What does this mean?
It means that I could probably watch an entire season of "Bones" or "NCIS" in one season.
There is something addictive about the question of "Who did the crime?" and there is Catharsis in the moment of seeing justice played out across the screen.
That cathartic moment is something that we are drawn to. As human beings, we like to see the bad guy get his punishment, and we like a neat, clean finish to a nice round of drama.
The problem with this desire is in the fact that real life rarely has a tidy answer--and people are very good at creating situations with no right answer.
God was (and is) very aware of that fact--that's why he created the "Cities of Refuge"
What is this?
A city of refuge was a place where a person could go to for safety if they had accidentally taken a life. (it was also the place where people went to until a trial could be held).
The cool thing about these cities was the fact that it was illegal to avenge a death within the city walls. (in Bible times, it was normal for a family member to avenge the death of a relative and it was, apparently, legal).
If the killer was found to be innocent in their intentions, they were required to live with in the city until the death of the current high priest. Depending on the age of that priest this could mean that a man would spend much of his life within a city of refuge--or it could mean a vacation for a few weeks!
Here are some of the things that I take away from this...
1) Once again, human life is valuable-even accidentally killing someone is something that is and needs to be taken incredibly seriously!
2) God understands that we can make mistakes too--over and over again, God emphasizes that the shedding of human blood is matters to him. The concept of someone's blood being on your head is the highest shame. BUT--God also understands that things do not always go according to plan--and that we make mistakes. A city of refuge was one more way that God showed his people the meaning of Grace. Yes, stupid things happen--and yes, life can continue.
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