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1/17/12 JUSTICE AND MERCY

1/17/12 JUSTICE AND MERCY

Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF     Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Numbers 35:1-34       Key Verse: 35:34

“Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.’”

Dear Lord, heavenly Father, thank you for life in you. You are the bread of life. Help us to eat the bread of life each day and have the eternal life and experience that true life. Lord, I thank you for Jason D and his love for the word of God. I thank God for our Christian friendship. I pray that you be with him and grow him to be a great man of God and a servant of the word of God. I pray that you guide Jenn on her university quest and that you may help her to surrender her all to Jesus Christ and find the peace and rest that come from living a surrendered life of faith. I pray that you help all of my kids to love Jesus and have a passion for Jesus and an eagerness to love and serve God. Please grant me your word in my heart today. I thank you and I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

1. Towns for the Levites (1-15).

Verses 1-15, “On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites to give the Levites towns to live in from the inheritance the Israelites will possess. And give them pasturelands around the towns. 3 Then they will have towns to live in and pasturelands for the cattle they own and all their other animals. 4 “The pasturelands around the towns that you give the Levites will extend a thousand cubits[a] from the town wall. 5 Outside the town, measure two thousand cubits[b] on the east side, two thousand on the south side, two thousand on the west and two thousand on the north, with the town in the center. They will have this area as pastureland for the towns. 6 “Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone may flee. In addition, give them forty-two other towns. 7 In all you must give the Levites forty-eight towns, together with their pasturelands. 8 The towns you give the Levites from the land the Israelites possess are to be given in proportion to the inheritance of each tribe: Take many towns from a tribe that has many, but few from one that has few.” 9 Then the LORD said to Moses: 10 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, 11 select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee. 12 They will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that anyone accused of murder may not die before they stand trial before the assembly. 13 These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge. 14 Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge. 15 These six towns will be a place of refuge for Israelites and for foreigners residing among them, so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there.”

The Levites did not receive a land inheritance, so God commanded the other tribes to give them 48 towns from their own inheritances. These towns would be scattered throughout the Promised Land. Six of these towns would be cities of refuge. Anyone who had killed someone accidentally could flee to one of these six towns and find refuge from the avenger of blood. This protected the accused from death before standing trial.

God takes care of his servants. God provides for his servants. This is in keeping with the teachings of Matthew 6:33. “But seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” Even our government provides a for the church by providing a tax free status for the churches to operate. They may provide services and grants if people just looked into the possibilities. If we follow Jesus and serve God a Kingdom of priests then we will get a rich inheritance in the kingdom of God and as well we will receive a portion or the fruits of the land we live in.

I thank God for his mercy and his grace in setting up the cities or refuge. In the age where there was little mercy and no where to turn, there was mercy from the God of the Jews. Sometimes we fall into tragic situations because of an accident, like someone being killed because of an axe head that flies off. God considers these things and provides ways of protecting people until they could be seen in court.

Jesus is my city of refuge. Jesus is where I can be safe from the devil’s attacks and the devil’s accusations. I can find peace and rest and protection for my soul in Christ. I pray for the young people of this nation to find peace and true security as they find their security in Christ.

2. Bloodshed pollutes the land (16-34).

Verses 16-34, “ 16 “‘If anyone strikes someone a fatal blow with an iron object, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. 17 Or if anyone is holding a stone and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. 18 Or if anyone is holding a wooden object and strikes someone a fatal blow with it, that person is a murderer; the murderer is to be put to death. 19 The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death; when the avenger comes upon the murderer, the avenger shall put the murderer to death. 20 If anyone with malice aforethought shoves another or throws something at them intentionally so that they die 21 or if out of enmity one person hits another with their fist so that the other dies, that person is to be put to death; that person is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when they meet. 22 “‘But if without enmity someone suddenly pushes another or throws something at them unintentionally or, without seeing them, drops on them a stone heavy enough to kill them, and they die, then since that other person was not an enemy and no harm was intended, 24 the assembly must judge between the accused and the avenger of blood according to these regulations. 25 The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send the accused back to the city of refuge to which they fled. The accused must stay there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil. 26 “‘But if the accused ever goes outside the limits of the city of refuge to which they fled 27 and the avenger of blood finds them outside the city, the avenger of blood may kill the accused without being guilty of murder. 28 The accused must stay in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest; only after the death of the high priest may they return to their own property. 29 “‘This is to have the force of law for you throughout the generations to come, wherever you live. 30 “‘Anyone who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. 31 “‘Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. They are to be put to death. 32 “‘Do not accept a ransom for anyone who has fled to a city of refuge and so allow them to go back and live on their own land before the death of the high priest. 33 “‘Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.’”

The cities of refuge were God’s mercy to the accused in accidental deaths. These cities also guarded against even more bloodshed and helped defuse the spirit of revenge. The guilty were punished according to intent. Those allowed to flee to a city of refuge could not return home until the death of the high priest. God desired justice to be carried out. God also warned that bloodshed polluted the land. He dwelled with his people and he did not want the land defiled by bloodshed and injustice.

Justice. There is justice in Jesus. There is justice in the Bible. I thank God because in this. In this world there is so much injustice. I feel unjustly treated because of personality conflicts in my activities of daily living. But this is nothing really. I feel unjustly treated when credit card companies have tried to make me a visa slave and use me for only money. Jesus never tries to use me and exploit me. No. He protects me and give me things and works to prosper me and my family. Thank you Lord Jesus. You are a just God.

Jesus fufills all the requirements of justice through his suffering and death on the cross. He took all the punishment due us for our sin, upon himself. I should be punished because of my sin, but Jesus was punished in my stead. Jesus justice is full and complete. But it is marked by grace and forgiveness. I love to live in Jesus’ justice.

Prayer: Lord, thank you or your perfect justice laden with grace.

One Word: Find true security in Jesus.




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