Would the World be Safer and Kinder If we Had Cities of Refuge?

The amazing thing about reading and studying the Bible is that the old becomes new. Always. I can't tell you how many times in my life I've read the Bible, but it is amazing to me that each time there's a new application, new insight, or new conviction. I think this happens because the Bible is a practical book for aspects of life infused with Spirit-filled writers who were seeking just like we are. While sometimes we are looking for something that appeals to a specific situation, we soon learn that it is the reader who has to learn to view life differently and recognize the Bible's practical application to most if not all situations. So we're being transformed as we read.

Currently, I'm reading the book of Joshua and as you can tell from recent posts there are many insights to be gained from reading this book. Joshua is the leader who led the Israelites into the Promised Land and as such Joshua details their conquests and how the land is divided up between the twelve tribes. Of special significance is that the tribe of Levi does not receive any land because they were to be priests to the Lord and overseers of the tabernacles and its rites because only the Levites could carry and set up the tabernacle. (Numbers 2:5-13) As the Levites were to have no territorial domain allocated to them like the other tribes in the conquest of Canaan, they were to be distributed throughout the land in certain cities appropriated to their use. Part of their inheritance consisted of forty-eight cities spread throughout the land (Numbers 35:6-7). Of these forty-eight cities, six were designated as cities of refuge. The cities were Kedesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Romath, and Golan (Joshua 20:7-8). (gotquestions.org)

The cities of refuge were in place for what we know today as manslaughter; the attacker could flee to a City of Refuge and be free of retribution from the victim's family because the Law permitted life for a life in the case of deliberate murder.  But since this was not deliberate, the attacker had an opportunity to live, plead his case, and eventually be returned to his family.

The institution of the cities of refuge, together with the rules prescribed for the guidance of those who sought an asylum within their walls, was an important provision, for securing justice as well as mercy.

What were the rules?

• If you did the unspeakable - you had 6 choices. Your job was to get to the nearest one. BTW I learned that the routes to these cities were always clear. There were no roadblocks in escaping to one of these cities.
• At the gate, the murderer stated his business. What brought you here? The attacker told their story to the elders of the city.
• The elders then welcomed the attacker into the city and gave him a place that he may dwell among them.
• If the attacker was pursued by an avenger (for e.g. the victim's family) the attacker was protected in the city. The avenger was not allowed in.
• Once the heat wore off, at some point the attacker stood before the congregation for judgment. If he left the City of Refuge he forfeited all protection.
• Once the High priest died, the attacker could return to his home city (with no fear of retribution) because the priest had anointed him since he was now a citizen of the city. The murderer was no longer viewed as a murderer. (Joshua 20:1-6) The High Priest bore the attacker's guilt; this was established in the Law and was recognized and acknowledged by the Israelites.

What struck me as I read about the cities of refuge was that God thought about everything; grace and mercy were built into the law. What we consider the worse crime - taking of another life, allowed for refuge and forgiveness. Imagine what this would look like today - our prisons would not be overcrowded, the prison pipeline would be severely reduced, the mindset around the crimes would be different, refuge, redemption, and forgiveness would have real meaning for all of us who aren't perfect. Instead, in our attempts to do right we have thrown away individuals for lesser than manslaughter. This is grievous.

Interestingly, the surprising thing when we look through the scriptures is that we can find no actual example recorded of someone actually using the cities of refuge. A city of refuge was available just in case an act of murder was committed unwittingly. We all needed a way out...just in case. The creation and designation of these cities were an act of grace. We all have a way out - God surely became that way out for all of us. 

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23 [NLT]

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Romans 5:6 [NLT]

May His thinking permeate our thoughts so that we can exercise His wisdom in governing our lives and our land.

Fasting Without Praying is Just Starvation

When our church announced that we were to fast corporately at the beginning of the year, I was genuinely excited. There was a time in my life when my relationship with God superseded anything else. I felt so close and so intimate with Him, that my life seemed purposeful. I knew how to pray and what to say and I could see the effectiveness of my prayers. The fruits of my spiritual walk were evident in my life - I was not distracted by common things and  I did not assume or take on the values of the world; as a matter of fact they were so uncommon to me that conversations with those from other walks of life were eye-opening. But there was a joy to my life that punctuated everything. So when I thought of fasting, I hearkened back to this time and hoped that the act of fasting would slowly bring me back to this place.

The whole purpose of fasting is to bring us closer to God by denying ourselves. The stated goal of our fast was, "To hear Him regarding those things that we need direction on, individually and collectively, while drawing closer to Him; to arrest our appetite for worldly things and to experience Him in a deeper way."

I have a friend who is Muslim; Muslims observe Ramadan - a time of strict fasting from sun up to sunset. She asked me, "why don't we fast like Jesus did - 40 days and 40 nights, drinking only water?" Besides the fact that it's not medically recommended, I honestly don't know.

I do know that if Jesus (and a couple of others in the Bible) could do it, He could give us the strength to fast for 40 days like He did. I also can ascertain that if I were only drinking water, there would be no denying my total reliance on Jesus. Every day of that 40 day period would be an intense spiritual experience.

I approached the fast with expectation, hopeful for a spiritual re-awakening. Instead of drinking only water, we only ate fruit, vegetables, legumes and water for 21 days. (Daniel 10:1-21)

Fasting is a process where for the first few days you are out of sorts because of the physical changes but also getting comfortable in the middle because your body has adjusted. This is the temptation in fasting - thinking you've got the hang of it while not doing anything to enhance your spiritual walk. If you just change your diet while doing all the things you normally would, you are not fasting, you've made a lifestyle change. This fasting is rejected by God. (Isaiah 58:1-5)

During the fast, each time I thought I was hungry, instead of eating I prayed, I read my Bible, I meditated on a verse, or I was still in the presence of God. I limited the things I normally would do and reduced social engagements.

Initially, I spent a lot of time thinking about food simply because we did this together as a family and I was more concerned about everyone's belly but my own. Eventually, I was OK with eating the same thing most days with little variety, because the point was not about the food but about drawing closer to God.

I learned:

• I have way too many distractions in my life - TV, computer, shopping for things I don't need. Besides buying groceries, I bought nothing else during the fast.(I ignored all of those end of year clearance deals!!!)
• You never outgrow family devotions - this was a time of fellowship and sharing; a time of being open with each other; a time of reconnection. Because of the fast we looked forward to having this time daily and made every effort to do so even if we were apart.
• Children are able to fast successfully also - I was inspired and encouraged by the Little One's attitude to fasting. Understanding the principle and goal of fasting she took it as seriously as we did. She took her lunch to school daily, followed the dietary guidelines, and shared with others what she was doing.
• God's grace is sufficient - initially, I wondered if I could fast for 21 days. God imprinted on my heart that I was not alone, to take it one step at a time with me, to trust Him and He'll carry me through. When I got frustrated near the end, I remembered that God's grace was sufficient.
• This was a time for change - during my prayer times, I was forced to repent for things that I should not have done, to seek forgiveness and receive it, and to know that I could be changed because of Him.
• Praying was more deliberate, intentional and intense - with no distractions, it became easier to pray for others, to pray for our nation, our leaders, our church, my family, my marriage, my professional life - in essence, any and everything that was important to me.
• I want more - I was having a conversation with someone during my fast and his words have resonated and stayed with me. He said the first time he fasted, he told no one. Fasting changed his life and after fasting, he said he never wanted to go back to who he was before he started fasting. This is my biggest lesson and my hardest struggle. 

My excitement has not diminished; after a mountaintop experience, there's always a letdown when you return to the valley. In all of this, I've learned that I can harness the power that is available to me and use it to live a purposeful, meaningful life. As John Piper says, "Christian fasting, at its root, is the hunger of a homesickness for God."

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. James 4:8 [NLT]
If you've never fasted, I would encourage you to do so. It may be helpful initially to do so with your church just because of the accountability factor. When you fast, don't focus on your denial, instead focus on your deepening relationship with God during this time. What has been your experience with fasting?

Frustration That Leads to Tears

I had been trying to fix a particular problem for what seemed like a very long time. I researched it, tried different solutions, worked with a support team and even called in the experts, all to no avail. I even prayed. It seemed like all of these solutions were missing the source, the root cause and so the problem persisted. I kept a brave face on. I kept trying. I'd take one step forward only to be stopped dead in my tracks - two steps back. Today, I reached my breaking point and I cried out of sheer frustration.

This problem was impacting my ability to work, to be productive. This problem was consuming me to the point where I felt I was going crazy. When tears rolled down my face, I was in disbelief because some part of me could not believe that the frustration of this unresolved problem had led me to this point.

I felt raw. I felt broken. I felt undone. Right in this moment, I prayed again. Praying is simply talking to God so I had an internal conversation with God where I expressed my disbelief and frustration. Somehow in that moment I also received peace and clarity. At that moment, I knew that this problem was no longer going to get the best of me. I finally had peace.

So I re-grouped, put my thinking cap back on and this time attacked the problem from a vantage point of victory. And finally this time, I was able to try the one thing that was overlooked to resolve the problem.

Have you ever felt like that? Have you used up all of your strength trying to resolve a problem with no resolution? Did the car stop working and you have no idea how to fix it? Did your microwave bite the dust? Is your landlord not doing what he's supposed to? Did your teenager seemingly turn into a monster overnight? Did a relationship unfold differently than you anticipated? Perhaps you need to become raw, broken and undone and take all of that to Jesus.

In all of this, I was never alone. It almost seemed trivial to pray about this - but it wasn't the problem per se, it was what the problem was doing to me. The problem was stealing my joy; today I recognized that and said "no more" in my brokenness.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 [NLT]

Don't let your problems get the best of you instead let the Best Person give you strength, clarity, and peace to handle all your problems.

Women Who Knew Their Worth

Ancient Israel was a kinship-based society, with kinship defined through the patriline (i.e. inheritance was through the male), so that both genealogies and rights of inheritance were, with only a very few exceptions (e.g., Num. 27:1–11; 36:1–12), traced through patrilineal lines of descent. (Ackerman)

Not only was marriage the norm in ancient Israel, for both men and women, the norm within marriage was for women to bear children. Sons, in particular, were important for maintaining a father’s lineage within ancient Israel’s system of patrilineal descent and for transmitting through the generations the landholdings that every Israelite family claimed perpetually to hold as its inalienable patrimony. (Ackerman)

With the above in mind, it is important to note two instances where women asked and claimed their inheritance. The first instance was Caleb’s daughter, Achsah who was given to her cousin in marriage as a reward for capturing some land. The scripture doesn’t indicate what prompted her, but she went to Caleb and asked for a land with springs – and Caleb gave her the upper and nether springs. Caleb’s daughter probably knew of the promise of land to Caleb and his descendants. The land she and her husband received was probably not adequate enough for farming. She needed access to water so that her land could produce and be fertile. There was nothing wrong with asking – so she asked and got what she requested and then some. It seems that the Bible celebrates her “pushiness” or moxie since this story is told twice in the exact manner – Judges 1:12-15 and Joshua 15:16-19.

Then there was the great grandson of Manasseh – Zelophehad (bet you never heard of him), who had no sons but five daughters. Manasseh was Joseph’s son and he and his brother Ephraim were included in the 12 tribes of Israel. When the land was being parceled out, these five sisters said to Joshua, “The Lord commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren.” This was the second time these women spoke up and this time it was to re-affirm what they had already accomplished. Because they recognized that the law made no provision for inheritance if a man did not have a son, they brought their case before Moses. (Numbers 27:1-11) As a result, an adjustment was made to the law. So now at this point, Joshua could give them an inheritance for future generations. According to the commandment, Joshua gave them an inheritance. (Joshua 17:1-6) These women might have been overlooked if they had not spoken up and the law would not have been changed.

Here’s what we can learn from all of these women:

•     These women knew the traditions and laws of the land; they were knowledgeable.
•     They were determined.
•     They understood what they were entitled to.
•     They weren’t afraid to ask and did nothing wrong by asking.
•     They received what they were asking for.

As a woman, don’t let society's laws, rules, traditions or practices dictate your worth. You are worthwhile because God made you and you are made in the image of God. Marches are nice; I didn’t feel compelled to participate because to me the motive seemed reactionary and ultimately marching wouldn’t change my worth. It’s more important to know who you are regardless of the circumstances around you. This knowledge should center you and give you wisdom on how to act.

Scripture never discounts the female intellect, downplays the talents and abilities of women, or discourages the right use of women's spiritual gifts. But whenever the Bible expressly talks about the marks of an excellent woman, the stress is always on feminine virtue. The most significant women in Scripture were influential not because of their careers, but because of their character. The message these women collectively give is not about "gender equality;" it's about true feminine excellence. And that is always exemplified in moral and spiritual qualities rather than by social standing, wealth, or physical appearance. (McArthur)

As women, know your worth. If you’re confused by all the messages around you, start with the Bible. God created you (warts and all) in his image and you are worthwhile in His eyes. In His kingdom, women are not afterthoughts or appendages. You have equal value with men and full rights to all of His benefits.

And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. Job 42:15 [KJV]

How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! Psalms 139:17 [KJV]

Do you know your worth in God's eyes?  Are you claiming what God has for you?