THIS is in the Bible?! - A Series in Joshua

Pastor Andrew, welcome.

Thank you.

Filling in for Jake today.

So I'm excited for our conversation.

As am I.

As am I.

Yeah, so we just got off of 1819 learning about Joshua.

The tribes are set.

He's in his allotment.

Uh, we're now starting to establish some rules and we roll right in uh to 20, the sermon that we heard this past weekend.

Walk us through it.

What's happening in Joshua 20?

Yeah, so so if you were there this Sunday, you would have recognized this is a very unique passage.

In fact, you know, I went to seminary, I love seminary, I went through it twice.

And even a passage like this, you can kind of forget about.

Um, but I'm glad we're studying every single book of Judges because you look at a passage like this, you still don't want to sleep on it because that's so much significant meaning.

And quite frankly, it is fun.

It's a fun passage.

We're talking about manslayers, uh, we're talking about Avengers of Blood, Avengers of Death, the Avengers.

We're talking about the Avengers here.

You know, I'm imagining these Israelites putting on spandex, putting on tights, putting on masks, and they're just running around chasing after these manslayers.

It's like, what is going on in the wild, wild Middle East?

You know, what's going on out there?

Uh, so in a way, it's really fun, um, but yet really meaningful and certainly connects to to the heart of Christ when we really start looking at those parallels.

Uh but what's happening here in this in chapter 20, um, in the book of Joshua, is this is actually the fulfillment of a command that Moses gave to Joshua.

Um, back in the book of Numbers, uh, Moses started creating these cities of refuge, right?

That's a key topic we're talking about in 20 is the cities of refuge.

And so he created three that were east of the Jordan River.

This is Moses.

He referred to Moses, and he gave the command to Joshua hey, when you cross into that promised land, there's three more cities of refuge in which you need to create as well, too.

And part of this is you know you're in this culture where they're still learning how to be God's people.

Um, there's they're still coming out of that slavery phase in a way.

There's still kind of order and justice that's kind of being structured to this society and civilization that they're creating.

And so part of this was having these cities of refuge, in which if someone wrongfully killed another person without malicious intent, they could run to the city of refuge.

And they get to that city of refuge uh that's designated for them.

And historians say that there was a city of refuge where these are strategically were located, were always within one day distance on foot.

So it only took about a day to get there.

So it was always within within you accidentally killed someone, you could get there within a day.

And you'd get to the gate and you'd pretty much have like a pre-trial at that gate.

Um, and this was run, you know, these cities were run by the Levitical priests.

Um, so they inhabited those cities and they put them to like a pre-trial.

And if it was determined that there was no malicious intent in taking of human life, the the life that they took, uh, then they could enter into that refuge in which they would have covering there.

Uh the avenger of blood.

You know, let's talk about the avenger of blood.

There's an avenger of blood.

There, there was literally a kinsman.

That kinsman, it was usually the male that was closest to the individual that got killed.

Um, and that person So a victim's relative.

Victim's relative.

That's right.

Yeah, that person not just had the right, but under mosaic law, blood for blood, ear for ear, eye for eye, had the responsibility to avenge the death.

Not knowing whether it was malicious or not, they still have the responsibility to avenge the death.

So they're designated to go and kill the individual that killed their loved one, um, which is bizarre, bizarre thinking about.

What is actually interesting about that kinsman as well, too?

They're the same kinsman that if um if their like brother died, you know, they're responsible for offering a place for that widow.

And I kind of chuck to myself, like, what happens if like your sister-in-law gets mad at your brother and whacks him upside the head with the broom?

He falls over, hits his head on a rock, and dies.

It's like you're in a conflicting place now.

Do I avenge this person or do I bring them in?

Because they're a widow as well, too.

You know, what goes on here?

And it's like, you know, what do you choose in that moment?

You know, hopefully mercy tried to do that.

Not a topic for the Thanksgiving table, and it'd certainly make for uh awkward Thanksgiving meal uh at that moment for sure.

Um, but I also I was just thinking about Stephanie.

What a unique decision-making error to be in there.

But but, anyways, they have that responsibility.

Um, so here's the interesting part.

Even if the Manslayer was deemed after the trial to have no malicious intent in taking that human life, um their covering was only as good as that cities of refuge.

Meaning, if they left the city of refuge, that Avenger could still take their life.

And what's so interesting, so so for those of you you're in life groups, you may be studying this by yourself.

I encourage you, go back to the book of Numbers because it really outlines the cities of refugee role.

Numbers 35, 9 through 34.

Uh, that's where it talks about.

Um, it says, it says in there, it's talking about like if they fled uh from that city of refuge and went back to their communities, the Avenger actually still had the rights, whether it was determined he had malicious intent or not, because the only way to atone uh for the land for which blood was shed is by the blood of the one who shed it.

Um so they could still atone for the wrong for the death that occurred through the shed blood of the person that took that life.

And here's what gets fascinating uh the only time that a person, the manslayer, could actually leave the city of refuge and go back to the community was when the high priest died.

Because that high priest's blood then serves as an atonement for the manslayer.

And so now the manslayers that that that the life that they took is now covered, and then they can go back into the community and live there as they were before.

So pretty pretty interesting stuff that was going on within these cities of refugees uh during the time of Joshua.

Yeah, it's it's absolutely fascinating.

And when you read through it at first, right, you're just taking in the context, trying to understand like what's happening in the culture, where are we referencing?

How does Moses' law, his commands, how does all this play a part?

Um, but then as you meditate and reflect on it, I can't be the only one that was sitting there like, what does this mean for me?

Like, how do I read through this?

Like, is this just history?

Do I read it as it is?

What can I glean from this?

And we know God speaks through all of his scripture and breathes it out.

So, in your personal reflection and stuff, what'd you take away from this?

I uh one, I don't want to accidentally kill someone.

Yeah, let's clear that.

Let's clear that.

Um, I certainly don't want that to happen as well.

To you know, yeah, I I just start thinking it it's hard not to start thinking of this through a Christological lens.

And even before I get there, you're like, I almost want to step into the lens of the person that did the wrongdoing or took the life accidentally without malicious intent.

And I'm thinking to myself, like, there's a piece of me that wishes they could just go back to the family.

And it's like, I'm sorry.

Like, this did not meant this wasn't supposed to happen.

I was literally just trying to put you know a stone onto this building over here to help build this building.

I I wasn't expecting it to drop from 30 feet and hit him in the head and kill them.

I'm absolutely sorry.

Or like I think of like uh teenage boys playing rough.

We're just trying to play rough here.

I wasn't expecting him to fall down that hill and hit his head and pass away.

Like I, you know, I'm sorry.

And you know, in the New Testament, it talks about how mercy triumphs over judgment.

And I think to myself, in that moment, why couldn't the family have shown mercy?

Um, you know, why couldn't the wrongdoer go to that family and seek mercy and seek forgiveness in that moment?

And it's because under the Mosaic law, blood had to cover blood, and that's that's just what it was.

And there's a piece of me that struggled with that, but then there's a piece of me that has hope when I think of this from a Christological lens.

Um, because now the high priest, he shed his blood for my wrongdoings, and so now I have safety.

Now I have refuge uh because the Lord is my strong tower, the righteous can run to it and they are safe.

And because of the shed blood of my high priest, um, who now lives eternally, who's resurrected and lived eternally, like I have that covering forever, and there's safety there.

And now I do live in this realm where mercy triumphs over judgment.

And so for me, that gives me hope.

And I know it's not real practical, and I'd like to make it real practical.

I'm trying to think of ways to make it real practical, but at the same time, that assurance of knowing that my wrongdoings are covered, my sins are atoned for, uh, his blood has covered all my wrongdoings, past, past, present, and future.

There's an assurance that comes with that.

Yeah, it points to Jesus, right?

Why his residence well, why his death and resurrection was necessary as part of that.

And this is a great passage of one of those where you read through and think, what was and what we have now because of the blood of Jesus, some what he did for us.

And what I love about it, where it's placed within the book of Joshua, is you know, up to this point, we're constantly talking about how uh the wrongdoings of the Israelites, how they're failing to clear the land, um, and how they're not stepping up to the plate, how they're not taking that torch and running with it to cultivate the land that they're called to cultivate, to live in righteousness within the land they're called to live in righteousness.

And it's almost a nice break from that to look at this and be reminded like we are in their shoes and we constantly live in disobedience, we constantly live an unrighteous life.

Um, and what we need is the blood that can atone for our wrongdoings.

That that is what we need, uh, because that's something we can't do on our own.

And it's almost like a nice refresher in there to say, Oh, that's right.

We are gonna mess up time and time and time and time again.

Uh, to use the words of the Bible, we are gonna be that adulterous bride like Israel, and mess up and mess up and mess up.

But we got this atoning blood that covers up.

We have a refuge that we can run to.

And so that to me, that brings me joy.

Brings me joy.

Yeah.

Great reflection.

Thank you for spending time with us today, walking through that.

Thanks for just bringing up and reminding us where our hope is and and what that refuge looks like in the atonement, just what Jesus did for us.

Appreciate it so much.

Absolutely.

You know, glad to do it with you.