The Bible and the Border

It is not unbiblical or unchristian to enforce our national borders. Those who say globalism is what God wanted and that nations are merely a human invention need to the WHOLE Bible and not just the parts other liberal-influenced Christians tell them to read.

There actually WAS a time a long time ago when the whole world was one global people with one language and one common set of goals. We read about it in the story of the tower of Babel. What was God’s reaction to globalism? He didn’t like it. He divided the people by giving them different languages and thereby forced them to break up the global plan and form their own nations.

Later, God Himself starts a nation: Israel. He leads them out of Egypt so they can have their own land, and we read throughout the Torah and the books of Joshua and Judges about the laws and borders God gives His nation, and the borders are most definitely NOT open ones. We read about the many bloody fights Israel fought — at God’s command — to defend and enforce its borders against those who didn’t belong there or were not welcome. (I believe you’ll agree that we have a much nicer border enforcement system by comparison.)

Later on, after Israel is released from Babylon’s captivity, we read in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah how the first thing God has His nation do is build a wall to re-establish and enforce their borders.

There were also resident aliens in Israel, but they were there legally and followed the traditions and laws of Israel.

So yes, we should treat everyone humanely and with compassion — even people who break the law, but we have every right to turn away and expel people who don’t respect our borders and laws. Anyone who is TRULY serious and REALLY wants to be an American has the responsibility to prove it by becoming an American the RIGHT way. If it’s wrong to cut in line at the grocery store, how much more wrong is it to violate the rules and borders of our country? Jesus said to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and St. Paul exhorts obedience to lawful government, so no one should be trying to suggest a nation shouldn’t have and enforce laws. Doing things the right way isn’t always easy or convenient, but it’s worth it. Those who do things the wrong way will always have the consequences of their actions catch up with them eventually, so it’s better to have a little headache at first while doing it right than to have a much bigger headache later because you did it wrong. If you’ve done something wrong, you have the responsibility to admit your mistakes and try to make things right if you can, even if it’s hard. God rewards those who do what is right even when it’s difficult.

YOU are God’s weapon!

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, ‘Whence have you come?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’ And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?’ Then Satan answered the Lord, ‘Does Job fear God for nought? Hast Thou not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Thy hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse Thee to Thy face.’ And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself do not put forth your hand.’ So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.” ——–  Job 1:6-12 RSVCE

Here we read the stunning account of God and Satan coming face to face, and what weapon does God pull out to shame His foe? Job! “Have you seen Job? Have you seen how faithful he is? How much he loves Me? Take that, devil!” We can be sure that these words He says of Job, He says of each of His faithful sons and daughters. Read the Scripture again, and this time fill in Job’s name with your own.

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, ‘Whence have you come?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.’ And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant _____, that there is none like him/her on the earth, a blameless and upright man/woman, who fears God and turns away from evil?’ Then Satan answered the Lord, ‘Does _____ fear God for nought? Hast Thou not put a hedge about him/her and his/her house and all that he/she has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his/her hands, and his/her possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Thy hand now, and touch all that he/she has, and he/she will curse Thee to Thy face.’ And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he/she has is in your power; only upon himself/herself do not put forth your hand.’ So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.”

How encouraging and touching to think that when God faces His enemy, it is you and I invokes to defeat him. We are the sword in God’s hand. Our faithfulness, our love, our virtue, our resistance of temptation, our endurance of earthly trials, is what God is bragging about right now as He battles with the enemy. “Have you seen _____? Have you seen how faithful he/she is? How much he/she loves Me? Take that, devil!”

How warm and thankful our hearts should be as we consider God’s love of us! We are what He thinks of in the face of battle! WE are His “Take that, devil!”! YOU are God’s most trusted weapon!

This should also be our courage and motivation in hardship. If you are familiar with the rest of Job’s story, you know that the devil proceeds to test Job with poverty and loss, then with suffering and loneliness — all in an effort to get Job to curse God and take away the boast God makes. Job passes each test, not always cheerfully, but he passes and God continues to boast to His enemy: “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you moved me against him, to destroy him without cause.” When crosses, temptations, and tests come to you, think “God is bragging about me right now! I am His pride and His joy and so I must continue to be! Blessed be the name of the Lord!” Each test we pass, each cross we bear, — even if not perfectly — makes us God’s boast and His weapon against the devil. We think of our prayers and good works and our penances as our most important weapons in the spiritual battle, and they are powerful weapons, but the first weapon — God’s weapon — is your very self, your very soul — not what you do you or what you say, but YOU!

If you’re one of those pious souls like St. Therese who looks at the martyrs with envy and says “I wish I had the chance they did to prove my love for God by not denying Him even in the face of death.”, know that you are already a martyr each day and all day. The devil can’t stand to see a faithful soul, is constantly doing everything he can to make you leave the state of grace and “curse God”, and it is not an easy test — just look at all the unfaithful souls or souls who were once faithful but then turned away from the practice of the Faith. Praise God for every trial and say with Job “Blessed be the name of the Lord!”. For every moment you remain in God’s grace (or come back to Him when you fall), even if the tests at that time seem easy, You are giving God His bragging rights over the devil! You are God’s immortal weapon! Your refusal to curse God and die, your “Blessed be the name of the Lord!” in every moment of your life as a faithful Catholic carries the same power as that great moment when the martyrs chose eternal life over earthly life. In a sense, this living martyrdom of staying faithful in the world is harder than having to leave the world because the final trial only has to be passed once and life’s trials must be repeatedly passed in spite of exhaustion and lack of spiritual consolation. The Lord is proud of you! The Lord is bragging about you! Always remember this, and bless Him in good times and bad. Stay faithful, and feel the Lord’s smile and song upon you! You are precious in His eyes!