Thursdays with Joshua

Read Joshua 20:1-5 – The Lord also spoke to Joshua, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that the slayer who kills a person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. And when he flees to one of those cities, and stands at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declares his case in the hearing of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city as one of them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. Then if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, but did not hate him beforehand.’” (NKJV) 

When God establishes the community of Israel, He provides them with the direction they need for virtually every circumstance. God even provides a place for those who accidentally cause the death of a fellow Israelite. These cities of refuge became the only way to avoid the vengeance of a victim’s family—an important consideration, especially when one’s intent might not yet have been established. God is righteous and He always does what is right. We can have confidence in God’s judgment because He sees all things. But we cannot be quite as confident in man’s judgment. Man can only look on the outside of issues as he is unable to see another’s true heart. And, a man can be driven by impure motives, further compromising a pursuit of justice. How thankful we should be for God’s justice. He does all things right and will ultimately make all things right. We needn’t take matters into our own hands. Only a righteous God can be counted on to act righteously—something to remember when we want to act on our own perceptions.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.