Stupid on Facebook 2019.12.29

Every Christmas, Leftists twist Scripture to convince ignorant Christians to support Leftist causes. This year was no exception. 

According to Leftists, Joseph, Mary and Jesus were illegal aliens seeking refuge in Egypt, so if you support securing your country's borders, and enforcing immigration law, you're just as evil as Herod, who murdered every male child in Bethlehem under the age of two.

If you're an ignorant Christian, who doesn't read the Bible, knows little or nothing about history, and confuses feelings with critical thinking, you might be taken in by such sophistry. So, let's apply some critical thought, supported by Biblical, and historical facts to the claim, shall we?

Joseph did, in fact, take Mary and Jesus from Bethlehem (in Judea) to Egypt.

Matthew 2:13 Now when they [the Magi] had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” 

14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

If you know anything about history, you can immediately see the problems with the Leftist narrative of the Christmas story.

Both Judea, and Egypt were part of the Roman Empire. Moving from Judea to Egypt was analogous to moving from California to Nevada. Joseph, Mary and Jesus never even left the political jurisdiction of the Roman Empire, and there was definitely nothing illegal about it.

When Herod died, Joseph moved Mary and Jesus back out of Egypt (Matthew 2:15), to Galilee, which was also a Roman province.

So, if your claim is that the Nativity story is prescriptive (tells us what to do), and not descriptive (tells us what happened), an honest person would conclude that persecuted people should legally move to a safer place within their own political jurisdiction, and leave that place as soon as the danger no longer exists.

But that's not what Leftists are selling, is it? That's because Leftists are liars.

Does the Bible tell us how we should treat immigrants, and refugees? Yes, it does.

First, the Bible tells us that nations are God's idea.

Deuteronomy 32:8 When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations,
When He separated the sons of Adam,
He set the boundaries of the peoples
According to the number of the children of Israel. 

Job 12:23 He makes nations great, and destroys them;
He enlarges nations, and guides them. 

Acts 12:26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

Second, the Bible tells us to respect boundaries.

Deuteronomy 19:14 You shall not remove your neighbor’s boundary stone, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 

Deuteronomy 27:17 ‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s boundary stone.’
“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ 

Proverbs 22:28 Do not remove the ancient boundary stone
Which your fathers have set.

"But that's talking about individuals' property", you say? Why would respecting a neighboring country's boundaries be any different than respecting your individual neighbors' boundaries? If trespassing onto another person's property is immoral, what makes trespassing onto another person's country moral?

Third, the Bible commands us to obey the law.

Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

1 Peter 2:13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

I see no exemptions for immigration law. Do you?

Nations and their boundaries are real things, established by God, who commands us to respect boundaries, and obey the law. Which means that, if we want to immigrate to another country, we must do so legally. If we are denied entry, we must respect the boundaries, and the law of the land we're trying to enter.

So, how should we treat immigrants among us?

Exodus 22:21 You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 

Exodus 23:9 Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 

Leviticus 24:22 You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the Lord your God. 

Deuteronomy 24:17 You shall not pervert justice due the stranger or the fatherless, nor take a widow’s garment as a pledge. 

Deuteronomy 27:19 ‘Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

Leftists love to quote those verses, especially the last two, but think about it. What is the justice due to a stranger who violates the laws of the land by entering the country illegally?

Deportation certainly seems like a reasonable measure of justice due, doesn't it?

Christians; read the Bible. The whole Bible. Stop ignoring the Scriptures you don't like.