This is a super long post but I wanted to be grounded in the Word as I prepare to set today apart to pray with my church for ourselves and our community, cities, counties, state, country and world. We want to seek the face of the Lord and listen to him, so we can conduct ourselves in a manor pleasing to him.

When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple...worshiped and praised the Lord, saying, “He is good!His faithful love endures forever!” ...all the people offered sacrifices to the Lord...singing, “His faithful love endures forever!”...Solomon then consecrated the central area of the courtyard in front of the Lord’s Temple,,,Festival of Shelters for seven days.
Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said,
“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices. 13 At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you. 14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 15 My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. 2 Chronicles 7

Jesus stated, "The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the Earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here" (Matthew 12:42).

Old Testament: God’s Standard for Foreigners is still love oriented

But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:34

The core "love God, love people" verses come from Matthew 22:37-39, where Jesus identifies the greatest commandments as loving God with your whole being and loving your neighbor as yourself, stating these two sum up all God's law and teachings, with Leviticus 19:18 providing the "love your neighbor" foundation

Leviticus 19 forms the ethical backbone of Israel’s identity. The NT amplifies these themes:

Holiness becomes Christlike character - Ephesians 4:24.
Love becomes the governing law - Romans 13:8–10.
Foreigners become fellow citizens in God’s household - Ephesians 2:19.
Justice and compassion become signs of the kingdom - Matthew 25:35–40.

Leviticus 19 is the blueprint. The New Testament is the fulfillment.

Honor dignity. Every person bears God’s image. Genesis 1:27
Extend compassion. Love and defend the foreigner. Deuteronomy 10:18–19
Uphold justice. One law for native and foreigner. Leviticus 24:22
Model Christ’s welcome. Christ reconciles all people. Ephesians 2:14–16
Live as exiles. Believers carry a pilgrim identity. 1 Peter 2:11
Witness to God’s heart. Hospitality reveals the gospel. Hebrews 13:2

1. Holiness begins with identity

God anchors behavior in His own character.

“Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” (Lev 19:2)

Holiness is not behavior first. Holiness is belonging. Behavior flows from identity.

2. Honor for family and worship

Holiness begins in the home and extends to weekly rhythms.

Respect for parents. Lev 19:3
Observing the Sabbath. Lev 19:3, 30
Reverence for God’s sanctuary. Lev 19:30

This sets the tone for a society rooted in order, gratitude, and rest.

3. Exclusive loyalty to God

No divided allegiance.

Reject idols. Lev 19:4
Honor God in worship practices. Lev 19:5–8

This aligns with the NT call to “keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21) and worship “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

4. Generosity to the vulnerable

Holiness expresses itself in economics and land use.

Leave margin in fields and vineyards for the poor and foreigner. Lev 19:9–10
This matches God’s heart for foreigners in Deut 10:18 and the NT ethic of hospitality in Romans 12:13.

5. Integrity in relationships

Holy people act with honesty and fairness.

Do not steal. Lev 19:11
Do not deceive. Lev 19:11
Do not defraud. Lev 19:13
Pay workers promptly. Lev 19:13

This anticipates the NT’s insistence on sincerity and truth (Eph 4:25).

6. Compassion for the vulnerable and disabled

Holiness protects those who cannot protect themselves.

Do not insult the deaf. Lev 19:14
Do not cause the blind to stumble. Lev 19:14

This reflects Jesus’ ministry toward the marginalized (Luke 4:18–19).

7. Impartial justice

Justice must be balanced and free of bias.

Do not show partiality to either poor or rich. Lev 19:15
Judge fairly. Lev 19:15

This aligns with NT teaching that God shows no favoritism (Acts 10:34).

8. Responsible speech and community protection

Words shape trust. Holiness builds, not breaks.

Reject slander. Lev 19:16
Do not stand idly by when life is threatened. Lev 19:16

This parallels NT commands to guard our tongues (James 3:9–10).

9. Inner holiness: resentment, revenge, reconciliation

God cares about the heart as much as actions.

Do not hate your brother. Lev 19:17
Do not seek revenge. Lev 19:18
Love your neighbor as yourself. Lev 19:18

Jesus elevates this as the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:39).

10. Sexual ethics and protection of the vulnerable

Holiness governs intimacy and protects those with less power.

Regulate relationships involving slaves and vows. Lev 19:20–22
Do not prostitute daughters. Lev 19:29

The NT continues this with calls to honor God with our bodies (1 Thess 4:3–5).

11. Respect for time, creation, and boundaries

Holiness shapes how Israel stewards the land.

Fruit-tree laws that cultivate patience and gratitude. Lev 19:23–25
Distinctions in agricultural and clothing practices. Lev 19:19

These laws form disciplined identity in an agrarian society.

12. Reject occult practices

Holiness separates God’s people from spiritual counterfeits.

No fortune-telling. Lev 19:26
No consulting spirits. Lev 19:31

The NT echoes this in Galatians 5:20 and Acts 19:19.

13. Honor elders and uphold communal dignity

Holiness shows respect across generations.

Stand before the elderly. Lev 19:32

This anticipates Paul’s instructions to honor older men and women (1 Tim 5:1–2).

14. Protect and love the foreigner

This is the capstone of the chapter’s ethical heart.

Do not take advantage of foreigners. Lev 19:33
Treat them as native-born. Lev 19:34
Love them as yourself. Lev 19:34

This aligns with Jesus’ teaching in Luke 10:25–37 and the NT welcome ethic in Romans 15:7.

15. Economic integrity and honest measurement

Holiness governs the marketplace.

Use honest scales and measures. Lev 19:35–36

Echoed in Proverbs 11:1 and James 5:4.

16. Consistent obedience

Holiness requires practice, not theory.

Keep all decrees and laws. Lev 19:37

Jesus affirms this as fulfillment, not abolition, in Matthew 5:17–19.

Equal Justice

One law for native and foreigner. Leviticus 24:22
Judge fairly without partiality. Deuteronomy 1:16–17
Do not deprive foreigners of justice. Deuteronomy 24:17

Compassion and Care

Leave gleanings for the foreigner and poor. Leviticus 19:10
Love the foreigner as yourself. Leviticus 19:34
God defends the foreigner. Deuteronomy 10:18

Moral Alignment Required

Same statute for native and foreigner in offering and worship. Numbers 15:15–16
Foreigners may join Passover when they accept the covenant. Exodus 12:48–49

Distinction in Responsibility

Foreigners protected but do not hold land inheritance. Ezekiel 47:21–23 (prophetic inclusion but with native structure)
Natives steward land and covenant identity. Numbers 26

2. New Testament: Fulfillment and Expansion

Barriers Removed in Christ

No Jew or Greek in Christ. Galatians 3:28
Gentiles become fellow citizens in God’s household. Ephesians 2:19

Believers Become Spiritual Exiles

Christians are strangers and exiles on earth. 1 Peter 2:11
Citizenship is in heaven. Philippians 3:20

Hospitality as Christian Practice

Practice hospitality. Romans 12:13
Show hospitality to strangers. Hebrews 13:2
Welcome one another as Christ welcomed you. Romans 15:7

Clarification of the Law

Love your neighbor as yourself summarized in Christ. Matthew 22:37–40
The Good Samaritan expands neighbor love. Luke 10:25–37
Christ ends hostility and makes one new humanity. Ephesians 2:14–16

3. Biblical Contrast: Foreigners and Natives

Old Testament

Foreigners

Protected by law. Exodus 22:21
Loved and included. Leviticus 19:34
Subject to the same moral law. Numbers 15:15–16
May worship the Lord. Isaiah 56:6–7
Do not inherit land automatically. Numbers 26
Expected to honor Israel’s spiritual order. Exodus 12:48–49

Natives

Hold covenant identity. Deuteronomy 7:6
Steward land inheritance. Joshua 13–21
Responsible for national holiness. Leviticus 20:7–8

New Testament

Foreigners/Gentiles

One body with all believers. 1 Corinthians 12:13
Adopted as children of God. Romans 8:15–17
No longer strangers but fellow citizens. Ephesians 2:19
Full access to God through Christ. Ephesians 3:6

Believers

Called exiles, sojourners, ambassadors. 1 Peter 2:11; 2 Corinthians 5:20
Identity grounded in God’s kingdom. Colossians 1:13
Called to reconciliation and peace. Romans 12:18

What the Bible Says About Expelling People from Community and Fellowship

1. Foundational principle

God’s goal is restoration, not removal.
Removal is corrective, limited, and purposeful.

God disciplines those He loves. Hebrews 12:6
Judgment begins within God’s household. 1 Peter 4:17

Expulsion is never casual. It is a last resort.

2. Old Testament foundations

A. Removal for unrepentant covenant violation

In Israel, expulsion protected holiness and justice within a covenant community.

“You must purge the evil from among you.” Deuteronomy 13:5; 17:7
Serious moral or spiritual rebellion led to being “cut off.” Leviticus 18:29; Numbers 15:30–31

This was not ethnic exclusion.
It was behavioral and covenantal accountability.

B. Foreigners were not expelled for being outsiders

Foreigners were protected when they respected the covenant order.

One law for native and foreigner. Numbers 15:15–16
Foreigners included if they honored God’s commands. Exodus 12:48–49

Expulsion was tied to persistent rebellion, not origin.

3. Jesus’ teaching on discipline and exclusion

A. Graduated process of correction

Jesus outlines a careful, relational escalation.

Private confrontation. Matthew 18:15
Small group involvement. Matthew 18:16
Community accountability. Matthew 18:17a
Relational separation if unrepentant. Matthew 18:17b

Even then, the person is treated as someone still needing the gospel.

B. Authority restrained by mercy

Jesus consistently rebukes self-righteous exclusion.

Parable of the weeds and wheat. Matthew 13:24–30
Warning against hypocritical judgment. Matthew 7:1–5

The community does not purge impulsively.
God retains ultimate judgment.

4. Apostolic practice in the New Testament

A. Removal for unrepentant, public, destructive sin

Church discipline is explicit but narrow.

Remove the immoral brother. 1 Corinthians 5:1–5
Do not associate while calling them to repentance. 1 Corinthians 5:11

Purpose stated clearly.
“So that his spirit may be saved.” 1 Corinthians 5:5

B. Discipline protects the whole community

Unaddressed sin spreads.

“A little yeast leavens the whole batch.” 1 Corinthians 5:6
Warn divisive people. Titus 3:10–11

This mirrors OT concerns for communal holiness.

5. Restoration is always the desired outcome

A. Discipline ends when repentance occurs

Reintegration is commanded.

Forgive and comfort the repentant offender. 2 Corinthians 2:6–8
Restore gently. Galatians 6:1

Ongoing exclusion after repentance is disobedience.

B. Love remains active even in separation

Separation does not mean hostility.

Do not regard as an enemy, but warn as a brother. 2 Thessalonians 3:14–15
Love seeks reconciliation. Romans 12:18

6. What expulsion is not

The Bible never supports expulsion for:

Ethnicity or nationality. Galatians 3:28
Poverty or social status. James 2:1–7
Doubt or honest struggle. Jude 22
Repentant failure. Psalm 51; John 21:15–19

Exclusion without mercy contradicts God’s character.

7. Synthesis: a biblical framework

Why removal happens

To protect holiness. 1 Corinthians 5:6
To awaken repentance. 1 Corinthians 5:5
To preserve communal trust. Matthew 18:17

How it happens

Slowly. Matthew 18:15–17
Fairly. Leviticus 19:15
Without favoritism. James 2:1

When it ends

At repentance. 2 Corinthians 2:7–8
With restoration. Galatians 6:1

8. Connecting back to Leviticus 19 and foreigners

Leviticus 19 shows that holiness is:

Ethical, not tribal. Lev 19:11–18
Protective of the vulnerable. Lev 19:9–10, 14
Equitable toward foreigners. Lev 19:33–34

The Bible’s discipline ethic applies equally to natives and outsiders.
Belonging is defined by covenant faithfulness, not background.

Pages

1/17/26

Immigration, foreigners' and natives from the perspective of Holiness and Love (Lev 19, Matt 22:37-39, 2 Chron 7)