Any of you who have travelled abroad realize you have to go through Customs, have a passport, in some cases show your visa as well, declare your purpose for coming into their country, answer a few questions – and then you can proceed. But we can’t just step into any other country without the proper paperwork and acknowledgement that we are entering as a foreigner into someone else’s country.
I start with this because, for some reason, some in this country want us to act as if we have no border. Even the former president of Mexico recently made the statement “God did not create borders”. But Scripture is clear: God did create borders. Let me show you.
What’s the first “border” you can think of that is clearly mentioned in scripture – a border that God himself imposed? The Garden of Eden. When our ancient parents transgressed the Almighty’s command they were ejected from the Garden. But then what? God placed a flaming sword at the one entrance to the garden, keeping out anyone unauthorized to enter. This is something God did. So our God clearly intended to enforce his borders. Let’s read it: “So He (God) drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24, emphases added here and in the scriptures below).
A case can be made there was a prior illegal border crossing. Jude 6 gives us a hint that the first unauthorized border crossing was when Heylel (improperly called Lucifer) and his rebellious angels left their proper domain and attempted the first coup d’état against God himself.
Scripture mentions “border” or “borders” close to 200 times. For example: “And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza…” (Genesis 10:19).
Did God create boundaries and borders? How about these examples:
Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; your elders, and they will tell you: When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 32:7-8).
God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings… (Acts 17:24-26).
Next let’s look at Numbers 34, where indeed the Almighty Himself specifies the borders and boundaries for each of the tribes of Israel:
Then God spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance — the land of Canaan to its boundaries. Your southern border … As for the western border … And this shall be your northern border … You shall mark out your eastern border … This shall be your land with its surrounding boundaries‘” (Numbers 34:1-12).
That was God himself speaking! So did God create borders? Pretty clear, isn’t it. He updates Israel’s borders for a future time in Ezekiel 47 and 48. Check it out.
In Psalm 74:17 Asaph wrote the following: “You have set all the borders of the earth …”
So you see, the former president of Mexico was wrong when he said “God did not create borders.”
Now, having borders does not mean we should not allow visitors, immigrants and new citizens. But borders are of God. They should be respected. And foreigners are to be loved and respected – but they must abide by the same laws that existing citizens have to obey.
*Adapted from the author’s blog at LightontheRock.org. Scripture quotations taken from the New King James Version.
