 “When the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, 2 you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 3 You shall measure the distances and divide into three parts the area of the land that the Lord your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them.
4 “This is the provision for the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past— 5 as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live, 6 lest the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past.7 Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities. 8 And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers— 9 provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you today, by loving the Lord your God and by walking ever in his ways—then you shall add three other cities to these three, 10 lest innocent blood be shed in your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, and so the guilt of bloodshed be upon you. 11 “But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. 13 Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you. Property Boundaries14 “You shall not move your neighbor's landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. Laws Concerning Witnesses15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. 16 If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, 17 then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18 The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, 19 then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. 20 And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. 21 Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. Meditation Christian obedience always begins with God’s work, God’s love, and God’s word. Faith that saves is demonstrated by believers walking on the ground of God’s grace and seeking to live for God’s glory. God’s faithfulness always fuels fruitful discipleship. This truth is consistent with Scripture and begins today’s reading: “When the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you…” (1). What follows is the formation of a society built on life and justice. God’s faithfulness is the thread binding together the direction for life in the land: Provide cities of refuge for people awaiting trial (1-10), ensure justice for those who take life intentionally (11-14), honor ancient boundaries guarding God’s inheritance (14), ensure two or three witnesses establish evidence in court (15-18), and set the land apart from evil and guilt (13, 28). God’s faithfulness fuels a fruitful society centered on life and justice. The redemption of God frees the people of God to live life for the glory of God. Paul packages this paradigm in different ways for the Church: God is merciful to you, so be transformed (Romans 12:1-2). God has saved you by grace through faith, so live the works He has prepared in advance for you to do (Ephesians 2:8-10). As dearly loved children, walk in love and give yourselves away to others (Ephesians 5:1-2). You were saved not by works done in righteousness but by God’s grace, to be zealous for God’s works for God’s glory (Titus 3:4-6). God’s faithfulness will fuel fruitful following of Him. Richly Dwelling -What stands out to you about the paradigm of this passage, that God’s faithfulness fuels a fruitfulness of society centered on life and justice? -When do you miss the paradigm, allowing your motivation to be more about your work, your performance, your significance… rather than God’s faithfulness to you? -How does the repacking of the paradigm by Paul through the gospel give both energy and potency to this discipleship opportunity, specifically for your life? Key Verse “When the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, 2 you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. Comments are closed.
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