Refuge In the Body of Christ

Joshua 20:1-3 (NRSV)

20 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, ² “Say to the Israelites, ‘Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, ³ so that anyone who kills a person without intent or by mistake may flee there; they shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood.

Observation:

            God is concerned with justice. The Law of Moses requires that an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. If someone commits murder, his or her life is to be taken. Nevertheless, there are times when accidents happen. The key to this passage is that the death is the result of error not intent. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to determine if something is an accident or intentional.

            Therefore, God has made plans for the Israelites to protect them from taking innocent blood. The Cities of Refuge are set up to protect the innocent, and to keep the avenger of blood from becoming guilty. There is a place of salvation for the people. One cannot help but imagine that this is David idea in the Psalms. He understands that God is his refuge, his salvation from his enemies.

Application:

            We all have been guilty of sins that we did not intentionally commit. I find that in marriage I can say things that I think mean one thing, and find to my dismay that I have conveyed something very different. This is especially true since I am an audible thinker. That is I share my thoughts so I can decide whether I agree with them or not. This is good for my processing, but can create a great deal of stress for my wife. I do not intend to create stress; nevertheless, I do. Of course, this is not a crime of murder (though she might think it).

            For most of us we will never accidentally kill anyone. On the other hand, will we? Jesus told us to hate is same root emotion that leads to murder. So, if we hate someone we have already committed murder in our heart. There is a good chance that we have harmed someone emotionally even if we have not harmed him or her physically. We may not have intended to, but that might be the result of our words, or actions. In such cases, it would be nice to have a place of refuge to run to so that we could avoid the judgment soon to come.

            I seems that those of us who observe individuals, who harm with actions or words, that we tend to believe they intended the harm done. It is the old, “If you were sorry you wouldn’t have done it in the first place”, argument. Sometimes, we don’t think before we response or act. There are individuals who are careless with their mouths, and thoughtless of the consequences of their actions. As irritating as this might be, we cannot deem their behavior as premeditated, or even willfully produced.

            As believers, we ought to be cities of refuge. We should be places where people can come until proper judgment can be made. Paul tells the Corinthians in 6:1-5, that they ought to make proper judgments between believers where there is a dispute. The church ought to determine if there was intent when someone is wronged. Moreover, as the body of Christ it seems that we should be more willing to assume the best rather than the worst about someone. We are to be a people of compassion, peace, reconciliation, and love. Just as Jesus would not condemn the woman caught in adultery, we should not be quick to condemn those who cause us harm. Perhaps, when we carry our cross these are some of the pains we must bear, as we forgive those who trespass against us.