Murder & Mercy, War & Courage: Deut. 19:1-13, 20:1-17

,Victories: 1. Thanks to the Outreach Team 2.

Prayer:

Missionary Prayer:

Intro

Finding Mercy -

Bible Reading: Deut. 19:1-13

Moses sets up these cities of refuge on the east side of the Jordan, and later Joshua will be tasked with setting up 3 more cities of refuge on the other side of the Jordan, and then down in verses 8-9, there is the promise that 3 more cities will be needed if the Lord adds to their territory. This is a means of providing justice and safety, and as we just read, they were specifically designed to be a place where the person who unintentionally murders someone else can flee to in order to be saved from the avenger of blood. This Avenger of Blood isn’t laid out Biblically as clearly as it is in the Jewish tradition, but it has at its base Genesis 9:5 “Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man.” The Avenger of blood is to be a next of kin or a very close kin to the person murdered and according to the Mishneh Torah, Laws of the Murderer and Protection from Bodily Harm, the avenger can kill the murderer with impunity because they are avenging the death of their close relative, “From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man.”

This, to us, seems to lack any real form of justice, but the truth is, when we think of justice, we have the mindset of our Western culture that not only has an established set of laws, courts, and judges, but also law enforcement. When we think about the people of Israel, we need to think more of the wild west, where justice was meted out in a less civilized way, and yet not always unjustly.

So what do we need to take from all this? First, our safety is never far away.

Safety is never far away

There was a need for these cities of refuge to be both well placed throughout the country, so as to be not far for anyone to get to, but they also needed to be easy to access. The roads themselves needed to be wide, and they needed to be maintained, which is exactly what we see the Lord declare in verse 3, Deuteronomy 19:3 “You shall prepare roads for yourself, ” This was all done so that the people of Israel would know exactly where they could go to receive justice. That’s all well and good, but you may be asking yourself, “Apart from some interesting information, what does this have to do with me?” Let me tie some of this together for us.

Interestingly, as I was studying these Cities of Refuge I happened upon some information on a Jewish site. I read an article from a Jewish Rabbi named Levi Mendelson. He spoke about how, from this passage in Deuteronomy and others in Numbers, they see a Messianic promise in the words of vs. 8-9, specifically in the words, “Now if the Lord your God enlarges your territory.” Historically, this land never came into being. David and Solomon both added the land to Israel, but the subsequent Kings could not hold onto the land, and therefore, the need for more cities of refuge was not necessary. But for the Jew, the promise made there in vs. 8 reminds them that the Messiah is coming and there will be a need for these cities of refuge. However, what they fail to recognize is that what we need is not more “cities” of refuge but the refuge itself, and it is that refuge that Jesus, the true Messiah, brings to each and every one of us.

Jesus is our refuge, and He is never far from us. Romans 10:8 tells us, “But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):” We never have to seek very far to find the Lord, He is always there ready to receive us and ready to provide us with refuge. I love how the Theologian Matthew Henry puts this in his commentary on this passage, “The gospel brings salvation to our door, and there it knocks for admission.” This refuge is for all. Those of us who have chosen to put our trust in the Lord by believing in the sacrifice of His Son can find our refuge in times of trial and persecution. He is there for us in our times of need. For anyone here today who hasn’t put their trust in Jesus, this is a truth that you can count on. Jesus is always there, ready to bring you the peace that only He can bring, ready to provide you with the gift of His mercy, ready to forgive your sins, ready to provide mercy, ready to bring understanding, ready to provide calm to the chaos. Jesus is a refuge you can count on, and all you have to do is seek Him, and you will find Him. Safety is never far away.

A Prepared Road

But let’s take a look at another aspect of this. There in verse 3, they are told to Deuteronomy 19:3 “You shall prepare roads for yourself, ” Let me read you a bit from the Jewish article by Rabbi Levi Mendelson about the cities of refuge:

“The six cities of refuge were located in different areas of the Land of Israel, so that everyone had reasonably easy access to them… Ease of access was a major factor in choosing the placement of the cities of refuge. The roads leading to the cities were especially wide by the standards of the time. Other major roads were sixteen cubits (26 ft.) wide, while the roads leading to the cities of refuge had to be at least double that: thirty-two cubits (52 ft.) wide!

The routes to the cities of refuge had to be easy for a refugee to navigate. Valleys were raised and hills were leveled to make it easier to travel. Bridges were built where necessary; signs were posted at crossroads; and once a year, in the middle of the month of Adar, the state of the roads was thoroughly examined to make sure they were in good repair.”

So here is the interesting thing that I want us to take from this. The way is prepared. We don’t have to worry if the refuge is going to be there or if the path to get there is going to be blocked. God has already prepared the way, and God will make sure it is ready for us. There are signs posted, the paths are made straight, and the obstacles are cleared. Matthew 7:7–8 ““Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” All we have to do is come. But let’s not forget that the way to Jesus is not confusing, the Disciple Thomas asked for directions in John 14:5 and this is Jesus’ response, John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” There is only one path, only one prepared road, but that road leads directly to His refuge. Can there be any greater news?

Courageous Soldiers

Now, let’s further this truth by recognizing our role in following the path and finding His refuge.

Bible Reading: Deut. 20:1-17

The Enemy

I want to start looking at these verses at the end. If you look down at verses 16-17, the wording seems really harsh.

Let nothing that breathes remain alive, utterly destroy them. These are not meant to be light-hearted statements. No, these are meant to be annihilations, where the enemy is to be wiped out of existence. I have had conversations with people outside of the church who have read some of this in the Old Testament, and they bring it up as a reason not to believe in the Lord, or they bring it up as an inconsistency with God. How can this God say that He is loving and yet be so unloving as to wipe entire people groups off the face of the planet? How can we as Christians believe in such a God?

First off, let me say they are right, this is not a scripture that showcases God’s mercy and love; however, that does not mean that God is being unloving, or more importantly, that God is not being unjust.

The Enemy is the enemy for a reason. Look at that list of people that God is commanding them to kill: the Hittite and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Why in the world are these people selected? It is because they had shown themselves to be enemies not only of Israel but of God, and it goes all the way back to Noah. Minus the Perizzites, every one of these people groups goes back to one specific son of Noah named Ham and his son named Canaan. After the flood, Noah planted a vineyard, and then, unwisely, after the harvest of that vineyard, Noah made wine, got drunk, and fell asleep naked in his tent. Ham entered the tent, and instead of being respectful to his dad, he left the tent and pulled a, “Hey, you guys want to see something funny? Look at dad.” Because of these actions, Ham and his descendants were cursed. Genesis 9:24–25 “So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren.” Now we don’t know all that these descendants of Ham did, but they were a continual burr to Israel ever after, and their names were synonymous with evil and rebellion from that time forward. We know that they practiced Baal worship, and they are the ones who set up the high places, which were a continual stumbling block for Israel.

It is not for us to know all the reasons why God wanted the descendants of Ham to be wiped from the earth, but we are to know that they are the enemies of God, and if they had been taken care of as God had commanded, it would have gone easier for Israel. Then and Now.

This truth remains for us. It is not that God is not telling us to eradicate a people from the face of the earth, but God still hates, and what He hates remains the same. God Hates Sin! That has not and will not change. God wants all sin to be done away with, for none of it to remain alive in our midst, and for it to be utterly destroyed. The problem is that we, just as Israel before us, are so in love with our sin that we fail to heed the command to destroy it.

Sin is the enemy we cannot show mercy to. Sin is an enemy we need to utterly destroy. Seek out your sin. Pray about your sin. Name your sins. Confess your sins. and then allow God to help you destroy them with utter destruction.

The Lord your God is with You

Now let’s go back up to the top. In the first few verses of chapter 20, we see that it starts with depending on God as an understood truth. When the battle arises, which it inevitably will, do not be afraid, for the Lord is with you. This truth given to the Israelites is one we, too, can take great hope in. There is a reason why we need to find refuge in Jesus; it is because there is a war going on in our lives, and we need to find our solace in Him. Not so that we can stick our heads under the covers and pretend that the war isn’t going on. No. The promise here is that in the midst of the battle,, the Lord is with us. When we depend on the Lord there is the promise given to us by God that He will bring the victory.

I was reminded of this in my reading this week in the book of 2 Chronicles 20. Let me read you a few portions of this.

Bible Reading 2 Chron. 20:1-10

Then the Lord gave His response to Jehoshaphat in 15-17. Hearing this, Jehoshaphat led his people 20-22. This was a direct answer to the people's prayers and songs. God fought for them, and the victory was achieved. 27-30.

Why did this happen? 2 reasons, 1st they called on the Lord to deliver them, 2nd they believed He would do it. Their only action was to praise the Lord, and God gave them the victory. That is the kind of trust I want to put in the Lord, that is the kind of trust God wants all of us to put in Him and if we do it the promise is He will. The Lord our God is with us.

Heeding the Call

Lastly, I want to point out the middle section of scripture there, verses 4-9. Moses is told by God that there will be those who are ready to fight for God, and there are those who aren’t. Some don’t want to look bad for not fighting, so they give excuses as to why they shouldn’t fight at this time. I built a new house, I got married, and I planted a vineyard. What we see here is that living in the goodness of life was more important to them than obedience and valor. They would rather stay home than defend their home, they would rather cower than defend their wife and family, they would rather get the good of the land than defend the land. And then in verse 8, Moses gives them the real heart of the problem.

They are fearful and fainthearted because they have not trusted in the security and power of the Lord to win the battle for them. As we just saw in 2 Chronicles, the Lord will defend His people. The Lord will bring the victory. What it takes is for His people to put their hope and trust in the Lord.

Here is how we should look at this in our lives as believers. God calls all of humanity to Him, but only a few will heed the call, the rest are fearful and fainthearted. Oh, some want to look the part as long as they don’t have to actually enter the battle. They come to church and sit in a pew, but don’t ask them to defend their faith; they aren’t trained for that. Don’t ask them to stand up for their faith in the workplace, or their neighborhood, or with their family; that would be uncomfortable. Friends, if God is calling you to faith in Christ Jesus, then guess what? You have enemies, and there is a battle raging around you. It is time to prepare yourself for battle.

Now here is the Great News. God isn’t expecting you to win this battle on your own. No. Deuteronomy 20:1 ““When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” Trust in the Lord and He will bring you through the battle. Trust in the Lord and He will protect you. All you have to be is willing and ready. Let’s be Courageous Soldiers for the Lord, and let’s heed the commands of the Lord.

Gospel

‌If you are here today and you know that you are not a believer, you have never asked Jesus into your heart, or maybe you did but haven’t ever allowed God to change you, then let me tell you how you can change that today. Your sin and your brokenness are there to point you to Jesus because only He can provide you with a real solution. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that solution. Here is the Gospel: Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and because He did, we can ask for our sins to be forgiven, and the Bible says He will forgive them. Jesus is the Lamb of God who died for your sins. God sent Jesus so that Jesus might take the punishment we deserve, so that we might return to God and be called His own. Romans 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” ‌It is just that easy. You can confess Him as your savior. If that is your desire today, you can say this prayer with me. Bow your heads. God holds out His outstretched hand for you. Are you going to continue in your sin, or are you going to take His Hand? He is calling, and all you have to do is believe.

‌It is just that easy. You can confess Him as your savior. If that is your desire today, you can say this prayer with me. Bow your heads.

‌Dear Lord, ‌I know that I’m a sinner. I’m sorry for my sin, and I ask you to forgive me. I believe you died for my sins and rose from the dead. I repent of my sins, and I ask you to come into my life and take control. I make a commitment to follow you, and I trust you as my Lord and Savior.

‌Friend, if you prayed that prayer today, I ask that you come and speak to me after the service.

‌Benediction: Revelation 1:5–6 “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”