Inquiry:
How should strangers be treated? Should they be killed (Numbers 1:41; 3:10, 38; 18:7; Deuteronomy 7:2) or should they be treated kindly (Exodus 22:21; Leviticus 19:33-34; Deuteronomy 10:19; Jeremiah 22:3; Zechariah 7:10; Matthew 25:35)? Is there a contradiction?
Response:
It is helpful to look at the context of the verses given by the questioner to see why in some texts the strangers were to be killed. Each time such a statement is made in Numbers, it deals with a violation of God’s law. Only the Levites were permitted to touch or tend to the things of the tabernacle. Any stranger who touched it was to be put to death. As we look at the law, we see that the stranger was not subject to a more severe punishment than the Israelites were. We can see commands given for Israel which also, if they were disobedient, a death penalty was the punishment.quiry:
Deuteronomy 7:2 speaks of the Israelite entrance into the promised land. They were not to make covenants with those who lived in the land, but to drive them out and destroy them. At this point, they were the enemies of the Israelites and would be engage in various wars. At other times, Israel was told to deal kindly with people of other nations. It is important to consider the historical context.
We see this in our own history as well. There was a time when Canada (a British colony) and the United States were at war. At that time, we shot musket rifles and canons at each other. Now, our countries are at peace and friendly.
There is no contradiction.
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