The refugee crisis is a global problem, but it affects all of us. It is distressing to see people fleeing war-torn areas of the Middle East and Africa only to find a new home filled with terror. Within the New Testament, which Christians read in continuity with the Hebrew Bible or “The Old Testament,” the most often cited passage dealing with welcoming the stranger is from Matthew 25: 31-40. “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
God’s Word teaches us that we are to care for the less fortunate and hopeless in society, who Jesus refers to as “the least of these.” As devout Christians, sometimes it’s easy for us to forget our brothers and sisters in other countries. But God calls us out of complacency and reminds us he will provide a way where there seems to be none. This exposition also shows examples of refugees in the bible.
Refugees are people forced to flee their home country and cross international borders.
Bible Verses About Refugees New Testament
Matthew 25 40 say?
‘ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. ‘ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
With the recent immigration crisis, it’s no surprise that Bible verses about refugees are being shared everywhere. If you’re looking for passages that align with your moral compass or are searching for inspiration to help others hurt by war, suffering, and famine then this is a list of the best Bible verses about refugees.
As Christians, we are called to welcome the refugees. It is a Biblical precedent, and in spite of your feelings on the current refugee crisis, here are some verses that may help you understand God’s word and how we can put it into action. “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Lev. 19:33-34).
Refugees are people who have been forced to leave their homes. They are often forced to leave their country because of war or because of a lack of food and water, unemployment and poverty. Sadly, refugees often face human rights violations when they flee their countries.
In fact, according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), there are 68 million people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced from their homes due to conflict, violence or persecution.This article also talks about bible verses against foreigners.
Bible Verses About Refugees
The Bible has some great verses about refugees, including the commands for Christians to care for struggling families, and the importance of helping people who are lost. These verses and passages can help you pray for refugees today
Refugees are individuals who have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety and protection. Throughout the Bible, there are numerous verses that speak to the importance of caring for and welcoming refugees. These verses remind us of our responsibility to show compassion and love towards those who are in need of refuge. Here are 12 Bible verses that emphasize the importance of welcoming and caring for refugees:
1. Leviticus 19:34
“The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”
2. Deuteronomy 10:18-19
“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.”
3. Psalm 146:9
“The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.”
4. Matthew 25:35
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.”
5. Hebrews 13:2
“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
6. Exodus 23:9
“Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.”
7. Isaiah 16:3-4
“Take counsel, execute judgment; Make your shadow like the night in the middle of the day; Hide the outcasts, Do not betray him who escapes. Let My outcasts dwell with you, O Moab; Be a shelter to them from the face of the spoiler.”
8. Luke 10:25-37
“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.”
9. Romans 12:13
“Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
10. Deuteronomy 27:19
“Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
These Bible verses serve as a reminder of our duty to show compassion, love, and hospitality towards refugees and those in need. As Christians, it is important to follow the example set by Jesus and care for the marginalized and vulnerable in our midst.
Examples Of Refugees In The Bible
Abraham, the patriarch, was a displaced person:
And the land suffered a great famine. And Abram came to live as an alien in Egypt because the famine was so severe in the land (Genesis 12:10 LEB).
However, Abraham isn’t the only Old Testament character who has to flee their home. When Sarah banished Hagar because of her anger, Abraham and Sarah made Hagar, Sarah’s servant and the mother of Ishmal, a refugee (Genesis 16). As is so often the case with authority, those who were once on the receiving end of it are the ones who go on to perpetrate injustice.
Ten of Abraham’s descendants flee to Egypt in the later chapters of Genesis to escape a famine.
Jacob asked his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” after learning that grain was available in Egypt. Then he said, “Look, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt.” For the sake of your people, travel to the lower levels of the city and stock up on grain. Genesis 42:1-2 (Living English Bible).
This event triggers the immigration to Egypt of Jacob (Abraham’s grandson) and his household. Pharaoh himself grants them entry to Egypt (see Genesis 46:26–27; 47:1–12).
When the Hebrews arrived in Egypt, they were welcomed as free people but were soon forced into servitude. When Moses enters the picture, things like this occur. After murdering an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave, Moses finds himself an outlaw and a refugee in the land of Midian (southeast of Israel; Exodus 2:11–22).
Furthermore, it is common knowledge that Moses and Aaron, with the help of Yahweh, freed the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery. The entire population is effectively rendered stateless and in need of refugee status (Exodus 2:23–25; 15:22–27). Because of this, Yahweh will start providing for them (Exodus 16). When God saves a people, one of the first things He does is make sure they have laws to safeguard the weak, the displaced, and the stranger (Exodus 22:21–27).
King David himself takes refuge as an asylum seeker on multiple occasions once the Hebrew people have their own land (e.g., 1 Samuel 21:10).
Moving forward in Israelite history, we come across the prophet Elijah, who has become a refugee after being persecuted for telling the king the truth (1 Kings 17:3, 8–10).
These are just a few examples of well-known Old Testament characters who faced discrimination and hardship by being forced to seek refuge elsewhere. The mother of King David, Ruth, was a Moabite who immigrated to Israel, and she is just one example of many stories of immigrants who needed protection and help (see Ruth 1).
Christ, the Migrant
Jesus is the most well-known refugee in Bible history.
After the Magi left, Joseph had a dream in which an angel of the Lord said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Because Herod intends to find the baby and kill him, if he can. Consequently, he got up with the baby and his mother in the middle of the night and fled to Egypt. And he stayed there until Herod passed away, which was done so that the words of the Lord through the prophet would be realized: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” As recorded in Matthew 2:13–15 LEB.
In the years following Jesus’ birth, King Herod plotted to have him murdered (Matthew 2). This meant that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph had to take refuge in Egypt. As I’ve noticed a recent misunderstanding: Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus must all go to Bethlehem for Caesar’s census before they can escape to Egypt (Luke 2:1–7). As a refugee, not a census taker, Jesus made his way to Egypt (compare Matthew 1:25–2:1).
WHAT JESUS LOOKED FOR IN TRUE CHRISTIANS
The Christian message of compassion seems to have been lost in the shuffle of contemporary political debate. There are many who have argued that we have no business deciding how a “real” Christian ought to react to the world’s refugee crisis.
Simply reading what Jesus said to us will provide us with the answer we seek. In a final message to those who have heard and understood his teachings, Jesus says this about the judgment that will take place at his second coming:
Bible Verse About Welcoming Foreigners
Exodus 22:21
21 “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.
Exodus 23:9
9 “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.
Exodus 12:49
49 The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you.”
Malachi 3:5
5 “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty.
Deuteronomy 27:19
19 “Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”
Matthew 25:35
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
Leviticus 25:35
35 “ ‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you.
Hebrews 13:2
2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
Genesis 12:1
1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
Leviticus 23:22
22 “ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God.’ ”