1 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘Designate the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, 3 that the manslayer who kills any person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall become your refuge from the avenger of blood.
Message: Designating Cities of Refuge
Time: Joshua "Yahweh saves" led Israel, under God's command, to victorious conquest of the Promised Land. The book spans about 25 years, beginning about 1406 BC. The conquest of Canaan, numerous military campaigns and regathering of the nation are major components.
What the Lord is Saying: Well, this is a short chapter of 9 verses. So far in the previous chapters, cities of Canaan have been divided up according to the tribes of Israel. The tribe of Levi did not get land because of their status as priests. Now here is a city of refuge.
The Lord speaks to designate these cities, according to what was spoken through Moses. Number 35 verse 9 states, "Then the Lord spoke to Moses." About? Verses 11 and 12, "you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there. The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for trial." And specific instructions are given. For those who strike others with iron, stone, wood, with hatred, this person will be put to death, but for those that threw something without enmity, he shall go to the city of refuge. And "he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil." As such, the Law, God's law, protects those that kill others unintentionally.
This happened here Saturday night. I heard out about it through my work. A bus driver was entering the west on-ramp of the interstate and a bicyclist was heading south and the bus struck the cyclist at around 5:30pm. And the man died as a result of his injuries at the hospital. My friend Bobby called me yesterday to say that the principal at their school gave them an announcement that a father of children at the school had died from a cycling accident the night before. He was a missionary to Africa, here in the states temporarily because his son had been sick and was back here getting the son treatment. He had 6 school aged children, the youngest being twin 4 year old girls. His name was Craig.
Joshua 20:2-3 follows through on this designation of cities. It is interesting as it reads in verse 6, "He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the manslayer shall return to his own city and to his own house, to the city from which he fled." The death of the High priest (and the covenant recommences with the inauguration of a new High Priest) served as a sort of atonement to the manslayer, restored to the inheritance which had been forfeited by sin. Thus the high priests death took on a meaning like that of Christ, affording restitution of the offender.
Interesting. I guess I never thought of it like this. Atonement is like a man dying for murdering someone. And this was laid out in the law of God and is carried out today in our courts. Some believing a man will die for killing another while others think the man is set aside in prison to live the rest of his life. But in each case, a life is atoned for another. In Christ, he has atoned for us, for our sins. We have not murdered, but through our sin before a holy God, our offense results in death. "For the wages of sin is death." We place our faith and hope in the work of Jesus Christ so that we can be restored to fellowship with God in heaven.
Summary: Cities of refuge are now designated in Canaan as a refuge for those individuals that unintentionally take another person's life.
Promise: From Tabletalk, "When we do not support appropriate penalties for the taking of human life, we show disdain for other people and for the Lord in whose image we are made."
Prayer: O Father, rich in mercy and love. You show me today the seriousness of life and those who take it, even though unintentional in that taking of life, life is still precious. Our law today is kinder to the unintentional crime. Life remains important. There is grace. There is forgiveness, but according to your ways. Thank you for being a God who is over all and specifies truth into our lives. You are holy and sin must be paid for, in all instances. Thank you for the places of refuge you give us - like our church and being with people of God in many different settings. We are sinners in need of grace and in need of restoration. Thank you Jesus for paying for my sin. Let my life be lived to honor you in all things. I also pray for this man, this family that is now victim of this, and their life which has now forever changed - for those children and for the wife - to bring them comfort and hope for the future, for today, for tomorrow. Be their strength when they have no strength to live. Be the God of mercy to this family.
Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.
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