Travelers, Foreigners, Immigrants, and Aliens

One of my greatest pleasures is visiting with people from other cultures and other countries. People everywhere are so kind and friendly. I love swapping stories and learning about traditions, beliefs, art, architecture, clothing, foods, and ways to earn a living. The diversity on this Earth is fascinating. I want to travel more, but I also enjoy traveling vicariously, through others. Seeing the emotions in their eyes and body language says volumes that reading or videos can't provide. Short visits as tourists just don't allow for enough of an exchange of ideas and wonderful, colorful stories with people of other cultures.


With the exception of the Garden of Eden itself, I'm guessing every country was originally settled by travelers and aliens. How exciting! Indeed, my beloved country, the USA, was settled by people of many diverse countries and cultures, foreigners and aliens. Discussion about the plight of aliens is in the news alot these days. When I'm not sure what is right, I try to remember to go to God's Holy Word, the Bible, to see how He stands on any given subject. Amazingly, I found more verses than I would have expected on the subject of foreigners and aliens. I'm posting the ones I read and recorded in my Bible Quotes Journal, for us to read and pray for Godly discernment.

God Loves Aliens, Foreigners, Immigrants

Abraham was an alien in the land of Abimelech.  Read Genesis, chapters 20-21.

It was here that Abraham and Sarah had a son, miraculously, in their old age, that Abraham could become “the father of many nations,” as God had promised.

Leviticus 19:33 “The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native born.  Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt.  I am the Lord your God.”

Acts 10:33 “… God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.”

Numbers 15:15 “[The Lord said to Moses] You and the alien shall be the same before the Lord; the same laws and regulations will apply to you and the alien living among you.”

Moses left his native Egypt and led a huge throng of people to a land God promised them. His story and remarkable journey, which God directed him through, spans the Bible books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; and he is spoken of in a number of other books, including Psalms, Mark, Luke, and even Revelations.

Aliens are included in the 10 Commandments.

Exodus 20:10 “…but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it, you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your man servant or maidservant, nor animals, nor the alien within your gates.”

In fact, the Bible holds many accounts of people moving about from place to place and inhabiting lands new to them.

Isaiah 56:3 “Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the Lord say, The Lord will surely exclude me from His people.”

Isaiah 56:6-7 is very powerful for aliens.

“And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship Him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my Covenant, these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer...for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

Exodus 22:21 “Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him…”

Deuteronomy 10:18 “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.”

Isaiah 51:5-6 “Aliens will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards; and you will be called priests of the Lord…you will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.”

Isaiah 58:7 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loosen the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.”

And then, of course, in the New Testament is The Great Commission that Jesus called us to:

Mark 16:15 “…Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”

Matthew 28:18-20 "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. and surely I am with you always..." ~ Jesus

Some people are very fearful of recession or a depression in today’s economic situation. We must share. Do not fear. There is plenty for everyone in God's economy:

Deuteronomy 29:9-15 “Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do. All of you are standing today in the presence of the Lord your God – your leaders and chief men, your elders and officials, and all the other men of Israel, together with your children and your wives, and the aliens who live in your camps and chop your wood and carry your water.  You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the Lord your God, a covenant the Lord is making with you this day and sealing with an oath, to confirm you this day as His people, that he may be your God as He promised you and as He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (14-15) I am making this covenant, with its oath, not only with you who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God but also with those who are not here today.”

That’s us. The ones who were not there that day, but are included. Later, Jesus brought us all into a new covenant when he died on the cross as the ultimate, pure sacrifice for our sins.

Aliens are included in the Covenant, right along with the leaders, elders, chief officials, and wives. We were not standing there that day, but we are included in the covenant, even as the alien was covered on that day. 

 We need not fear if we live as God's people. People make a lot of mistakes out of fear. A favorite quip I hear lately is that FEAR can be an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real. Only God's kind of love can overcome that kind of fear. Fear of God is a reverencial fear, admiration, and obedience that only He deserves.

Abraham checked in with the ruler and authorities of the land of Abimelech soon after he arrived, but he had an incredible fear that overcame his godly wisdom when he first arrived.  There's a radical story that goes along with the beginning of that relationship. Abraham's humanness really showed up about this time, as he was a bit fearful for his life in the foreign land he came to inhabit. God lovingly made sure he got it all straightened out with King Abimelech, who was exceedingly more fair than Abraham had perceived. It was in this land that Abraham and Sarah had their son Isaac in their old age, in the fulfillment of God's promise that He would make Abraham the father of many nations. But for the "alien reveal," I am including only a few of the verses that show Abraham was for certain an alien there:

Genesis 20:1 "Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar,..."

Genesis 21:22-23 "At that time Abimelech [king of Gerar] and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, 'God is with you in everything you do. Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show me and the country where you are living as an alien the same kindness I have shown to you.'  Abraham said, 'I swear it.'"

While we may not know or agree as to the "check-in procedures" in the lands where we travel or want to live, it is clear that God loves the alien and the foreigner as much as the born resident of a land and provides direction for us all to live peacefully and joyfully together. Praise God our Father, who is merciful, wise, slow to anger, and abounding in love. May we remember Him and serve Him wherever we are.