TL;DR:
Deuteronomy 10:19—“Love the foreigner”—is a clear Old Testament command that reflects God’s heart. Rather than an “us-versus-them” mindset, Scripture calls believers to show empathy and hospitality to outsiders, remembering Israel’s own history of oppression. This command supports world evangelism, urging us to be instruments of God’s love that transcends cultural and national boundaries.
Concern for foreigners and exhortations to care for outsiders appear in several places in Old Testament writings. Such expressions of concern appear in books like Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, 1 Kings, and Micah. One such passage in Deuteronomy says, “And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:19, 2011 NIV). What does that verse mean for us today?
Deuteronomy presents Moses’ final addresses to the Israelites and recounts key events from their post-Exodus journey through the wilderness. As Moses reviewed those events, he passed on God’s command to love foreigners.
That command has huge ramifications for the cause of world evangelism. Think for a moment about our unsaved friends and family members. Many of us have friends or family members who are living outside the Kingdom of God. Don’t we yearn for them to come to know the Lord? Aren’t they often in our prayers? Think about that. We love our friends and family members. God expects us to love foreigners as well. If we genuinely love foreigners, won’t we desire that they, too, know about Jesus?
Some might argue that such a broad application of Moses' command goes against the rest of the Old Testament. That objection may come from assuming the Old Testament presents an us-against-the-world mindset. Repeated Old Testament warnings against adopting foreign religions and idols may fuel that assumption. Those warnings have to be taken seriously. They were not, however, given to create a "fortress mentality" that manifests itself in disdain for foreigners.
Admittedly, when Moses said "foreigners," his listeners may have thought principally of the Israelites’ close neighbors. That scenario has obvious applications in a world where immigrants and evangelical Christians often live in the same neighborhoods. However, isn’t it also possible that the Holy Spirit would use Deuteronomy 10:19 to call us to embrace people throughout the world, regardless of their national or ethnic origins?
Seeing Deuteronomy 10:19 as evidence that God’s people should love people of every nation reflects what Scripture reveals about God Himself. First John 4:8 declares that “God is love,” and the exhortation to love foreigners flows from God’s desire to bless all peoples (Genesis 12:3).
The command in Deuteronomy to love foreigners accords with the declaration, “For God so loved the world,” in John 3:16. That idea of loving all peoples even brings to mind the words of the classic children’s song:
“Red and yellow, black and white;
All are precious in His sight.”
Sadly, God’s people have not always been good at loving foreigners. Jonah, for instance, stubbornly refused to love the foreign Ninevites. When William Carey began advocating missionary work in the late 1700s, some church leaders resisted his appeal, arguing that reaching people who had never heard the gospel was God’s concern rather than theirs.
Such disregard for other peoples reflects a failure to embrace Deuteronomy 10:19. Since that verse reflects God’s love for all peoples, should we not embody the passion of God’s heart by truly loving foreigners?
—Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
This post is one of 36 essays in the “Heart of God” series originally published in Engage, a monthly online magazine. That series looked at what the Bible says about world missions.
Here are some of the terms English translations use for the people mentioned in Deuteronomy 10:19:
Here is what we need to be doing:
Understanding the historical and cultural context of Deuteronomy 10:19 can give us insight into its significance.
Bottom line: Deuteronomy 10:19 points to empathy, hospitality, and solidarity with marginalized people—values rooted both in Israel’s past experience of oppression and in its covenant relationship with God.
Memorable Quotes About Other Bible Verses
F – Friendliness welcomes neighbors from other nations.
O – Open hearts make room for people from other cultures.
R – Respect honors every person’s God-given worth.
E – Empathy seeks to understand unfamiliar experiences.
I – Inclusion brings outsiders into the community.
G – Generosity offers practical help and hospitality.
N – Neighborly love crosses cultural and linguistic boundaries.
E – Encouragement supports those adjusting to unfamiliar surroundings.
R – Relationships replace suspicion with understanding.
S – Service demonstrates the love of Christ.
Like acrostics? Here are more of them.
