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Does Leviticus 24:22 speak to the illegal alien problem?

B

billwald

New Member
Lev 24:22 Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God.

In other places, God comments the reason for treating strangers the same as Jews is that God brought the Jews out of Egypt. Well, God brought most of us out of Europe.
 
David Lamb

David Lamb

Well-Known Member
I'm afraid I cannot see the connection, Bill, between God bringing Israel out of Egypt, and groups of people leaving European countries to settle in what is now the USA. There are so many differences. Here are a few:

1. Israel as a nation was in Egypt, away from their homeland, whereas the Europeans who settled in America left their original homelands. In this respect the settlers where more like Jacob & sons leaving Canaan to settle in Egypt.

2. It was the whole family of Jacob/nation of Israel in Egypt, but only a small percentage of the population of European countries left home for the "New World". Most of them, including some very godly Christians, stayed at home.

3. Israel was God's chosen nation in the Old Testament, but the European colonists who settled in America were not a nation, chosen by God or not.

4. God specifically commanded the Israelites, via Moses, to leave Egypt. Not so with the colonists.

The matter of how we treat fellow human beings regardless of their ethnic origin is surely better exemplified by the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Anyway, your theme is "illegal aliens" (here we tend to call them "illegal immigrants"). Far from Israel being "illegal aliens", Egypt wanted them to stay.
 
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Scarlett O.

Scarlett O.

Moderator
Moderator
billwald said:
Lev 24:22 Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God.

In other places, God comments the reason for treating strangers the same as Jews is that God brought the Jews out of Egypt. Well, God brought most of us out of Europe.
Click to expand...

I think you've missed the point of the passage. Here it is in context. It's not talking about differentiating between natives and aliens. It's talking about not practicing vengeance. And that practice is for all people.

People were wrongly interpreting that this passage taught that the wronged party could come out swinging and practice revenge. That's not what it's talking about about. It's talking about the party who is IN the wrong to rectify the problem by restoring or repairing the damage that they have done. God isn't giving His people a free pass to cause damage when they are angry and wronged. He is placing a rein in their mouth - so to speak - as to punishments.

"Whoever kills any man shall surely be put to death. Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, animal for animal. If a man causes disfigurement of his neighbor, as he has done, so shall it be done to him; fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has caused disfigurement of a man, so shall it be done to him. And whoever kills an animal shall restore it; but whoever kills a man shall be put to death. You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the Lord your God."
Click to expand...

Jewish leaders were teaching that this meant you HAD to or at least were allowed to practice equal vengeance. People thought this was a command from God that condoned hateful "I'm gonna get you back - and HARDER" type of mentality.

Jesus explained in the Sermon on the Mount that what we were to hurl back towards those who wrong us is love - not vengeance.

And this was for Jew and Gentile alike.
 
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