“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good? Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it. The Lord delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day. Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the ger, giving him food and clothing. Therefore love the ger, for you were ger in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name. He is your praise, and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things which your eyes have seen. Your fathers went down to Egypt with seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as the stars of heaven in multitude.
What Does It Say?
This passage is a fascinating combo of the two main arguments about race in the Bible. In the first half, we see an emphasis on race and family as both real and important ("The Lord delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day"). Israel as an extended genetic family is important (a "people").
However, this develops in an unexpected direction in the second half. The Israelites are charged to keep the law, not just the ceremonial law of circumcision, but to circumcise their hearts. In other words, they are to serve the God who has chosen their people with all of their hearts. This includes loving caring for ger, just as God Himself cares for ger.
The first half confirms some things that the ethnonationalists assert. Extended genetic families (a "people" or perhaps "race") are real, and are assumed to be the basic unit of social organization. The nation is primarily a genetic entity. An increase in descendants is a blessing from God ("Your fathers went down to Egypt with seventy persons, and now the Lord your God has made you as the stars of heaven in multitude") and its decrease is a curse from God.
The second half confirms some things that more mainstream Christians like to emphasize. We are supposed to love the ger and materially assist them ("loves the ger, giving him food and clothing"). There is an assumption that there will be ger in the land, that we are obligated to reasonably assist them, and (if we draw on other passages already looked at) they can become part of the nation.
The problem with the ethnonationalist position is that it ignores God's own logic. We are strangers and pilgrims in this world, therefore we should show mercy and charity to strangers in our nation. And if you say, "My people were never slaves in Egypt!" you should ask yourself if, as a Christian, you are Abraham's seed. A "pure" ethnostate, even if possible, is out of line with the commandments of God.
The problem with the mainstream position is that it literally brings about the curse of God. If you deny that the base of the nation, the tree from which the people spring, even exists, then you will end up cutting it down. Letting in unlimited numbers of immigrants is not feasible. There will always be more people outside of any given nation than inside of it. If you let in too many ger, there will be no land for the people, and the native population will collapse.
Now, this will likely change as we keep going, but I'm going to start formulating a five points of the nation.
1). The basis of a nation is an extended family with common genetic ancestors.
2). An increase in the population of that nation (extended family) is in general a sign of Divine blessing, whereas a decrease in the population of that nation is in general a sign of Divine cursing.
3). Outsiders can become residents of the nation under the following conditions:
-They convert to the religious worship of the nation
-They obey the secular laws of the nation
-They do not threaten the prosperity of the nation by their presence
4). Intermarriage with outsiders is allowed, assuming they have converted to the religious worship of the nation.
5). Temporary residents such as merchants, travelers, and contract workers are allowed so long as they abide by the law and do not engage in public worship of false gods [so far, I haven't seen anything that explicitly says towshab are not allowed to pray to false gods in private. Public worship/building of temples to false gods is explicitly condemned through the Old Testament - see Solomon's wives.]
No comments:
Post a Comment