The Stranger Clause

Numbers 9:14
“‘And if a stranger dwells among you, and would keep the LORD’s Passover, he must do so according to the rite of the Passover and according to its ceremony; you shall have one ordinance, both for the stranger and the native of the land.’”

In my ever slow and steady verse-by-verse reading through the Bible I’ve learned some pretty interesting things. One in particular that has really been jumping out off the page to me recently is repeated over and over again. It’s something that God continually tells Moses with each section of the Law. Whether He’s giving the sacrificial law for atonement or the sacrificial law for cleansing, God always makes a provision for the “stranger” in the land.

Here in Numbers 9 God is talking to Moses about keeping the Passover feast. This is a celebration of God’s supernatural delivering of Israel out of the hands of Pharoah. One would think that of all the rituals, sacrifices, and feasts that God would hold special for His “chosen” people, this celebration would be set aside just for them. But that’s not the case. Even in this celebration, God gives a clause for the stranger in the land who would choose to keep the Lord’s Passover.

Why would God do such a thing? I like to think that all of these little “stranger clauses” given to Moses by God are preparatory inclusions for the post-cross generations. What? By God placing these clauses in His law, He was creating a loophole through which anyone could become a member of His chosen people and prosper under His blessing! These provisions would allow for any stranger in the land who was willing to make a choice to follow God’s law to receive the same blessings and protections according to God’s word.

Today, instead of having the Law of Moses to choose and follow, we have Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of the Law (Matthew 5:17) to choose and follow. Both Old and New Testament declare the same outcome for making the choice. (Exodus 19:5-6 “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” Revelation 1:5-6 “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”)

The truth is simple: God has always made provisions for every single person on the face of the earth. His desire is that no one should ever die (2 Peter 3:9), but rather choose to accept the sacrifice of His Jesus on the cross and follow Him. Through His perfect Son, God provided a loophole for our sinful human depravity. In our fallen state, we are strangers to grace. But God, the creator of grace, saw it fitting to give us forgiveness. What “stranger clause” is there than choosing to become the sacrifice for a fallen and depraved society? The Passover feast and blood of the lamb were merely a foreshadowing of the Last Supper and the Cross of Christ. Today is the day to make a choice.