On Cities of Refuge...

This week the Garland Church staff was gathered for our usual Wednesday meeting and, as is our custom, we read the Reading-O-Day from Numbers 35 and then discussed it for awhile. It was quite an interaction as we considered God’s directions to the Hebrews regarding murder: What it is, how to deal with those who have murdered and the like. We also noticed that the text made a clear distinction from murderers as to how to handle those who have killed someone unintentionally (manslaughter) and how these unintended killers should be handled. These people, God said, are to flee to the “City of Refuge,” and they are to stay there until “the death of the high priest.”

It sounds like a bummer to be stuck in the City of Refuge for who-knows-how-long. I mean what if the high priest happened to be rather young when all this happened, and so the individual would be looking at a long stay in this city? That sure seems like poor timing! And remember, these people couldn’t leave the city without risking themselves to being killed by family members of the deceased who would be on the look-out to “avenge” the killer. They would be welcome to leave the city’s protective walls, but it would be at the risk of their lives.

On this matter of unintentional killing, a City of Refuge seems like our modern prison. Isn’t our prison a place that we can put offenders not only to remove them from society, but also in many cases, to protect those unintentional killers from someone out to avenge the death of their friend or family? We’ve seen in the history of our own nation that when people get really angry with what they perceive to be a criminal, who knows what actions they might take. Before “society” caught up with our land, “vigilante justice” was very common. It was you, them, and your revolver.

But interestingly, God had a much more civil plan. If you have accidentally killed someone and you need protection, flee to the City of Refuge. There, you are protected from “frontier justice,” at least as long as you were patient enough to live in the protection behind its walls.

Has it ever occurred to you that our relationship with Jesus Christ is much the same? You and I have committed all kinds of terrible sins against God and society, many of them completely unintended. For these violations, we deserve punishments ranging from death to paying remuneration, to simply offering apology and asking forgiveness. But for those who walk the journey with Christ, we have been placed under his protection. Christ himself is our City of Refuge, and those who choose to stay within his Fortress are safe. On the other hand, those who choose to venture out on their own to take their chances place themselves at great risk. Interesting, eh?

Lookin’ Up, Pastarod