Your Moral Provision—i Series

YOUR MORAL PROVISION—I—Joshua 20:1-9

God established Cities of Refuge within Israel.

God insured that the moral uprightness of His people was established.

How is virtue established in God’s people?

Virtue/Moral excellence is established among God’s people.

1—Virtue/Moral excellence is established among God’s people...

Thru DESIGNATION(:1-2)

—Explanation:(:1-2)Appoint/Give/Allocate/In Place

“Then the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘Designate the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,”

“Designate/Appoint out”—To separate set aside.

A people must see fit to apply God’s moral excellence in their society.

Give place to the concept.

Put faces with the names

Establish tangible means of expressing Virtue

—Laws—Enable/Free people to have virtue.

—Congress—Senate & House—Representatives must uphold Christian virtue.

—Churches—must be represented

Put in place a means of handling right behavior.

Overall Landscape made to support & encourage Virtue

—Argumentation:

Framers of our US Constitution/Christian virtue built-in & given place or definite structure/

—Illustration:

Associational church building construction on TAMA Indian reservation/Certain areas(foundation squares constructed strictly for the support of porch/Designation

Police dept./Designated for protection of citizens/1st Police dept. in New York—Charity work—Clean up of neighborhoods—Fix-it men/Moral Designation

—Application:

?You support DESIGNATIONS that establish virtue?

?Is Moral Excellence established thru you?

2—Virtue/Moral excellence is established among God’s people...

Thru REFUGE(:3)

—Explanation:(:3)Protection/Shelter//Immunity

“...that the manslayer who kills any person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, & they shall become your refuge from the avenger of blood.”

“Refuge”

—Protect/Shelter/Immunity to the innocent—Life in God’s image is precious

—Incrimination of the malicious.

—Salvation Army—Churches—Food Pantry—Govt. Organizations—Lighthouse—

“Avenger of Blood”

—Designated by an authority to execute criminal.

Num. 35:19—“‘The blood avenger himself shall put the murderer to death; he shall put him to death when he meets him.”

Num. 35:27—“& the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, & the blood avenger kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood”

—Argumentation:

Ex. 23:7—““Keep far from a false charge, & do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty.”

Deut. 19:13—“You shall not pity him, but you shall purge the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with you.”

Jer. 19:3-7—“& say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah & inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold I am about to bring a calamity upon this place, at which the ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. “Because they have forsaken Me & have made this an alien place & have burned sacrifices in it to other gods that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, & because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent & have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind; therefore, behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter. “And I shall make void the counsel of Judah & Jerusalem in this place, & I shall cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies & by the hand of those who seek their life; & I shall give over their carcasses as food for the birds of the sky & the beasts of the earth.”

Ex. 22:22-24—“You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. “If you afflict him at all, & if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry; & My anger will be kindled, & I will kill you with the sword; & your wives shall become widows & your children fatherless.”

—Illustration:

Wildlife Refuge/Offers Sanctuary/Wildlife takes precedence

Clothes Pantry at Seminary/Suits/

Adoption services

—Application:

?You uphold the REFUGE for the innocent?

Adoption services/Safe houses/Indigent care/Food pantry/Clothes closet

?Is Virtue/Moral Excellence established thru you?

3—Virtue/Moral excellence is established among God’s people...

Thru PRORIETY(:4)

—Explanation:(:4,5) Right Channels/Procedure/

:4—“ ‘And he shall flee to one of these cities, & shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city & state his case in the hearing of the elders of that city; & they shall take him into the city to them & 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 & did not hate him beforehand.”

‘Propriety’—Behavior appropriate to honor God & man, under God’s graces.

a. “Stand at the entrance”—Where elders met—Aware of comings & goings of city.

b. “State his case”—Share the evnts bringing him there.

c. “Elders”—Hierarchy—Governors—Sheriff—Judges