Introduction:
1. Thomas Dorsey was a black jazz musician from Atlanta who was known in the early 1920’s for the suggestive lyrics he combined with original music. Then God touched his life and in 1926 he gave up the suggestive music and began to write spiritual music. In 1932 times were hard for Dorsey as they were for nearly everyone trying to survive the depression. Perhaps it was because of his past music and his also his musical style some said his music was too worldly. The most difficult night of his life came one night right here in St. Louis when he received a telegram telling him that his pregnant wife had suddenly died. Dorsey was filled with grief and his faith was shaken, but instead of wallowing in self-pity, he expressed his agony the only way he knew how. He wrote this song. . .
1) Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand.
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn. Through + storm, through + night, Lead me on to the light; Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home. 2) When my way grows drear, Precious Lord linger near. When my life is almost gone; Hear my cry, hear my call, Hold my hand lest I fall. Take my hand Precious Lord, lead me home.
2. In spite of Dorsey’s checkered past he experienced God’s presence during that crises. That song which came out of his pain and grief has comforted and challenged thousands of people since then because if we are honest, most of us have had a moment, or two or three when God’s presence was all that could get us through.
3. Let’s be honest about something else as well, we don’t really deserve all God’s faithfulness, because if we are honest, all of us will have to admit we haven’t always been faithful to Him.
4. I know that about you because I haven’t always been faithful either. But I’m glad to tell you this morning that, "God Gives Second Chances." I’ll show you what I mean. Let’s read our Joshua 20 together this morning.
Cell #1—
Joshua 20:1-9
1 Then the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,
2 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ’Designate the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,
3 that the manslayer who kills any person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall become your refuge from the avenger of blood.
4 ’He shall flee to one of these cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and state his case in the hearing of the elders of that city; and they shall take him into the city to them and give him a place, so that he may dwell among them.
5 ’Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor without premeditation and did not hate him beforehand.
6 ’He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the manslayer shall return to his own city and to his own house, to the city from which he fled.’"
7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
8 Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plain from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.
9 These were the appointed cities for all the sons of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them, that whoever kills any person unintentionally may flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the congregation.
Prayer—
Cell #2—
I. God Has Always Offered Mercy 20:1-5
1. The nation of Israel at this point had an army, but it didn’t have anything equivalent to our modern police force. When someone was murdered, the members of the family saw to it that the murderer was brought to justice and received his punishment.
2. To understand what is happening here, we need to remember that the Israelites were just becoming a nation. There was no well established legal code, no system of lawyers and judges, no elaborate rules for dealing with every possible possibility. What they did have was the first five books of the Bible, with all the laws found there. However, they were just learning how to put them all into practice.
3. One of the principles dealt with what was to happen in the event someone was maliciously killed. The law dealt with what was to happen in the event of a murder. In the Latin language the ancient law was called. . .
Cell #3— (Each of the three points comes in separately)
Lex Talionis—
The Law of Retribution
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, life for life.
4. The penalty for murder was death, and it was the right of the family or the person who had been murdered to avenge that death. It wasn’t done by the legal system, the way it is in our country today, it was carried out by the victim’s family. If you have ever heard a victim’s family share their pain when a criminal is sentenced you can imagine the way revenge must have been taken.
Cell #4—
Avenger comes from the Hebrew word Ga’al
and literally means, next of kin.
5. However, this discussion brings us to the point that is the focus of this morning’s scripture passage. What was to be done when the victim wasn’t murdered, but the death was merely the result of negligence or even just an accident? Prior to the giving of the law there were no provisions for situations like this. Could the family of the fallen person still do whatever they wanted to the person who had accidentally taken the life of their loved one. The answer was, "No." The law introduced a new principle into the mix that was revolutionary at that time.
Cell #5—
The cities of refuge were based on a principle that is the basis of our law today. . .
You are innocent until proven guilty.
6. Before this all too often people would dish out punishment and then get around to asking questions later. It was not a good system and the rules we’re reading about here were given as a means of changing the status quo and preventing the death of innocent people who had not really killed the person who lost their life.
7. Having said that, there was still a dead person. Was there to be no penalty at all? Should the person involved in their death walk away free? The situation we’re talking about here would be called manslaughter in our legal system today. How does mercy relate to this situation? Good question and that’s the second point in this morning’s sermon. . .
Cell #6—
II. Mercy Doesn’t Remove Consequences 20:6
1. I want you to think through what would have happened when an accidental death took place in these days. The person would have rushed to the gate of a city of refuge because until they arrived there if a member of the family caught up with him or her they were considered fair game.
2. The city leaders would hold their own form of court where they would examine the circumstances surrounding the tragic death to determine if the victim’s death was accidental or intentional. If the death was determined to be malicious, the person was turned over to the victim’s family and put to death. If on the other hand, the death was felt to be unintentional, then the person was permitted to live in the city of refuge. However, from that day forward they could never safely leave the city because if a member of the victim’s family ever caught them outside the city of refuge they could still legally be put to death.
Cell #7—
Even when sin isn’t intentional there
are always consequences.
3. That may sound pretty harsh, but it actually represented a huge step forward in the legal process. Up to this time if you were involved, even accidentally in a person’s death you were probably almost certainly going to death. Now things had changed.
Cell #8—
Remaining in the City of Refuge guaranteed another chance at life.
5. The person in question here had made mistakes, but thanks to this law they had another chance at life. Sometimes what appears to be totally unfair really isn’t. Let me illustrate from Gary Richmond’s book, A View from the Zoo. Listen as Richmond describes the birth of a giraffe.
The typical newborn giraffe falls nearly ten feet when it is born and lands on its back. Within seconds, the calf rolls to an upright position with his legs tucked under his body. From this position he considers the world for the first time and shakes himself. The mother giraffe lowers her head to take a quick look. Then she positions herself directly over the calf. She waits about a minute, then kicks her baby, so that it is sent sprawling head over heels. This violent process is repeated over and over again. . . Eventually, the calf will stand for the first time on its wobbly legs. The mother giraffe does the most remarkable thing. She kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up! In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up quickly and stay with the herd, where there is safety. If the mother didn’t teach her young calf to get up quickly it would not survive! 12
6. What the mother giraffe does to her baby may not seem fair, but it is essential to the young calf’s survival. The fact that the person who was guilty of manslaughter had to live in the city of refuge from then on may seem harsh, but it was a merciful punishment. Not only that, but it wasn’t permanent. When the high priest died, the person who had been living in the city of refuge was free to leave. Thanks to this law they had been given another chance at life.
Cell #9—
III. Mercy Is Always Significant 20:7-9
1. According to Jewish tradition the roads leading to these cities were kept in excellent condition and the crossroads were well marked with signposts reading, "Refuge! Refuge!" Runners were even stationed along the way to guide the fugitives.
2. Joshua set three cities of refuge on each side of the Jordan River. On the west side, Kedesh was in the north, Shechem was in the middle and Hebron was in the south. On the east side of the Jordan, Golan in the north, in the middle was Ramoth, and Bezer was in the south. . .
Cell #10—
The Holy Land was about the size of Maryland, so no one was ever far from a city of refuge.
3. God certainly didn’t ignore the fact that justice had to be carried out. Remember, if the person who came to the city of refuge had murdered the victim, he was still put to death. However, the person who was guilty of manslaughter still had a chance. There was something even larger going on here that if we aren’t careful we will miss and I think it’s too important to miss.
Cell #11—
God’s intention was that while there must be justice, His people should be willing to demonstrate mercy as well.
4. Our focus to this point has largely been historical this morning. We have in fact been laying a foundation for the rest of the sermon because in the rest of the time we share this morning I want to issue a very strong challenge. We no longer have cities of refuge, but my dream is that the church would take over that role. Oh, I don’t mean that we will literally take people out of prison who have been guilty of manslaughter, but that we will reach out to people who are struggling and share the message of Christ’s mercy with them. There are far too many people who are convinced that Christians look down on everyone who isn’t just like them. Sometimes their perceptions are closer to the truth than I want to admit. I once had a dear friend make this statement to me. He said. . .
Cell #12—
The church was never meant to be a showcase for saints, God intended that it be a hospital for sinners.
5. I want to quote from a pastor by the name of Jerry Scott. He wrote, "America is a lonely place! We rush from appointment to appointment, place to place, and then disappear into our living rooms where our best friend is often the TV. Extended families are often shattered by divorce or unable to function because the members are scattered across the country."
6. Especially in the day we live in, our church must be a place where we care about people who have failed and be willing to remind them that the God we serve is a God of second, third and even fourth chances because all people matter to God. That means sometimes we are likely to be challenged to the point where we are a little uncomfortable because here is the truth. . .
Cell #13—
The Church is to be a modern city of refuge.
7. Probably nearly everyone here this morning is nodding in agreement right now, but let me tell you that may be a bit more of a challenge than you think. Let me illustrate what I’m talking about. We must be willing to reach out to people who are struggling with failure and confusion in their life. We need to be a safe place where people can know that we will share Christ’s unselfish love, even if they have really messed up their life. Let me ask a series of difficult question, and I am warning you in advance, these aren’t easy questions. In fact, I don’t want you to answer them haphazardly, we must be honest with ourselves as well as others.
· Can the divorced mother bring her children here without feeling we’re going to judge either her and them?
· What about the young man who is struggling with an addiction will we let him know we love him regardless?
· Would we show a homosexual God’s love even if he didn’t clean up his act first?
· Will the rebellious teen who dresses to shock feel our love or only our stares?
· Can the person who isn’t sure God exists ask his questions without being met with a "how dare he" attitude?
8. To be a city of refuge means we reach out to people who are sinners and love them where they are. Our commitment to the truth must be equaled by our commitment to love the way Jesus loved the sinful people of His world.
(I’m deeply indebted to Jerry Scott and his sermon, "Finding Refuge." I have adapted much of the material for the final point of this morning’s sermon.)
Conclusion:
1. The first part of this morning’s sermon focused on understanding the history of what happened, while the last part has focused on putting it into practice in our own lives. I want to go back into the historical part for a moment because I believe what I’m getting ready to share illustrates something very practical for all of us.
Cell #14—
There is no record in the Old Testament of the cities of refuge ever being used. Which may suggest that we are a lot better at talking about mercy than we are at showing it.
2. If we want to reach those who struggle it will probably begin with us being genuine enough to be honest about the fact that we’re far from perfect ourselves.
3. Let me conclude with a wonderfully imaginative story by Tiziana Ruff about an aging emperor in the Far East. he decided to do something different. He called all the young people in the kingdom together one day and said, "It is time for me to step down and pick the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you." The emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you one seed. It is a very special seed. I want you to go home, plant the seed, water it and come back one year from today with what you have grown from this seed. I will then judge the plants and will choose the next emperor of my kingdom!" One boy named Ling received a seed that day like all the others. He went home and excitedly told his mother the whole story. She helped him get a pot and some planting soil. He planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he carefully watered his seed. After about three weeks, some of the other children began talking about how their plants were beginning to grow. Ling kept checking his seed, but it never grew. Four weeks went by, then five weeks but there was still nothing. Ling didn’t have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by, still nothing grew in Ling’s pot. Everyone else now had tall beautiful plants, but he had nothing. The boy didn’t say anything to his friends, he just kept waiting for his seed to grow. When the year was up all the young people brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling didn’t want to go, but told his mother that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But his mother encouraged him to go, and to be honest about what happened. He took his empty pot to the palace. When he arrived, he was amazed by all the beautiful plants. Many of the other kids laughed at his empty pot. When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling tried to hide in the back. Then the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. But the Emperor gently asked his name. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him but then the emperor announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" The emperor explained, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds which could not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. 14
4. Would you be honest right now about your need for God’s help in your life. You see, the truth is that our God gives second chances.
5. Perhaps you are here this morning & you desperately need a second chance. You’re in the right place. He wants to give you what you need.
6. Maybe you need to become a part of our church family, or share a struggle you’re currently facing with someone who will pray with you, God is more than willing to listen and hear you when you ask for a second chance. Let’s pray.
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1) Warren Wiersbe, Be Strong— Joshua, (Victor Books/SP Publications, Inc.) 1993.
2) Warren Wiersbe, Be Counted— Numbers, (Victor Books/SP Publications, Inc.) 1999.
3) Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament Vol. 1: Pentateuch, (Parsons Church Group) 2000.
4) The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, (Scripture Press Publications) 1985.
5) Frank Gaebelein, ED. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Old Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1976-1992.
6) Geoffrey Bromiley, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Volume 4, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B Eerdmans Publishing Company) 1988.
7) Damian Phillips, Cities of Refuge, (Sermoncentral.com) December, 2001.
8) Stephen Simala Grant, A Tale of Two Cities, (Sermoncentral.com) August, 2002.
9) Jerry Scott, Finding Refuge, (Sermoncentral.com) May, 2005.
10) Philip Harrelson, (Sermoncentral.com)
11) Erik Larson and Isaac Monroe Cline, Isaac’s Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History, (Vintage Books) (Used in a sermon by Steve Hanchet, July 11, 2000).
12) Gary Richmond, In A View from the Zoo, (JJM Communications)
13) Contributed to sermoncentral.com by Philip Harrelson. (Adapted from Failing Forward by John Maxwell)
14) Contributed to sermoncentral.com by Wade Hughes Sr. (Taken from, In the Garden with Jesus, by Tiziana Ruff)
