they conform to our theological litmus, thinking that if we get people in office with the right belief we will bring about social transformation. Some of us are allowing the current crisis on the border to shape church and define its mission rather than the church being "the light of the world [the] city on the hill that cannot be hidden." It is a sad day when politicians are attempting to define the boundaries of biblical culture rather than the pulpits.  Because of our infighting we are offering no solutions to the current immigration crisis. All we are doing is making our selves irrelevant.

Not long ago after President Trump issued his Executive Order restricting travel from certain countries a friend of mine, who is a  Christian musician, who was nationally prominent in the 1970's, defined the ambivalence Christian's feel about the current border crisis. He wrote this on his Facebook page:

Compassion is a Christian value and I believe an American one  ...  I'm not naive.  I understand that terrorists are looking to enter our country, and I am for all the background checks and law enforcement we need to do to make sure they aren't allowed in.  But my faith, and I'd like to think basic human decency, demands that I not turn a blind eye to the suffering masses who are fleeing war ravaged regions of the world.  How exactly to meet their needs will be debated, but surely Christian folks can agree that Christ taught us to serve the least of these. Compassion shouldn't be a partisan issue.  The book of Matthew speaks to me today… "For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

He correctly identified the issues: One God has appointed governments to be responsible for our security and safety. Christians are called upon to be compassionate, altruistic people. Can we turn away masses of humanity who face desperate social conditions and be faithful to the great commandment? Helping the poor, immigrants, and refugees is a fundamental value of Christians, and a specific responsibility of godly people. His reference to  Jesus words in Matthew 25, however, showed a common misunderstanding of the church's social responsibility. Some even argue that those who restrict immigrantion discredit their testimony and bring judgment on themselves. As we have addressed in other places Matthew 25 primarily addressed the church's responsibility to persecuted brethren in the end time period, to argue that salvation is dependent on our ministry to the poor and downtrodden would be a denial of the principle of justification by faith alone. So what a Christian response to those flooding the border.

Jesus made clear that his mission included both personal redemption of the sinner and social liberation (Luke 4:16 - 19). His church is to be an agent for regeneration of the individual and for social reform. Some would argue that the church's responsibility both to reach all nations with the gospel and to liberate the oppressed requires us to place no restrictions or very limited restrictions on access to our national affluence. Many Christians argue something like this, "God told Israel to help the alien, the immigrant and the refugee; therefore he would never approve of us turning them away, or of separating families at the border." What God approves may not be quite so clear. A look at the history of Israel reveals that while God called upon the people to heal the sick, to help the poor, and to liberate the oppressed he also established governments for the purpose of security, social order and stability. When we examine how the nation responded to alien people entering and interacting with their county caveats and cautions about immigration seem reasonable.

While our nation is not a theocracy and we are not governed by the Old Testament Law, the Old Testament is instructional for us (Romans 15:4). National policy can be influenced by understanding what God condoned and God condemned in the life of Israel. The Bible can give us examples and principles for to guide policy making.. God commanded the nation of Israel to control her borders and to restrict entry into the country:

Some aliens entered the country and assimilated into it. Some did not. Those who did not enter legally and assimilate were considered to be breaking the law. Legal and illegal aliens were treated differently under the Old Testament Law, even a legal alien did not have the full right of a citizen. When the Jews left Egypt there were some Gentiles living in Egypt who left with them, and they were assimilated into Jewish culture and covenant (Exodus 12:38; Numbers 11:4; Jos 8:35). Not all aliens living among the Jews were allowed to be citizens or to participate in the covenant. Some laws were  specifically directed at certain groups (Lev 12:19;17:10,15; 18:26; 20:2; 24:16) and they were restricted in what they could do because of their "immigration status." For some  their was a path way to citizenship, but only if they committed to the covenant and assimilated into the social customs are values of the nation. Israel was neither multi-cultural nor pluralistic. God intended Israel to be a nation of priests that would extend his holy name to the whole world:

[5] Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; [6] and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” (Exodus 19:5–6ESV)

For Israel to carry out their mission God commanded restrictions on immigration both for the security of nation and preservation of it's mission:

• Some people groups were prevented from becoming part of the covenant community and their descendants were denied citizenship for up to 10 generations (Exodus 12:48; 34: 15- 16 Deuteronomy 7:1-4; 23:3).
•  God told Israel specifically to prohibit entry into the country of some groups and on one occasion he commanded Israel to annihilate an entire population (Deuteronomy 14:21). 
• The Edomites were judged because of their oppression of Israel.