The word “border” is frequently heard in today’s global conversation. There is talk about closed-borders, open-borders, controlled-borders. There are humanitarian organizations who use the term without-borders in their name.
Lately I have been thinking about borders and their purposes. As you think about borders, what are some of the reasons that come to mind related to why they exist? Maybe one of those reasons that comes to your mind is that they exist to provide protection both for those inside the borders, and in some cases, protection for those outside the borders from that which is within them. Another reason could be that borders also provide definitions for what they surround.
The very first indication of border and border protection mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis chapter three. At that time God, seeing the danger that Adam and Eve might perpetuate their sinful state by having access to the Tree of Life, drove them out of the Garden and set cherubim angles at the border to guard against re-entry.[1] This is clearly an instance of protection, not protecting the Garden God had prepared for Adam and Eve, but to protect and provide for them. God used borders to protect them against perpetuating their sinfulness and to provide for God’s purpose of reconciling them back into relationship with Him.
Another Biblical instance of borders is when God divided people by diversifying their languages. God had clearly expressed His will for people, as they multiplied, to scatter and fill all the earth. However, the people of that day decided it would be better for them to come together and “make a name for themselves.” They purposed, to strengthen themselves by uniting together, instead of weakening themselves by scattering abroad.[2] For sure, collectively they would be stronger; scattered they would be weaker, and more vulnerable. At the same time, and of greater importance, collectively they would find their strength in themselves while scattered they would be able to find their strength in God. That’s the point! So, God set borders, or we might say, boundaries, by mixing up their languages in order to fulfill His good purposes.
Borders come in different forms. Some are natural while others are fabricated. Some are material while others are non-material. The types of border in these two instances are different, but God’s clear purpose for setting borders, or boundaries was the same. His purpose was to bring people into a relationship with Him.
I guess it should not be surprising then to read later on in the Bible that God’s purpose for setting borders is so that people might “find Him.” God, speaking to people in the city of Athens by Paul says that He “…having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God,…”[3]
Another not-so-surprising occurrence is to find a center like Immigrant Hope – Mesa where conversation, counsel, and guidance related to the proper means for migrating across international boundaries is used to introduce and reinforce God’s provision for deep relationship with Him.
What are some “borders” in your life, and how might they be used to initiate or deepen your relationship with God?
[1] Genesis 3:22-24.
[2] Genesis 11:1-9
[3] Acts 17:26-27
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