Cities of Refuge

Transcript

Hello, my friend… so glad you're with me today. This is By God's Call — day 69, Cities of Refuge.

"Say to the people of Israel, 'Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses.'" Joshua 20:2.

Let that command settle for a moment before we go further.

This wasn't a new idea. God had already spoken about these cities decades earlier, back in the wilderness, through Moses. And now, after the whole conquest, after the dust of battle had finally settled, Joshua stops and carries out what had been planned for so long. That alone tells you something about God's heart: He doesn't build a nation only thinking about conquest and territory. He thinks about protection too. About justice. About people who are going to need a safe place to run to.

And what was that place for? The cities of refuge existed for one very specific situation: someone who took another life without intent. An accident. An axe head that slipped off the handle. A stone that fell in the wrong place. In those cases, the old law allowed a relative of the victim to pursue immediate vengeance — and without these cities, the accused, even if innocent of malice, could die before the truth was ever heard. So God carved out a space. A place where that person could run, find protection, and wait for the case to be judged fairly before the community.

Notice the wisdom in this. God did not want hasty vengeance, driven only by the pain and rage of the moment. But He also did not want automatic impunity, as if anyone could claim accident and walk away untouched. He built in space and time — time for the truth to be established, for the facts to be examined, for justice to move slowly instead of being decided in the heat of emotion.

And look at how this was distributed: six cities, spread across both sides of the Jordan, so that no Israelite would ever be too far from a safe place. God did not want protection to be a privilege for the few who happened to live nearby. He wanted refuge within reach of everyone, no matter where they were.

Now think about this: in an ancient law full of sacrifices, rituals, and severe demands, God sets aside an entire chapter — an entire system — just to protect someone who has not yet been condemned. Before judging, He protects. Before deciding guilt, He grants shelter. This reveals a God who cares about the process, not only the outcome. A God who thinks of the accused even before knowing whether they are guilty.

And this has a very direct application for our life today. How often do we judge someone too quickly, before we know the whole story? How often do we become someone's executioner in our own hearts, condemning a person who may have acted without any bad intent at all? God calls us to be like those cities: a place of refuge, not of summary execution. A space where the truth can be heard before the final verdict.

So today, think of someone being judged — by you or by others — for something that happened before the whole story was known. And offer that person the benefit of the doubt. Be, today, a city of refuge for someone.

Stay close to God. Pray — then act. I'll see you tomorrow, my friend.