Sheltering the Poor

Here are some verses from the Bible:

“Give counsel;

grant justice;

 make your shade like night

at the height of noon;

shelter the outcasts;

do not reveal the fugitive;

let the outcasts of Moab

sojourn among you;

be a shelter to them

from the destroyer.

 

When the oppressor is no more,

and destruction has ceased,

and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land,

then a throne will be established in steadfast love,

and on it will sit in faithfulness

in the tent of David

one who judges and seeks justice

and is swift to do righteousness.” (Isaiah 16: 3-5)

 

The second set of verses are often quoted. They refer to the day when Christ returns. The day when all is put right on the earth.

 

But they need to be read in the context of the verses before them. These speak of sheltering the outcast, the fugitive. We are called to rescue the refugee, the support those who have lost everything.

 

I'm aware of the politics that suggests we should close our borders in the UK. But the cry for mercy is central to the Christian faith. So, for me, I will support, shelter, welcome and care for those who have nothing. Even if the borders of my country close, I choose to open the borders of my life.