Israel, Immigration and The Wall

People around the world, are protesting our right to protect our borders. This is ludicrous on its face.

Someone asked me out of protest frustration – “Hey pastor, God would never allow a wall to separate people, would He?” – Actually, Yes, He would!

Christians look at Donald Trump as a type of Cyrus, who was the Persian king who released the Jews from exile, allowing them to go back to the Promised Land after 70 years.   Nehemiah, who came in after Ezra – who was trying to get the Temple rebuilt – came in and found the walls to Jerusalem in ruin.

What really gets me – is that I see parallels in the book of Nehemiah, and what our president is facing today. Nehemiah 2:10 – for example:

“But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.”

He immediately came under attack by opposition. Sanballat and Tobiah were there to oppose Nehemiah a every turn. Sound familiar? Look at the opposition faced by our president – at every turn.

But they didn’t deter Nehemiah – in fact, they emboldened him – verses 19 and 20:

“ But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, ‘What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?’ Then I replied to them, ‘The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.'”

I’ve said in numerous sermons – “When God says to do something, you do it!.”  Now that my voice is impaired, I don’t preach anymore. God gets me up in the wee hours of the morning to write these messages to you (or to rail against something with righteous anger) – but even though I want to sleep, I get up and do it. He blesses me for it – and if I ignore Him, He’ll keep at it  until I do. God can be worse than a nagging wife – so it’s easier to obey God.

(Wives, I’m not advocating being a nag – Solomon says in Proverbs 21:9, “It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome, nagging wife.” – So don’t do it).

Anyway, I digress – back to Nehemiah …

Starting in chapter 3, Nehemiah gets people to work on rebuilding the wall.  Click Here to read all about it.

In all, He faced opposition from Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem all throughout the 52 days it took to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. Just as our president is facing opposition to building our wall on our southern border.

But why do we build walls? Does God sanction walls?

Throughout the Bible, we see cities surrounded by high walls for protection. The USA is not building a wall to just separate us from people, but to protect us from those who do not belong here. Terrorists are coming in through our southern border – that’s a fact, we’ve caught them!

In addition, citizenship is biblical – the Hebrews are a “nation” – founded by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – shepherded by Moses and Joshua to the Promised Land. God gave laws regarding accepting “strangers” – aliens – into the Hebrew community. Exodus 12:48-49, for example:

“If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.”

If you were a guy, and you wanted to become a Jew, it was a painful proposition – forget the passport or green card – a sharp rock was used then – a scalpel is used today. Yes, he same requirement is still used today for conversion to Judaism..

So – God sanctions walls and borders for protection, and citizenship to “belong” to a community or nation. So what about being an “illegal alien” – or breaching borders or among a people, and you don’t belong there? Genesis 17 is the law regarding immigration, and to be specific, verse 14 is clear on illegal immigration:

“… any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

In the Bible, to be “cut off” means either to be exiled or killed. In this case, it means to be exiled – deported. So – deportation is biblical!

So what’s all the opposition for? It’s simple – it’s satanic! It’s satan working against what God is instituting – just like Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem tried to do with Nehemiah!

(Writer’s note: I do not capitalize the name of the evil one – he doesn’t deserve any respect, so if I have to use the name of satan, I will not give him any respect, including using his name as a proper name).

If you are protesting the wall or immigration policies of this administration, you are not being biblical or godly – and you must repent. You are being sinful. No – I’m not judging you as a person, but I am calling out your sin. We, as Christians  – must call out sin and encourage one to repent.

God loves us – and as such we have laws. As Christians, we’re not subject to the Laws of the Torah-except the moral laws, the Ten Commandments and such – but we are subject to the laws of our nation, when these laws are in accordance with the Bible. Ours do – they are based on Judeo-Christian tradition, and as such, we must comply.

So stop going against what God has instituted! Just knock it off!