Loving all people -- even foreigners
- Deuteronomy 10:19 is one of the 120 Old Testament passages that should move us to be
involved in world missions.
- Loving foreigners (people different from us) is something God's people
have not always done well.
- People wrongly assume the Old Testament promotes us/them and us-against-the-world
attitudes.
- Concern for foreigners and exhortations to care for outsiders appear in multiple Old
Testament passages, one of which is Deuteronomy 10:19
- God's command in Deuteronomy 10 to "love foreigners" provides a strong impetus for world
evangelism efforts.
Missions: The Heart of God
Commentary on Deuteronomy 10
"You are to love those who are foreigners" -- Deuteronomy 10:19
Concern for foreigners and exhortations to care for outsiders crop up occasionally in Old
Testament writings. Such expressions of concern appear in books like Exodus, Leviticus,
Deuteronomy, 1 Kings, and Micah. One such passage in Deuteronomy says, "You should love
foreigners" (Deuteronomy 10:19, God's Word Translation). What is the meaning of
that verse for us today?
Deuteronomy, a compilation of Moses' last messages, retells key events of the Israelites'
post-Exodus wanderings in the Sinai. Moses was a third of the way
through his storytelling when he passed on God's command to show love to foreigners.
That command has huge ramifications for the cause of world evangelism. Think for a
moment about our unsaved friends and family members. Everyone I know has loved ones living
outside the Kingdom. Don't we yearn that they come to know the Lord? Aren't they often in our
prayers? Think about that. We love our friends and family members. God expects us to love
foreigners as well. If we do genuinely love foreigners, won't we desire that they, too, know about
Jesus?
Some might argue that such a broad application of Moses' command goes against the rest of
the Old Testament. That objection may come from assuming the Old Testament mindset is one
of us-against-the-world. Repeated Old Testament warnings against adopting foreign religions and
idols may fuel that assumption. Those warnings have to be taken seriously. They were not,
however, given to create a "fortress mentality" that manifests itself in disdain for foreigners.
Admittedly, when Moses said "foreigners," his listeners may have thought principally of the
Israelites' close neighbors, some of whom were God-fearers who worshiped Yahweh. That
scenario has obvious applications in a world where foreign immigrants crowd into neighborhoods
bustling with evangelical Christians. However, isn't it also possible that the Holy Spirit envisioned
Deuteronomy 10:19 being a command to embrace the whole world without regard to national or
ethnic origins?
Seeing Deuteronomy 10:19 as an indicator that God's people should love everyone else in the
world clearly reflects what we know from Scripture about God Himself. For example, 1 John 4:8
declares that "God is love" (1 John 4:8), and it is no stretch to say the exhortation to love
foreigners flows out of God's loving wish to bless all peoples (Genesis 12:3).
The Deuteronomy command to love foreigners is very much in line with the "for God so
loved the world" phrase of John 3:16. That idea of loving all peoples even brings to mind the
words of the classic children's song:
"Red and yellow, black and white
"All are precious in His sight."
Sadly, God's people have not always been good at loving foreigners. Jonah, for instance, stubbornly refused to
love the foreign Ninevites. In
the late 1700s, church leaders told aspiring missionary William Carey
not to be concerned about people who had never heard the Gospel. That, they said, was God's
concern, not ours.
Such cavalier disregard for other peoples signals a failure to embrace Deuteronomy
10:19 fully. Since that verse does reflect God's love for all people groups, is it not incumbent
upon us to embrace the passion of God's heart by truly loving foreigners?
-- Howard Culbertson,
This mini-essay on a world missions Bible passage is one of more than three dozen
articles in the "Heart of God" series
published in Engage, a
monthly online magazine. That series explores what the Bible says about missions.
Discussion questions
- Do you think the command to love foreigners in Deuteronomy 10 might be relevant to
the Bible's call to get the Gospel to everyone? If so, how?
- The Old Testament contains warnings against adopting foreign religions and idols. Is there a
danger that we can think these warnings mean we cannot love foreigners? What are some ways
we can show Christlike love to people whose worldview and religion are different from ours?
- How can we avoid falling into a "fortress mentality" where it is "us against them" and instead
embrace a love for all peoples, as reflected in Deuteronomy 10:19 and John 3:16? What are some
practical steps we can take to actively love foreigners in our communities and around the
world?
- The essay mentions examples of God's people failing to love foreigners, such as Jonah and the
church leaders who discouraged William Carey from missionary work. Why do you think this
happens? What can we learn from these examples, and how can we avoid making the same
mistakes?
- What might Deuteronomy 10:19 say to us about loving those who share our
nationality but whose cultural and racial identification is different from ours?
The meaning of Deuteronomy 10:19: Resident aliens, immigrants, sojourners, outsiders, and
pilgrims
Examples of how English translations render the wording of Deuteronomy 10:19:
- "Aliens" -- Evangelical Heritage Version, Lexham English Bible
- "Foreigners" -- New International Version, The Living Bible
- "Immigrants" -- Common English Bible
- "Outsiders" -- New International Reader's Version, Tree of Live Version
- "Pilgrims" -- Wycliffe Bible
- "Resident aliens" -- Christian Standard Bible, Expanded Bible/
- "Sojourners" -- English Standard Version, Revised Standard Version
- "Stranger" -- American Standard Version, Amplified Bible
Afterwords
Five "takeaways" from Deuteronomy 10:19
- Embrace foreigners: The verse commands God's people to love those who are
foreigners, indicating that God's love and concern extend beyond the Israelite community to
include all people around them.
- Love without limits: "Love foreigners" suggests that our love must not limited to
those we encounter daily but must extend to all human beings everywhere.
- Exude caring compassion Love is more than words; it involves action. To the The
command to love foreigners should evoke caring compassion toward foreigners.
- Evangelize the whole world: "Love foreigners" should ignite a passion for world
evangelism since Christ-followers who genuinely love other people will desire that they, too,
know about Jesus.
- Reflect God's character: God is love. He desires to bless all peoples. So, the
command to love foreigners reflects God's character. Deuteronomy 10:19 highlights our
obligation to imitate God's love and compassion for all people groups, regardless of skin color,
nationality, religion, or cultural identity.
Historical and Cultural Background
Understanding the historical and cultural context of Deuteronomy 10:19 can provide insight
into its meaning and significance.
- Historical Context: The book of Deuteronomy is part
of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, traditionally attributed to Moses. It
contains a series of speeches given by Moses to the Israelites before they entered the Promised
Land. At this point, the Israelites had experienced slavery in Egypt and were journeying through
the wilderness towards Canaan.
- Cultural Context:
- Ancient Near Eastern Hospitality: In the ancient Near
East, hospitality towards strangers was considered a sacred duty. This concept is evident in
various cultures and religious traditions of the time, including those of the Israelites. Providing
hospitality to strangers was not only a moral obligation but also a way to demonstrate
righteousness and adherence to religious principles.
- Experience of Oppression: The Israelites had
firsthand experience as oppressed foreigners during their time in Egypt. They were enslaved and
subjected to harsh treatment. Therefore, the command to love the stranger may stem from their
own experience of being strangers in a foreign land and the empathy that experience cultivated
within them.
- Theological Implications:
- Identification with the Stranger: By reminding the
Israelites of their own experience as strangers in Egypt, Deuteronomy 10:19 emphasizes the
importance of identifying with and showing compassion towards those who are marginalized or
oppressed. It calls for empathy and solidarity with those who may be in a similar situation.
- Covenant Relationship: The command to love the
stranger is framed within the broader context of the covenant relationship between God and the
Israelites. Throughout Deuteronomy, there is an emphasis on obedience to God's commandments
as a response to His faithfulness in delivering them from bondage. Loving the stranger is
presented as a way of reflecting God's character and fulfilling the ethical demands of the
covenant.
In summary, understanding the historical and cultural context of Deuteronomy 10:19
highlights the significance of empathy, hospitality, and solidarity with the marginalized, rooted in
the Israelites' own experience of oppression and their covenant relationship with God.
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