Stranger Danger or Love the Stranger?

What comes to mind when you think about the term - stranger? I think of a homeless person crossing the street. I think of the door-to-door magazine salesman or the lady with a flat tire on the side of the road. I think of the total stranger I might meet on a plane or the stranger who picks fruit for a living. However, when I hear "stranger" or when I see a stranger, I also think - caution. I think stranger danger.

Stranger danger is a term we use to alert people, especially kids, to the hazards of living in a world that's inhabited by dangerous predators. Not everyone you encounter on the street, or at the family reunion for that matter, is to be trusted. The funny guy offering to show you his puppy may be setting you up for something quite sinister. So it's a good thing to have your wits about you when you're in unfamiliar settings or around unfamiliar people. I think it's a basic adult survival instinct. And we pass it on to our little ones with caughty terms like "stranger danger."

Stranger = Caution. This is the usual slant I give to the word stranger, and I'm probably not alone in that respect. So you might be able to relate when I say the term "stranger" got my attention while studying the Bible recently. What does JAH think of strangers? Here's the context of the passage in Deuteronomy 31. Moses has reached the end of his life and he's giving final instructions to the nation of Israel as they move into the promised land. He says to them, "Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law:” (v. 12).

Moses reminds the people of Israel of their need to periodically come together to hear the Word of JAH, and to learn again about the mighty deeds of JAH, so that they will ultimately learn to fear and obey JAH. Earlier in chapters 27 and 28, Moses pronounced the blessing for obeying the Law and the curses for disobeying the Law. So the people know full well that it's a good thing for the nation to walk in the fear of the LORD. These blessings from the Most High were fantastic. Conversely, the curses were awesomely grievous.

But notice that even in this early revelation, JAH wanted people from all the nations to fear Him and obey Him and be blessed by Him. So He says and I paraphrase, "Yes gather the men and the women and the children of the nation together to learn about JAH and fear JAH and be blessed by JAH. But when you do so, don't forget about the stranger who is within your gates. Don't forget the people from other nations of the world who live among you and who also fear JAH just like you. The stranger is to hear the same Word. The stranger is to learn again about the mighty deeds of JAH. The stranger is to fear JAH also. And the stranger will be blessed by the same JAH as you."

In other words, the blessings are not just for Israel. Any person who obeys receives the favor of the Most High. Nationality or race or ethnicity or denomination is not the reason for the blessing; obedience to God is the reason for the blessing. The vision of fearjah.com is to call the nations of the world to stand in awe of the Most High God. Not just this nation, but people from all nations. Why all nations? Because JAH is the LORD of all nations! His blessings are not just for me and my people! The blessings are also for the stranger.

Shortly after delivering his people from the bondage of Egypt JAH says, "Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." (Exodus 22:21 KJV) I love that logic. I paraphrase, "You know what it's like being an oppressed stranger, I saved you from those evil oppressors, so don't you dare treat a stranger the way those oppressors treated you!" JAH commands that the stranger was to be treated fairly. But it doesn't stop there.

Some years later we see, "Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Deuteronomy 10:19 KJV). Are you tracking the progression? We go from treating the stranger fairly to loving the stranger to including the stranger as you gather to seek the favor of God.

So which is it? Stranger danger or love the stranger? I think it's both. Be appropriately alert and cautious when around strangers in unfamiliar setting. And also be keenly aware that the stranger in front of me in the checkout line or the stranger on the other side of the wall, is loved and accepted by the same God who loves and accepts me. Furthermore, the same God was loves me has called me to love the stranger also.

In closing, as people of faith with a clear mission to reach the nations of the world, we must not allow our sense of stranger danger, which is valid and natural, to override our desire to see the fulfillment of Psalm 33:8, "Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him."