God set Israel apart and commanded her not to mingle or intermarry with foreigners (Ezra 9).
Does this mean God is a racist?
No.
God set Israel apart from pagan nations to prepare her for bringing the gospel to all mankind (Genesis 18:18).(1)
From beginning to end, God makes it clear that racism is wrong:
1. God expected the Israelites to treat foreigners humanely, demanding they not mistreat, oppress, or deprive foreigners of justice (Leviticus 19:10; Deuteronomy 10:17-19; Jeremiah 22:3; Zechariah 7:10; Malachi 3:5).
2. In the Old Testament, God guaranteed full privileges to any foreigner who followed Him (Isaiah 56:3-7).
3. Jesus commands us to preach His gospel to all nations (Matthew 28:19).
4. In Acts 8, God miraculously sent Philip to share the gospel with a black man who became one of the early converts to Christianity (read more).
5. God promises that heaven will include people from “every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9).
There is no doubt that God loves people of every color, country, ethnicity, and race.
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(1) God made it clear that the Old Testament separation of the Jews ended with Christ (Acts 10:28; Romans 2:9-11; Galatians 3:28).
You might ask why God told Israel to completely destroy some foreign nations. That's a good question. They were destroyed when they reached a point of no return in their level of evil. See Why did God destroy entire nations? and The Timing of God's Punishments.
We also need to remember that God sent Assyrian and Babylonian oppressors against Israel when the Israelites became ungodly. And God spared evil nations when they repented. See Did God Change His Mind About Nineveh?
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Bible Love Notes
My husband and I love your devotions and teaching. God's Holy Word is often watered down to try to conform it to the ways of the world these days. Thank you for your steadfast devotion to Him, His Word, the Truth!
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