the migrant wife

Migrant is a word that I never imagined myself using. But when I think about it, I come from a long line of migrants. My grandparents on either side made the long journey away from Communist China to the free Hong Kong. I grew up always thinking that I would not live too far from my family. However, I left home at 18 to study in Scotland, and at aged 23 now I am married and live in Oxford, more than 12 hours’ flight away from home. Life’s funny that way, right? Well, I don’t really know how to think about it, especially as everyone and their brother has a different view on “migrant” (a word too often suffixed with the word “problem”), so I went to search for how God thought about it.

I was surprised to see that the first time the word “foreigner” appeared in the Bible was with Abraham, and that would not be the last. Abraham described himself as a “foreigner” when he talked to the elders at the land of the Hittites, also known as Hebron (Gen 23:4). Later, with his son Isaac, God told him to live “as a foreigner” in this land (Gen 26:3). That was interesting. For either of them, though, the word “foreigner” had with it a temporal “clause”. We can see this from the Genesis 26 verse:

“Live here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father.” (New Living Translation)

Therefore, their identity of a “foreigner” will one day be superseded by God’s promise of land and belonging. They would be foreigners no more. This very land where they were, did not belong to them at the time. However, God had promised them, that they would one day own the land. Such is the great hope for Israel.

Subsequently in Exodus 12, the word “foreigner” is mentioned in relation to the Passover regulations. Foreigners were not allowed to partake in God’s holy passover. Now at first glance, this might be seen as “racist” and “exclusionary”. A Bible teacher helps us reflect on two things of God: that His passover is pure, and that His character is gracious.

1. Purity of the Holy Passover

God is wholly different from sinful mankind. Israel was saved to worship God. In order to worship God, we have to be in communion with God – to meet with Him on His terms. And that means we have to be reconciled with Him. Only Israel, with whom He has made a covenant and for whom He provided a sign of the Covenant (circumcision) was allowed to participate. The foreigner could not participate in the Passover because they were outside of the covenantal relationship with God (more on this in bullet point 2.) We ought to take one step back, though. That any sinful human could be in communion with the most pure, holy God through a Covenant, was itself testament to His grace.

2. Graciousness of a Missional God

God gave Israel a sign of the covenant – the circumcision (Gen 17) Exo 12:44 and Exo 12:48 tell us of the way a foreigner could join in the covenantal relationship with god – by being circumcised. Israel wasn’t meant to keep this for themselves. Instead, they were to be channels of God’s glory to the surrounding nations, despite their failure. This wasn’t merely an outward act, as Moses calls them to circumcise the foreskin of their hearts (Deuteronomy 10:16) and God Himself promises to circumcise their hearts and the hearts of their offspring (Deuteronomy 30:6) so Israel will be set apart for Him.

Circumcision was extended to the willing foreigner – who would be foreigner no more.

Third, God’s holiness and graciousness is reflected in the religious law. God does not stop there – He requires His covenant people to reflect this graciousness in their civil dealings with foreigners. The Law frequently reminded Israel to be merciful to foreigners.

“Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. (Exodus 22:21)

The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:34)

You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:19)

God appealed to Israel’s national history as a reminder to welcome the foreigner. These were motivations for Israel to be kind to the stranger. However God even goes further than that:

‘Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.’ Then all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ (Deuteronomy 27:19)

This was very “progressive” in ancient near east culture. The way in which Israel’s law provided foreigners with basic human decency, justice and protection against oppression was truly radical. This was reflective of the God in whose image all people, whether Gentile or Israelite, were made.

One common allegation of the Bible being xenophobic relates to the laws in Leviticus. It seemed like God allowed slavery of foreigners among the people of Israel. Leviticus 25:45 described the owning of foreign slaves:

“‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. 45 You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. 46 You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly. (Leviticus 25:44-46)

We often conjure up in our heads the horrors of slavery in the past few centuries. There were terrible crimes committed against humanity, unmentionable trampling of human decency, unspeakable neglect of the basic rights of fellow human beings made in the image of the eternal God.

Yet the context is a little different here. From the wider context of the Pentateuch, slavery here seems extremely different to the modern crime we detest. Pastor Doug Becker wrote a helpful article addressing wider issues in debate. One thing he points out, was that God’s mercy for Israel and the foreigner underpins all His laws for religious life and civil interaction. Moreover, in a region where slave workers were an important driver for agrarian-pastoral economy, God included this not as an instruction but as a provision – setting up boundaries so Israel can interact peacefully and mercifully in their immediate context.

Furthermore, these foreign slaves were protected by rather radical labour and judicial provisions. They were to rest on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8-11). They were also permitted to use the cities of refuge “so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there.” (Num 35:15)

While I was writing this I couuldn’t help but burst out in praise. Even in the Old Testament we can see God bringing sinful human beings in. He made a promise to foreigners – a promise that their sojourning will end. He called Israel out of His mercy, a people living as foreigners in the land of Egypt, to be His own people – showing them his purity, holiness, and grace. He called Israel to be set apart in their dealings with foreigners – a reflection of His own heart.

I suppose, my fellow migrant friends, we have this part of our identity pushed to the forefront of our consciousness – we are outside, we don’t belong. And yet, at the core of our being, we have this great hope that has already dawned:

Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (Ephesians 2:11-13)

We do belong, even when we may not experience it fully here yet. We are foreigners no more.