By: Dale Weckbacher
Numbers 15:27-29
'And if a person sins
unintentionally, then he shall bring a female goat in its first year as a sin
offering. 28 So the priest shall make atonement for the person who sins unintentionally,
when he sins unintentionally before the LORD, to make atonement for him; and it
shall be forgiven him. 29 You shall have one law for him who sins
unintentionally, for him who is native-born among the children of Israel and
for the stranger who dwells among them.
NKJV
When traveling to a foreign country, a person is required to
have a passport. In ancient Israel, the
passport was offering up a sin offering.
Everyone living in the land was required to present a sin offering. This requirement was for both native-born people
and foreigners. God was interested in
there being only one law in the land for both natives and foreigners. Without this uniformity in the rule of law,
it becomes impossible to distinguish lawbreakers from those obeying the
laws.
The sin offering is also symbolic of the ultimate sin
offering, Jesus Christ, whose death on the cross provided salvation to anyone
that asks (Hebrews 9:23-28). Belief in
Jesus Christ and acceptance of His sacrifice on the cross provides is passport
to eternal life in the presence of God and is provided to anyone that asks free
of charge for the price was paid for with the blood of Christ (Ephesians
2:8).
For anyone that has ever traveled to Mexico, it is not difficult
to understand why Mexico's citizens would look across the border and see the
United States as a land of opportunity or Promised Land. However, just as no one could stay in Israel
without the offering of a sin offering or have eternal life with God without
acceptance of God’s gift of salvation, people must have proper documentation to
enter the United States. Citizens of the
United States have no problem with extending a hand to those desiring to pursue
their dreams for most citizens of the United States are descendants of
immigrants that came to pursue their dreams.
However, in order to insure the security of the country, we must know
who they are and whether they intend to obey the laws of the country.
There is a need for immigration reform but that does not
include amnesty. Like most parts of the
government, the immigration system is a bloated bureaucracy. People desiring to enter the United States can
plan to spend close to $15,000 and the process can take up to three years
according to Nick Adams, an Australian author.
(1)
This expensive and lengthy process is
hardly something a poor person living in Mexico can afford. However, this is no excuse for our nation to
just open the door of the border letting anyone enter.
Governor Perry of Texas has taken a lot of heat for his
statement that Terrorists from ISIS may have already slipped across our open
southern border with Mexico. (2) Governor Perry did state there was no clear
evidence anyone from ISIS had crossed the border and was only stating the
obvious, an open border is an invitation for anyone desiring to commit an act
of terrorism in the United States. This
is precisely why nations have requirements for those desiring to live in their
country.
We live in the digital age, an age where we can access
knowledge with a simple click of our mouse or a few swipes on our smart phone
or tablet. Granted, much of the
information may be false or misleading but with a little work, one can sort
through the data and determine the truth about almost anything. In the digital age there is no reason why
entering the country legally should cost thousands of dollars and take almost
three years. Immigration reform is not
about amnesty but the introduction of technology that will streamline the
bloated immigration bureaucracy and make it easier for those genuinely pursuing
the American dream to enter our nation legally as our ancestors did.
Unfortunately, government bureaucracies take on a life of
their own and those working in them will resort to almost anything to preserve
their existence. Add to that the fact
that these employees are unionized and their union will financially support any
politician resisting efforts to reduce the immigration bureaucracy and we can
see why politicians continue to speak of amnesty instead of streamlining the
bureaucracy. However, we the people have
the power of the vote and must support candidates supporting real immigration
reform that does not include amnesty but instead introduces 21st
century technology to the process.
Legally entering the United States requires proper
documentation. I understand the desire
of those seeking a better life and that they view the United States as a land
of opportunity just as my ancestors did.
In the digital age, there is no reason why we cannot use technology to
make it less expensive and faster for someone to enter the United States legally
while insuring the nation’s security.
The only thing standing in our way is willingness of our leaders to
break-up the current bloated immigration system and replace it with a 21st
century system that works more efficiently.
1. WND. Entering America legally a long, costly
process. www.wnd.com. [Online] WND, July 26, 2014. [Cited: August 26,
2014.]
http://www.wnd.com/2014/07/entering-america-legally-a-long-costly-process/.
2. Ollstein, Alice.
Rick Perry: Iraqi Terrorists Likely Crossing The Texas Border. thinkprogress.org.
[Online] ThinkProgress, August 21, 2014. [Cited: August 26, 2014.]
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/08/21/3474264/rick-perry-immigration-2/.
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