May 3 & 4, 2025
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Joshua and 2 Timothy? Here’s today’s reading:
Joshua 20 (NIV)
Cities of Refuge
1 Then the Lord said to Joshua: 2“Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, 3 so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.……Continue Reading
Joshua 20, 21, and 22
Someone’s death at the hands off another, even if done unintentionally, is an emotion charged incident where people would very readily look for someone to blame. It is clear they might even hire or appoint someone to met out vengeance on the guilty party. In God’s wisdom and justice, He knew there should be a distinction in law, even if not in emotion/reaction, between homicide and manslaughter. For that second category He commanded the Israelites to establish cities of refuge for the responsible party to run to, to find protection and a cooling off period to make sure the facts of the case could be discovered and the rule of law and not emotion would prevail. That distinction has made its way into our justice system too, showing that God’s wisdom is valuable to all.
Joshua 20
2 Timothy 4
Joshua 20
When you read chapters like this we really see how important it was to God to have a fair judicial process. Many of us are so skeptical of the process these days because we have seen it misused so many times. Man has deviated from the processes God established so long ago. God is a fair and just God and His intention and plan was for everyone to have fair due process, both the accuser and the accused.
Joshua 20
”And he shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the slayer may return and come to his own city and his own house, to the city from which he fled.’ ”“
Joshua 20:6 NKJV
God sets up cities of refuge for those who have killed someone unintentionally to await trial. God is a God of justice…and mercy. I pray that our own justice system will be just.
Joshua 20