To Restart Recognizes that God Desires Justice...

Yesterday, we looked at one of the most controversial issues in society, which is capital punishment. We discovered that the Bible makes a clear distinction between killing and murder. So because of the distinction that exists between killing and murder, there needed to be these cities of refuge that would provide the opportunity to be able to determine the motivation behind the actions of the accused in the death of another human being. And in Joshua 20:4, we see how the Jewish people were to make the distinction between killing and murder and the role that Cities of Refuge played in determining that distinction:

'He shall flee to one of these cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and state his case in the hearing of the elders of that city; and they shall take him into the city to them and give him a place, so that he may dwell among them. 'Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor without premeditation and did not hate him beforehand. '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.'"

Here we see the process by which the Jewish people were to maintain justice and differentiate between murder and an accidental killing. A person who caused the death of another was responsible to flee as fast as possible to one of the cities of refuge. Upon arriving at the gates of the city of refuge, the person who caused the death of another was to take ones stand and make their defense as to why their actions were accidental and without previous thought or knowledge. Upon hearing the evidence, the Elders, who were the leaders of the city, could make an initial determination that could result in the accused being brought into the city where they would be allowed to dwell and live until they faced a trial.

If the avenger of blood pursued the accused to the city of refuge, the residents were not allowed to hand them over to be killed, because enough evidence was found to warrant their asylum in the city until they stood trial. The accused would remain in the city of refuge until their trial, which would occur in the city nearest to where the crime took place. The accused would then receive a trial, where they would be able to take the stand and make a defense before their fellow Jewish citizens.

If the accused was found to have committed actions that accidentally caused the death of another, their sentence would be to remain in asylum as a resident of the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Upon the death of the high priest, the person would then be able to return to the city in which they had previously lived. If the accused was found to have committed actions that involved plotting and planning to take the life of another human being, or murder, they were to be put to death by the avenger of blood. So with all this background information in mind, we see how Joshua responded to God’s command in verses 7-9:

So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plain from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh. These were the appointed cities for all the sons of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them, that whoever kills any person unintentionally may flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the congregation.

Joshua and his leadership team responded to God’s command by setting apart six cities that were located throughout the Promised Land as cities of refuge. On the west side of the Jordan River, the cities of Kedesh, Shechem, and Kiriath-arba, were established as cities of refuge. On the east side of the Jordan River, the cities of Bezer, Ramoth-gilead, and Golan, were established as cities of refuge.

Now at this point, a natural question that arises here is “well that seems fine Dave, but what if they lived far away from a city of refuge? What were they supposed to do then?” What is so interesting is that each of these cities was positioned to be a one days trip from any part of the Promised Land. In other words, regardless of where you lived within the Promised Land, you were only one day away from a city of refuge. In addition, according to Jewish tradition, the roads leading to these cities were kept in excellent condition and the crossroads were well marked with signposts reading “Refuge! Refuge!” Runners were also stationed along the way to guide those fleeing to a city of refuge.

And it is in the establishment of these cities of refuge that we see God reveal to us another timeless principle that is necessary to recognize when it comes to restarting our lives. And that timeless principle is that to restart recognizes that God desires justice. You see, God is not just righteous and just. God delights in justice. And God desires justice. God desires justice for the victims of crime. God desires justice for those accused of a crime. God does not delight in the innocent receiving unfair punishment. And God does not delight in the guilty receiving no punishment. God delights in justice for all. And because of that reality, God set up a process in the Promised Land that was designed to promote justice for all.

And as this story continues, we see God’s desire for justice in the lives of the Jewish people revealed for us through a second specific action. Will will look at that action tomorrow. In the meantime how does God's desire for justice impact your view of God? Your view of the world?