Evangelicia

Alicia's Bible Blog

 

 

Wisdom 19:14 "Others had refused to receive strangers when they came to them, but these made slaves of guests who were their benefactors."

 

Solomon is speaking of how the Egyptians treated the Jews, and how deserving the Egyptians were of the punishment that befell them because of this treatment. I wonder if many today are not doing the same - refusing to receive strangers except as slaves. I am also reminded of a post I did in 2021, It's Time to Notice the Needs of Others. We can become so accustomed to a comfortable lifestyle that we do not see how blessed we are and how we should share those blessings. It seems to me, lately, that a certain class of people in the West, including those in power, have come to assume that their comfortable life is just the way life is, and must be preserved at all costs. They don't see that it is not this way for many people, and they don't want to help others be comfortable, safe, and free, too. 

 

This has led to a very selfish way of looking at the world and other people. Instead of welcoming new life, new neighbors, even strangers, as gifts from God, benefactors who will enrich their lives, others are being treated as either threats to this class’s lifestyle, or opportunities to exploit to maintain that lifestyle. That is exactly what happened with the Jews in Egypt. This selfish and oppressive way of life can be seen everywhere. We see pregnancies being terminated because they might derail careers or people just "aren't ready" to be parents. We see the concerns of the working class, and legal immigrants, being dismissed, since they pose a threat to the lifestyle of the elites. Instead, the floodgates are open to illegal immigrants who will be beholden to those in power, and therefore can be used essentially as slaves.  

 

This class of people is radically changing the value system of the West, a system once based on Judeo Christian values which produced a vibrant and thriving culture and way of life for more people than ever before in history. In doing so, they are setting us all up for God's coming wrath. No person, no stranger, no unwanted pregnancy, no immigrant, no fellow countryman, exists for us to use or dispose of, they are each a cherished creation of God, our Father. We must get back to thinking of others as our fellow human beings, our benefactors, and not as our slaves, if we want to avoid the same punishment as the Egyptians.

 

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