Who are the Foreigners? And Why Does it Matter?
According to BibleGateway.com, the Bible mentions the word “foreigner” 146 times in the New International Version so perhaps it is a good thing to pay attention to this topic. In the Old Testament specifically, God’s face shines upon the foreigner. He calls for the utmost care of foreigners: for provision and, even, equality. The foreigner was to be equal to the Israelites socially, legally, and nearly ceremonially (male foreigners were allowed in the Court of Women in the Tabernacle but not, however, in the Court of Men). The Lord went so far as to say that the Israelites were to love foreigners as they loved themselves! But how was it that some foreigners were embraced by the Israelites while others were subject to annihilation (1) or enslavement (2)? The answer is found in Isaiah 56:6-7:
“As for the foreigners who attach themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants . . . I will bring them to my sacred mount and let them rejoice in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings shall be welcome on my altar, for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
The foreigner the Lord loved and protected was the foreigner that had renounced the god(s) of his people and through faith had committed his allegiance to YHWH — a foreshadowing of the Church.
In Psalm 146:8-9, the Psalmist writes, “The Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.” In reading just this one text, the question must be asked: is the foreigner righteous or wicked? Similarly in Psalm 118:2-4 it says:
“Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.”
Israel praises the Lord. The house of Aaron praises the Lord. The interpretation that is most consistent with the entire body of Scripture suggests that “those who fear the Lord” are the foreigners who have committed themselves to Him. This interpretation makes sense (1) because it avoids the redundancy caused by assuming “those who fear the Lord” belong to Israel and (2) because the Lord consistently woos the lost to Himself— even in the Old Testament.
In fact, Israel was supposed to be a light the nations (3) bringing the knowledge of the Holy One to all the earth because the Lord desired all people to worship Him in his holy earthly temple. Consider the words of King Solomon during the dedication of the Temple in 1 Kings 8:41:
“Also concerning the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country for Your name’s sake (for they will hear of Your great name and Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house, hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.
Not only do verses in the Bible attest to the fact that anybody by faith (not good works, or bloodline) could join the sacred assembly of God, the lives of prominent Biblical figures also attest to God’s redemption as well. God called Abraham, a pagan, to be His great patriarch. Abraham obeyed and turned from his culture and gods to follow after God. God also welcomed Ruth (4), a pagan and foreigner, into the human lineage of Christ. And what did Ruth say to her Israelite mother-in-law? “Your God will be my God. Your people will be my people.” Likewise, God brought Rahab (a prostitute!) into his family and her conversion was quite dramatic: she committed treason. Her allegiance to YHWH facilitated the destruction and death of her people.
How comforting that the God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament: the Lord is pleased with faith, with a contrite heart that calls out to Him by faith and affirms, “There is no God but you!” There is no bloodline, no gender, no socioeconomic position, no deed too forgone to keep anyone from the love of Christ. All have a place at His table. This is what Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Ephesus:
In reading [this letter], then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
As Christians, we read these verses and stories about foreigners and understand that they are foreshadows — prophecies!— of the coming Church in the New Covenant. The godly foreigner highlights that God’s plan of redemption has always included all people and not just the Israelites. Certainly God revealed Himself and His decrees to Israel (5). Certainly, God became flesh through the lineage of Israel. But by faith, there has always been a pathway to God, even in the Old Testament, for all people. This is the meaning of God’s divine care for the foreigner.
But just as the godly foreigner foreshadows the coming gentile Believers, so too does the destruction of the pagan foreigners foreshadow the coming destruction for those who are found apart from God.
God’s work of redemption and judgment toward the foreigners calls for a posture of reverence and gratitude to the Lord. For as it has been since the beginning, it is by grace we have been saved through faith.
Post Script
In my origianl document, I had footnotes. This blog does not allow for footnotes so I’ll include them here.
What did God require the Israelites to do once they entered the land of Canaan? The Lord commanded that Israelites to totally annihilate the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, Amalekites, and Jebusites— men, women, children, and, in some cases, animals. Deuteronomy 20:16-18, 1 Samuel 15:2-3
Now, to the groups of pagan people not mentioned in the list, however, the Lord had issued a different procedure: Israel was first to offer the city a chance at peace with the condition that the foreigners submit themselves and become subservient to Israel. If the city rejected the offer, it was besieged, and the men were killed, but the women, children, and animals were spared. In these verses, it is evident that not all foreigners had to love the Lord with all their hearts, souls, and minds. But if they rejected him as Lord, they were to be conquered and treated as slaves by the Israelites. Deuteronomy 20:10- 16. Also Deuteronomy 29:11 - “the foreigners living in your camps who chop your wood and carry your water.”
Isaiah 42:6
Ruth was once a pagan, lost and apart from God. But nothing in her past or her ethnic identity separated her from the love of God— that is the gospel message! In fact, the book of Ruth is a microcosm of the whole Bible. Lost, needy, and destitute, Ruth turns to the Lord and proclaims him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He then cares for her and providentially arranges for her to be married to Boaz. Consider this: The Lord joined Jew and Gentile to bring about the bodily presence of the Messiah. Is that not the message of Christians everywhere today? “Repent, turn to the Lord, all people, Jews and Gentiles! He is returning bodily, and we can all live with him forever!” The message of Ruth is not that an immigrant woman found true love and financial stability because of an inclusive Israelite community but that the Lord truly desires all people to be a part of his sacred family.
Psalm 103:7
Finally….
Paul writes to the Church in Galatia, “Be sure to do good to all people, especially those in the household of God,” which I think is a great perspective for how Christians are to navigate the many necessary causes available to us today.
Do good to everyone.
Especially the Church.