DHS Border Protection Video Citing Isaiah 6:8 Sparks Cries of ‘Blasphemy’

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Screengrabs from X / @DHSgov

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In a new video posted to social media, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) referenced the “send me” phrasing of Isaiah 6:8 while showing border guards searching for immigrants who are in America illegally. The one-minute clip, posted to X on July 7, had 1.5 million views and 21,000 likes by midday July 8.

“There’s a Bible verse I think about sometimes. Many times,” the narrator says. “It goes, ‘Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me.’” The camera then cuts to the narrator’s uniform patch, identifying him as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent. Shadowy footage shows agents in boats and helicopters, using night vision to complete their missions.

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For a backdrop, the video uses Johnny Cash’s song “God’s Gonna Cut You Down.” The chorus repeats the lines, “You can run on for a long time… Sooner or later God’ll cut you down.” A verse used in the DHS clip states:

Well you may throw your rock and hide your hand
Workin’ in the dark against your fellow man
But as sure as God made black and white
What’s done in the dark will be brought to the light

Critics: Scripture Misuse Is the ‘Height of Blasphemy’

On social media, some people defended the department’s use of Scripture. “This verse got appropriated by the Special Forces community,” someone wrote. “From there it’s not shocking it got passed on to law enforcement.”

Another person wrote, “I think this is a wonderful way to use scripture…you are answering WHATEVER call the Lord has on your life! I am SURE those rescued felt God answered their prayers.” Someone else expressed joy that “the Bible and the name of the Lord [are] no longer being hid in our government.”

Critics labeled this use of Isaiah 6:8 as blasphemous and inappropriate. “I’m not religious by any stretch of the imagination,” someone wrote on X. “But I’m pretty sure using the Bible for a recruiting ad is considered blasphemy.”

Another person said the Scripture reference “mocks the Word of God.” Pulling “singular verses, divorced from context as guiding influence on one’s life is how we get this,” she added. The commenter urged pastors and parents to “stop telling kids to choose a life verse” for this reason. “Jer. 29:11. Nope. Phil 4:13 in sports? Nope.”

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Stephanie Martin
Stephanie Martin, a freelance writer and editor in Denver, has spent her entire 30-year journalism career in Christian publishing. She loves the Word and words, is a binge reader and grammar nut, and is fanatic (as her family can attest) about Jeopardy! and pro football.

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