#379 You Shall Not Pass

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.

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.

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. Joshua 20 KJV

Obviously emotions may not always bring about a fare trial. I once saw a teenager hit by a car, and it was not the fault of the driver, but the boy who followed his skateboard into the street, never the less the boys life was now uncertain. I witnessed the matter so I stopped my car and called 911. The boys mother arrived while we were waiting and it broke my heart to watch her, she was crippled by it. His brother also arrived and his immediate response was "who did this to my brother?" I stayed silent so his anger would not be directed to the woman who was driving the vehicle, but when he got in my face, I think she feared he would make the situation worse. He asked me, "did you hit my brother" and he was screaming an inch from my face, but the woman spoke up that it was her car. I explained to the older brother that it wasn't her fault, and the police eventually had to speak to him. She bore no malice towards the young boy on the ground, and it was not her fault, but emotions run high, and those in pain want justice without understanding what it really looks like here. The older brother was ready to hit me without knowing fully what took place, and I pitied him so I didn't worry about my ego, since it is a foolish thing anyway. The city of refuge protected such as did not by choice or malice hurt another, or who by self defense did cause their death. The latter is often upon the head of the dead, since they attacked another, or came into their house at night, and the former was described as work related. It is in the instances where the axe came off the handle or by some other means accidental that one should flee to such place of refuge, so they could be heard. I have found such a place and I cannot claim lack of guilt, but I know that I will be heard, and I know the priests that is there has already died to cover my sin. Even if you are saying, I didn't know, I didn't think I did anything wrong, if I knew Him and walked with Him then I would have done differently. Even if you thought you could stand on your own two feet, that such men like you are ever and eternally worthy, I pray that you would go to that city, find out for sure, because I am telling you for certain the avenger is not ever so far off. If you are trusting in your own understanding of right and wrong, if you are thinking that you are good enough, that you have some token of religious comfort or grand idea of human goodness where there is an anemic God made of hands or your own hand, and no God at all, well obviously you are not a person of the book. 

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to our own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth;

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression[a] and judgment he was taken away.

Yet who of his generation protested?

For he was cut off from the land of the living;

for the transgression of my people he was punished.[b]

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,

and with the rich in his death,

though he had done no violence,

nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,

and though the Lord makes[c] his life an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53: 6-10