One of the big problems in being in battle is that you don’t know when to quit. During World War II some Japanese soldiers holed themselves up on small islands in the Pacific and hid away decades after hostilities ended. Some were even told the war was over but did not believe it. Two years ago, reportedly, two former Japanese soldiers came out of the jungles on Mindanao Island of the Philippines and said they did not know the war had ended. In 1974 Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda was found in the Philippine jungles and refused to surrender until his former commanding officer was flown over from Japan.
In a way, that is what the Children of Israel faced in this stage of their victory over the Promised Land. Open hostilities were over. No major opposition remained except for some small pockets of resistance near the coast. Now that the land was being divided up there was an important element to introduce, one that was starting to get foreign to these battle hardened troops; that quality is mercy.
When you are fighting for the Lord, it becomes easier to see everyone as an enemy who does not appear to wear your uniform and fly your flag. We can begin to see weakness as treachery and failure as opportunity to press the battle forward. God here in chapter 20 wants Israel to make room for mercy. It reminds me of something the prophet Habakkuk will say years later:
Habakkuk 3:2 O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy. ESV
Those are good words for us as well. God did this in Israel by creating what are called Cities of Refuge; places to run to for those who had killed someone unintentionally but who faced the retribution of relatives out for blood.
Sometimes once we experience victory we hold on so tight that we leave no room for mercy. Furthermore, sometimes we keep the territory we have won so close that we fail to make room for God invading and giving it and us away.
We see this in chapter 21, where God literally gives away parts of the nation already allotted to the various tribes. This giveaway consisted of cities for the Levites and pastureland around those cities. The tribes had shed blood and fought hard for these cities and having God come in and just give them away might have stung.
What happens when God tells us to give up a ministry? I’ve known too many that hold on too hard to "territory" they think God gave them and don’t allow Him to do with it what He wills.
Verses 1 - 6
The legislation around the cities of refuge is found in Numbers 35. Manslaughter is defined as the accidental killing of another without premeditation. If someone commits manslaughter they were to run, not walk, to the nearest City of Refuge. There were apparently signs posted on roads that were well cared for with signs that said "Refuge, Refuge!" and even runners along the way to aid them.
Why? Because of someone known as the Avenger of Blood. This person was a relative of the person killed. Revenge and the avengement of blood was and continues to be a very powerful thing and here Joshua institutes the command of Moses from God to protect the innocent until trial. It reminds me of the Old American West. We had a lot of vigilante justice back then. When someone was accused of killing someone else sometimes they didn’t wait for a circuit judge to come riding through, they simply strung the person up from the nearest tree and called it good.
What happens is that the motivation for revenge can overwhelm the need for justice. I’m glad that God set this up, not just for protecting those people who needed it but as a principal. When someone wrongs us, like cutting us off on the freeway, we want to run them off the road, but is that justice or revenge?
We need to put our emotions in check and let our hearts lead us. When we find ourselves getting upset about something, do we want that person to become more like the Lord, or do we want to extract our pound of flesh from them. "Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord, I will repay" (Dt 32:35)
A provisional court would form of the elders of the city who would hear evidence, kind of like a Grand Jury, to determine whether the person was killed or murdered. If a premeditated murder took place the person would be turned over to be executed. If not, the person was allowed to live in the city of Refuge until a final court could hear the case or the High Priest died. One of the reasons for this is that at times there was not a strong central government that could provide legal proceedings such as this so it was up to the cities to fill in. It had to be a proper court though, with evidence and testimony by two witnesses in accordance to the Law (Numbers 35). We’re not sure why the death of the High Priest was involved. Perhaps it represented the statute of limitations.
Verses 7 - 9
There were six Cities of Refuge, 3 on the west of the Jordan (Hebron, Shechem, Kedesh) and 3 on the east (Bezer, Golan, Ramoth). All these cities were also given to the Levites too.
Hebron: (Keriath-Arba - Arba was father of Anak) also given to the Caleb. In chapter 21 we read that the surrounding land and villages were Caleb’s. Perhaps they shared the city.
It’s interesting that with all these regulations and infrastructure, there is not one recorded incident of a city of Refuge ever being used.
For us, the cities of Refuge represent Jesus Christ. We who are guilty of sin run to Him and are safe as long as we are in Him, in His city, so to speak. Romans 8:1 says "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Chapter 21
Verses 1 - 3
The Levites were given cities to dwell in, though they didn’t own them. God was their inheritance.
Verses 4 - 7
Aaaron’s descendants were: Kohath, Gershon, and Merari. The clans of these three sons were given towns.
Our inheritance is Jesus Christ, but that doesn’t mean we have nothing here on this earth. Jesus provides us with our daily bread, but as the Levites didn’t own the towns, we are not the owners of what God provides us.
Verses 8 - 26 Particulars of the cities for the Kohathites. (23 cities)
They were scattered around Jerusalem because the Temple would be built there and the family of the High Priest needed to be close. They came from Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. The rest of the Kohathite clans cities came from Ephraim, Dan, and the western half of Manasseh.
Verses 27 - 33 Cities given to the Gershonites (13 cities)
Eastern half of Manasseh, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali.
Verses 34 - 40 Cities of the Merarites (12 cities)
Zebulun, Reuben, and Gad, mostly east of the Jordan.
Verses 41 - 42
So the total number of Levite cities was 48. Some of the towns were still held by the Canaanites. Apparently Joshua felt they would eventually be taken over.
This got me to thinking: the tribes might not have been too keen on giving over entire cities, or great portions of them, to the Levites. Some of them are familiar names to us: Hebron, a powerful city, Gibeon, home of the Gibeonites, and Shechem, made famous by Jacob and the Dinah incident.
How would you like it if God came along and said "See this bedroom here? This one is mine. I’m going to give it to this person to stay in."
And what it got me to considering is: how much of us do we dedicate to God? If God asks, are we willing to turn over some of the major parts of our lives to him - some of the more famous parts, powerful parts?
Verses 43 - 45
This is an incredible summation of what God did for His people in bringing them into Canaan.
Promise: "the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers."
Possession: it was a gift given, not just promised.
Settled: It was a permanent gift, God doesn’t take back. Now he will temporarily remove them from the land for discipline, but it was still theirs. The Hebrew word means "to sit down" and is translated: to abide, to remain, to settle"
Rest: Not only was the land theirs, but it was a place of peace, thanks to the Lord. The Hebrew is: "to settle down." Or "to be quiet."
God follows through: "not one word of the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass."
Lessons:
Give mercy a chance
So how do you respond when you see Christians fail around you? Christians are known as the only army that shoots its own wounded. Do we give mercy a chance?
Galatians 6:1-3 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. ESV
Give God Room to move
Sometimes we get so locked down in what God has been doing through us that we fail to give Him the room to maneuver. If we don’t really own our lives or our ministries or our time and talents we allow God to change direction and even tell us to give up something we think we are going to do forever.
I know the pastor of a very large church who each year asks God if he should continue. That’s having light fingers, light ownership.
Receive the promise of the Lord
God has given you victory over your enemies: the flesh, the world, and Satan. Jesus said "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10-11)
Part of that abundant life is settling into that victory, taking possession of it, knowing that not one of your enemies can withstand Him and "not one word of all the good and precious promises that the Lord" has made to you shall fail, "all (will) come to pass."
Promises like: "Behold I am with you always", "My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory," "He who has begun a good work in you will continue it," he will bring you "safely into His heavenly kingdom," "Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world" and on and on. Praise God, Amen!
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