Cities of Refuge: The Harmony of God's Justice and Grace

Intro

Those of you who know what kind of a student I was like would understand that I was a perfectionist in the sense that I tried my hardest on every single assignment. I would often take the hardest teacher so that I could learn more. It was under one of these teachers, my high school English teacher, that I received a paper back, which was an essay after a book review. The paper was marked down to a B! A B! My mind couldn’t understand it. I had worked so hard on this assignment, how in the world could I have scored a B? I quickly opened the pages and began scrolling through the red ink. My brain raced trying to understand why the things underlined in red, especially one particular phrase when I mentioned that a person was murdered. Didn’t they die at the hand of another person? My brain thought. That means murder. Tentatively, I took my paper up to the teacher to ask for clarification. Rather than the one-to-one response I was expecting, my teacher used the moment to instruct the whole class in the difference between killing and murder. Murder, she said, is killing done out of malicious intent. Killing is done whether malicious or not. It’s like how a square is a rectangle but not all rectangles are squares. A person can be killed by a car or a falling rock. A person who murders always has the evil, hateful intent behind their killing.

For me, being publically embarrassed in front of the whole class was one of the most helpful things that this teacher could have done because her lesson is embalmed in my memory.

But this lesson points to a significant fact, that some things in life are not just black and white. Some things are morally grey.

The Morally Grey

What do I mean by this?

Well, what happens when a person is out driving, and they run over a pedestrian and kill them. Are they guilty? What extent is their guilt? We would need to ask more questions … What time of day was it? Did the car swerve to intentionally hit said pedestrian? What were the weather conditions? Were the breaks working?

All of these questions have different answers. But at the end of the day someone has died. Our justice system can’t just do nothing about it. An investigation needs to be launched and evidence gathered to weigh the right and the wrong. If the person was killed, not out of criminal negligence or recklessness, then the driver might as well be another victim. But if the driver was under the influence of alcohol or is found to be negligent or reckless, then they could be charged with either a class A felony or a class B offense.

Fortunately our legal system has a process, at least in law, whereby said situation is brought before a judge and the evidence is gathered. That’s how we as a society operate between the morally grey. We have to sift through between the intent of the driver and the situation, and measure what kind of penalty should be enacted.

Do you know why our legal system operates as it does? Because it comes from God. God has given human governments power to exercise civil authority on the earth, to punish evildoers and to reward the righteous. At the basis of any legal system on the planet, that’s what the code should look like.

And we see the same thing exercised with the nation of Israel.

If you remember, we are in the book of Deuteronomy. And Israel is receiving this instruction while they are about to embark into Israel by passing the Jordan river. And this sermon is Moses’ final instruction to the nation of Israel. These are the final edicts and verdicts they will receive from him, since he himself is old and was forbidden by the Lord to pass the river. And he’s giving them the Lord’s laws, which are organized under the ten commandments.

Last we left off, we had just finished covering the section on the 5th commandment, which is honor your father and mother. And we looked at the different authorities God had set up for Israel. But now our chapter this morning morphs into the sixth commandment: You shall not murder.

So if you have your Bibles, please turn with me to Deuteronomy 19, verses 1-13. (repeat)

Our goal, our objective this morning is to figure out 1) within this law, how are these morally grey situations navigated and 2) more importantly, how does this passage of scripture impact us as Christians today?

If God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, then the pattern which he expresses in his law is something that we as Christians should pick up on and see throughout the rest of scripture.

So let’s read Deuteronomy 19, beginning in verse 1.

Deuteronomy 19:1–13 ESV

“When the Lord your God cuts off the nations whose land the Lord your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess. You shall measure the distances and divide into three parts the area of the land that the Lord your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them. “This is the provision for the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past— as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live, lest the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities. And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers— provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you today, by loving the Lord your God and by walking ever in his ways—then you shall add three other cities to these three, lest innocent blood be shed in your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, and so the guilt of bloodshed be upon you. “But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

Let us pray. (prays)

1. Navigating the Morally Grey

The taking of human life unintentionally is a complex moral situation.

On the one hand, payment is deserved for the life that was taken, according to the law of the Lord and so that the family of the deceased may have some consolidation, but on the other hand, the manslayer was not malicious or intentional and could be just as much the victim here as the one who died. Should God’s justice, which demands the death of the individual, be exercised, or his mercy, which would allow the manslayer to walk free? It’s morally grey.

Fortunately, God gives clear instruction here for the nation of Israel in this morally grey area. God’s law gives the manslayer a chance at life, all the while not forfeiting justice.

Now, there are those who would argue that God’s offer of refuge here is in violation to his previous command: An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Shouldn’t all those who kill another man be put to death? Remember Genesis 9:5-6

Genesis 9:5–6 ESV

And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

Therefore, one could argue, life for life, blood for blood. Image for Image.

Notice what God’s law does here.

God does not forbid the family of the deceased from pursuing the manslayer, at least until the city gates. And even within the city gates, the matter shall be weighed as to whether or not it deserves death. We have further instruction from the book of numbers:

Numbers 35:15–21 ESV

These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there. “But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. And if he struck him down with a stone tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. Or if he struck him down with a wooden tool that could cause death, and he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death. The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. And if he pushed him out of hatred or hurled something at him, lying in wait, so that he died, or in enmity struck him down with his hand, so that he died, then he who struck the blow shall be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.

God’s “new” law does not violate the old, in the sense that the taking of human life should require a life in return. God does not minimize the value of human life. But God also knows and weighs the heart. He also makes a provision, now, for the one who has not killed out of malicious intent. There wasn’t a provision before. It was a morally grey area. We see it specified in Numbers 35,

Numbers 35:22–25 ESV

“But if he pushed him suddenly without enmity, or hurled anything on him without lying in wait or used a stone that could cause death, and without seeing him dropped it on him, so that he died, though he was not his enemy and did not seek his harm, then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood, in accordance with these rules. And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.

God extends an opportunity for grace through a system of justice, which was to be measured by the elders of the city.

I want you to notice here, that there’s still a cost for what occurred. The manslayer has to flee their former life. They have to remain within the boundaries of the city until the death of the high priest. Human life to God is not so invaluable as that the killing of a person is gone unnoticed. When murder in the land of Israel is not addressed, it stands before the Lord. Verse 13 of our passage emphasizes this fact,

Deuteronomy 19:13 ESV

Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

God’s watchful eye is on the whole of Israel. When the guilty blood stains the land and does not have justice, God’s wrath remains.

It is expected that the family of the deceased should pursue and kill the one who took a life.

But we must remember God’s provision in outlining these sanctuary cities.

Why would he do that? Because of his grace.

Grace is undeserved favor. Whereas formally this manslayer would be condemned under the law, grace is the clause that provides exemptions from the lawgiver.

The lawgiver knows how to apply his law. Which leads me to this point:

God’s Justice and Grace Exist in Harmony

God’s Grace, the undeserved favor, does not live in contradiction with his divine justice. The justice must be satisfied: there’s a price to be paid, but the grace is extended because the lawgiver knows to what extent the law applies.

Sometimes we as man take God’s laws, which were intended for a time and a place, and make them universal. We take something which was intended for a context, such as the nation of Israel, and try to force them upon ourselves and everyone around us. But that’s not how the lawgiver intended for his law to be used. He does not violate himself by extending grace or by clarifying what was formerly misunderstood regarding the law.

Within the law, God makes provision because he knows the heart of man. A person may be guilty according to the letter of the law but they have not violated the spirit of the law.

In order to navigate the morally grey, we must understand the extent to which God’s justice is demanded, but also understand the extent to which his grace is applied,

2. Living in God’s Perfect Justice and Grace

2 instructions for living in God’s perfect Justice and Grace:

-Do not Minimize God’s Justice

-Do not Forfeit God’s Grace

Do not Minimize God’s Justice

How often should the death penalty be applied? It’s a hard question to navigate. Sometimes, there are evils so morally wrong, that a person deserves to die.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor in Germany, was faced with this very conundrum. Initially he was reluctant to make any assassination attempt against Hitler because he knew about God’s grace and kindness and offer for redemption. But within his soul, he had to wrestle through the complex morality of God’s grace and his divine justice. Ultimately, Bonhoeffer would go on to participate in an assassination attempt on Hitler’s life, which failed and found him in prison and eventually a concentration camp where he gave his life.

There are states in our own country who would not ever use the death penalty as a sentence. I think this is a slight on the victims of school shootings, of mass murders, of rape. God makes it clear that he has given the sword to human governments. The sword he gave to the government within Israel, to be upheld and exercised by all the people, was a sword to put to death murderers within the land so as to purge the evil.

We can only think of our responsibility, as a nation formed by the people, for the people, in wielding the sword. When we, as a nation or as a people, stand by while innocent blood is spilled, we inherit the guilt of bloodshed.

People think that we can only sin by the things that we do. What they don’t realize is that often we sin by the things that we DON’T do. We don’t stand up for the innocent, for the oppressed, for the causes that need justice.

We need to remember not to minimize God’s justice.

And Christians are often tempted to minimize God’s justice with the gospel. “God is all-inclusive, all-loving”. If God’s grace, they argue, extends to all, then God would accept them for who they are.

But that’s not taking into account the full divine counsel of scripture where we read “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and “The wages of sin is death”.

We need to remember the importance of God’s law in pointing out the error of our ways, and that God’s wrath burns against sin. There is a holy and righteous God who would be within his own right to wipe out billions of the earth’s population right here, right now, because of how wicked and sinful we are.

The gospel message shows us the weight of our sin, and the importance of Christ in offering a payment for our sin so that it can be settled before God justly. An appropriate payment for the debt we owe.

We should not minimize God’s Justice.

But at the same time, we should not forfeit God’s grace.

Do not Forfeit God’s Grace

I think of what my initial reaction might be in a circumstance where one of the ones whom I’ve loved the most have been taken from me, if I received a phone call while I was at work that my mom, or my brother or sister or niece or nephew died because of a drunk driver. (Pause)

“It’s not fair that they get a chance to live. They took from me, so it’s only right that I take from them.”

Oh little man, so quick to judge. Do you search the hearts and minds and know the motives of people?

Often we look for something to blame when we’re hurt and we are experiencing loss. We cry out at others who were involved, whether intentionally or not. We cry out “Justice!!! Justice!!! Life for Life, blood for blood!” We even cry out against God saying, “God how could you make this happen? How could my loved one die?” We blame anything and everything in the heat of the moment.

If we weren’t careful, we’d allow our anger and our grief to control us.

How many poor decisions were made in the heat of the moment, or the worst words said in the time of grief?

When we forget about God’s grace, and we’re so focused on the law and on justice that we forget that God knows what is in the hearts of man and what his plan of redemption is, we can become blinded in the heat of the moment.

And we forget, that even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

That’s the profundity of the gospel.

Justice, when exercised, sounds appealing for the one who experiences loss.

But it’s all fine and well until the shoe is on the other foot.

I realized this driving on the road. I usually get upset and angry when a person cuts me off. But yesterday, as I was driving home from work, I needed to change lanes in order to avoid a car that was driving bananas. And despite checking my mirrors and looking over my shoulder, I didn’t see a car that was in the other lane. So I merged over and a car honked at me. I deserved that honk! I was in the wrong. I didn’t see their car. Sometimes there’s a reason for why people cut in front of you on the road, whether they’re dealing with something in life and they’re distracted, or they simply didn’t see you. A different perspective often changes our tone as to how much grace should be applied.

But thinking about whether the shoe were on the other foot ...

What if you were the one who accidentally dropped a chainsaw on your friend?

What if you were the parent who did not see the child run behind your car in the driveway?

You see, we need grace. Even though we know we are guilty in that moment. Even though we admit we were the ones who failed. We cry out for grace, because we mourn the loss of the life that died. We value it, we respect it. We confess we are guilty.

God’s grace is offered for the penitent of heart. There’s a reason why one who confesses their sin is saved, because confession means acceptance of guilt and within that is the cry to God for a solution to the weight of sin.

And there’s a further beauty and mystery to the gospel of Christ.

God made provision for man here, for cities of refuge, when man’s sin was unintentional.

How much greater is the gift of provision he made for us, whose sin is intentional?

Our own sin screams out against us. “Justice!!! Justice!!!”. And according to the law, it’s right. The payment for our sin is death. We deserve to die. Our acts weren’t even unintentional. We chose to violate God’s commands out of our own evil and malice. No wonder why so many try to push God off, because to them he’s an angry God chasing their footsteps, seeking justice for all the wrongs they know they’ve committed. And they run. They run from God. They’re afraid to step foot in a church or to engage in conversation with a Christian or to talk about their condition. That’s the place we were all in. Imagine, being in that condition, with death chasing after you and you have nowhere to go to avoid the judgment call.

I love our passage this morning because of its clear depiction of the gospel. There is a City of Refuge. There is a gate in which you can stand, an altar to which you can run, a cross to which you can cling whereby the justice against you shall be stayed. God, in his mercy, has made a sanctuary city before justice by satisfying that justice. Your sin required a payment. Jesus Christ paid that debt, for all who would have faith in him. When you run through the gates of his city, there is nothing of your past sins the enemy can hurl against you . Justice has been satisfied, and now you can live your life. Free from running, free from fear of death.

There are those of you who are here today who can celebrate in that. I celebrate with you.

There may be some of you who are still outside those gates. One day, the Lord shall come to judge all, the living and the dead. From his presence no one can run or hide. The works of all shall be exposed. Don’t be overcome by eternal death which is staring you down. I urge you, come inside the gates. Find the life, joy, and peace that comes through salvation in Jesus Christ, who took your sins upon himself in order that he might give you his righteous robe.

We need to realize how God’s justice was satisfied in Christ on the cross, and how his offer of grace is not in violation of his perfect law, but is a provision extended by the lawgiver.

The longer we look upon the cross of Christ, the deeper the realization of his grace becomes. The greater we learn about the love, the heart of God, especially toward those who have committed atrocities against him.

If God could be loving enough to forgive a sinner like you, how much more ought we to carry forth his love to others? Do not take what God has given you and close yourself off to others. The debt you owe God is far greater than the debt anyone will ever owe you. I think of the parable that Jesus told:

Matthew 18:23–35 ESV

“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.

I think of the song lyrics.

“Everyone needs compassion, a love that’s understanding .... everyone needs forgiveness, the kindness of a savior”

We needs God’s grace.

Let us not live as vindictive people, but let us learn to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Oh church, let us not be so quick to cast the stone in vengeance, but let us follow the example of our Lord and Savior by extending grace.

Romans 12:19–21 ESV

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We do not close the city of refuge, but instead we keep the door to the city open.

The enemy wants to throw you off balance. He wants to get under your skin in the heat of the moment, in your anger and grief, in your righteous anger. But even in our righteous anger we can make choices which are mistakes. Make no provision for him. Make no provision for your flesh and your wants. Listen to the gospel of Christ, and reply in patience. When you are hurt, do not retaliate to cause hurt, but seek the good of all trusting that God will vindicate his name and one day judge the unrepentant. By doing this, by showing your resilience, you are showing that good overcomes evil. You are showing the victory of Christ over sin. You are no longer controlled by those passions, but you are self-controlled in the Spirit of God. Instead you extend love, grace, toward those who have so terribly wronged you.

By not shutting the gates to the kingdom on anyone, you are extending the same gospel forgiveness you were shown.

How would I respond if I received the message that my family was killed in an accident involving a drunk driver?

I would want justice according to our legal system. But I would also not forget to love the one who killed my family, by extending forgiveness despite my own hurt and wounds.

I hope, by your examination of scripture and in your walk with God, that you would do the same. We must be ready and prepared, because tragedy could strike at any moment.

Let the example of God’s law be a reminder for us to uphold his justice without forfeiting his grace.

Let us pray.