When
we first moved overseas, everything was different for us—language,
food, roads, social rules. It was humbling to need help from others
to do something as simple as paying for public parking. I won’t
forget the kind woman who helped us and kept smiling and talking in
Italian—though we couldn’t understand a word. Her smile and
dedication to help were a great gift.
Though
our situation is much different from that of Israel in Egypt, I know
the feeling of being a foreigner in need of help. God reminded Israel
to remember their history of being vulnerable so that they could
understand how strangers might feel in their midst.
Consider
how refugees driven from their homeland or immigrants who have left
their home might feel in a strange place.
God
commanded his people not to oppress a foreigner or visitor or
stranger for the simple reason that oppression hurts deeply. God’s
people were to have empathy for others who came from a foreign land
and needed help and hospitality, not opposition or oppression.
People
who do not have the power of wealth and social status are to be
protected by the law and supported by those who are in positions of
power and influence. Tempting as it may be to follow the crowd, our
identity as God’s people demands that grace be our guide.