The Refugee Conundrum (Pt. 1)

The Refugee Conundrum (Pt. 1)

Refugee: a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

Conundrum: a confusing and difficult problem or question.

 

According to Scripture, the world's first refugee was Cain, who just happened to be the world's first murderer (Genesis 4:9-12). His status as a "wanderer and a fugitive" was the result of a self inflicted disaster caused by jealousy of his brother and disobedience to God. This is not to say that all refugees find themselves in that status for the same reasons, but it does set precedence: all refugee situations are intrinsically bound up in strife, turmoil, or pending danger.

The world's entire population following the great flood was centered in Babel. God dispersed them to the for corners of the earth by confounding their language. For the most part they continued to migrate into unpopulated areas of the globe, some staying and building cities as they went. Centuries later, Abraham, "Father of the Faith" (Romans 4), left Ur of Chaldea, not as a refugee, but as part of a family pilgrimage. They camped out in Haran for a while, and then God spoke to Abraham, saying, "Go... to a land that I will show you." (Genesis 12:1). Shortly after reaching that land (Canaan) a famine broke out and Abraham and company became refugees as they travelled into Egypt. The story is filled with perceived danger, lying, and deceit. Ultimately Abraham left Egypt a blessed man - no doubt due to the unconditional promises God had made to Him.

Two of the world's largest refugee and resettlement scenarios involved the Jewish people. In 722 BC Assyria utterly defeated the northern kingdom of Israel, deported all of the people and resettled the land with foreigners (2 King 17). Later, over a period of 20 years between 605 BC and 586 BC., Babylon thoroughly defeated the southern kingdom of Judah. Most of those who were not killed were deported to Babylon.

We could go on and cite other biblical examples. Each one makes for interesting reading, but we find it difficult to come up with a biblical mandate as to how to treat refugees. Some have gone to the New Testament citing the parable of the good Samaritan, or Mary and Joseph seeking shelter in Bethlehem. Neither of those are refugee situations. Mary and Joseph and the Christ child did sojourn in Egypt as refugees for a season until it was safe to return to Nazareth. That is more a story of a father being obedient to God for the protection of his family than it is a story of refugees. 

To develop a biblical response to the refugee crisis the world is facing, it requires one to be as wise as serpents and as gentle as a doves (Matthew 10:16). It also requires one to view the situation from both a national perspective and from a personal (Christian) perspective. From a national perspective it is very difficult to ferret out the truth from the lies, the different political agendas from Constitutional duty. The Declaration of Independence includes these words:

     "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by   their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

The government of these United States of America, as presently constituted and functioning has all but forgotten the Creator and has undertaken such policies and practices over the past fifty-five years to remove Him from public discourse. Furthermore, the three branches of Government have made it possible to legally murder and eradicate from our midst some 57 million of it most vulnerable citizens. The genocide has not stopped, in spite of scientific advancements confirming the biblical fact that human life begins at conception (Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5). It has not stopped because one political party or the other is in the majority. It has not stopped in spite of the public display of the ugly horrors which take place in the abortuaries. So I have little faith in a government when it parades the refugee crisis as something which requires our humanitarian response, that they are not just leading us into the inevitability of Divine judgment.

I have little faith in a government which has imposed unbearable burdens upon its citizens by running up debt that not even three generations could pay, and by deceitfully increasing the cost of essential services, calling it the Affordable Care Act (which includes, unless one is able to successfully fight it, provisions for abortion). I have little faith in a government which disregards nature and nature's God and begins to meddle with the fundamental building block of an orderly society - the family, which includes at its core the marriage of one biological man and one biological woman united in the covenant of marriage. Pandora's box has been opened and there is no telling what perversions will become normalized before Almighty God says, "Enough!"

We have never been perfect, either as individuals or as a nation, but for decades there was always an effort to honor God. As long as we did, it was obvious that God was "shedding His grace on us." Now, in wholesale numbers, even people who profess to be of the household of faith have adopted and sanctioned practices which are clearly abominable to God (Romans 1:18-32). So I believe that what may appear to some as a humanitarian act [opening our borders to the floodgate of people, most of whom are adherents to a religious/social/political system (Islam) bent on world domination through virtually any means possible] would be to invite terror to our very doors. I would try to prevent this using the same effort with which I try to prevent abortion on demand.



That said, if a Syrian refugee were to settle in my village, or even in the house next door, I would do my best to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them, always looking for fruit indicative of genuine repentance. In the meantime, I'm not going to just rant about the government being willing to spend billions for refugees while ignoring the plight of many of our veterans. I'm going to look for more ways to help veterans, including bringing the Gospel to them. And... I'm going to place an order for Gospel Tracts written in Arabic and Farsi.
     "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:3-4