Joshua

Joshua Chapter 20

Joshua 20:1 The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying,
2 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses:
3 That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.

Here we see a reminder of the commandment God gave to Moses concerning those that accidently kill someone. In the event this kind of thing happened as tragic as it would be, I believe God wanted to prevent a relative of the victim from taking vengeance without examining the facts and giving the person a chance to have a fair trial.

Many laws of our land are based on the bible. Our own founding fathers in the United States were influenced by the bible even if they were not actual followers of Jesus Christ. Somewhere in their families and ancestry were those who believed in the bible as God's word.

Even tyrants and despots of the past recognize that strong families make a strong nation. We see so many families breaking apart. Studying history we do see that God gives nations time to repent and He waits until the point of no return or to the point that a nation gets past repentance. We see from reading Revelations that even when judgment was poured out by the plagues many refused to repent. Violence also is something that will destroy a society and God was making sure that a fair hearing was given to one before any revenge can be taken. He commanded Moses to appoint cities of refuge. Here we see God reminding Joshua of the need for this. In the law that was given to Israel, we can see that God provided them with all they needed as He brought them to their new land that was promised to Abraham years before.

God saw ahead of time that the inhabitants of Canaan would get to the point that they were beyond repentance. Yet we see God warning Israel that if they departed from the word of God and went into idolatry and sin, they would be in danger of losing their nation. It did happen in later years but with the promise that in the end times they would receive all God intended for them to have originally. God has not abandoned Israel. In 1948 we saw Israel become a nation once again.

Joshua 20:4 And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them.
5 And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime.
6 And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.

This was a place that the avenger of blood was not allowed to go in and slay the accused otherwise they were allowed to take vengeance, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. We should be thankful that through the gospel of Jesus we can be forgiven of sin and through the influence of Christianity we have a court system that gives someone a fair trial although, that too is changing before our eyes. Now there is a danger that whoever has the best lawyers and the most money can often escape judgment while the poor might be subject to take the fall for someone else. We really need to have judges who are fair and impartial. I believe there are a few still around.

Joshua 20:7 And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.
8 And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh.
9 These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.

This person still was held accountable but had to face the congregation of the people for a hearing. I marvel at the way God thought of everything they needed knowing mankind and how flawed they were and that things happen that could cause an innocent person to be judged unfairly. Surely God is a just God. DC

Joshua Chapter 21