Wed.’s Devo -Cities of Refuge -

Read: Numbers 33:40-35:34; Luke 5:12-28; Psalm 65:1-13; Proverbs 11:23 The children of Israel were told that when they came to the land God had promised them they were to drive out all the people living there. They must destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their pagan shrines. If they didn’t the people would be like splinters in their eyes and thorns in their sides. They would harass them and God would do to them what he had planned to do to their enemies. *** Joshua and Eleazar along with a leader from each tribe were to divide the land and apportion it out to each tribe according to the size of the tribes. *** Six cities of refuge were given to the Levites to live in. Three of them on the east of the Jordan and three on the west. If any one accidentally killed another person, they could escape to one of the cities where their case would be heard by the priests. If they investigated and learned that they unintentionally killed the person, then they could stay there safely until the death of the high priest. Then they would be free to return to their home and be safe. *** Murderers must be put to death to purify the land. If a person was murdered, the closest relative must avenge his blood by tracking down the murderer and slaying him. *** The avenger of death represents God who avenges death. We are the murderer who have sinned and realized we didn’t mean to and repented. We are given refuge in Jesus who is our city of refuge. He died as our high priest so we could go free. *** In Luke, Jesus healed a man who had an advanced case of leprosy. He told the man not to tell anyone and take the things required by the law to the priest and have them perform the ceremony of leprosy. Instead, he told everyone. *** Jesus then healed a paralytic man telling him that his sins were forgiven. This really made the Pharisees mad. Jesus called Levi from his job as a tax collector to follow him. This really made Satan mad. Jesus didn’t come to flow with the status quo, he came to upset the status quo and bring change. Lord, may we realize the we are not here to draw people to ourselves and make people comfortable but to upset the status quo and allow God to bring change. Help us not to conform to this world but to be transformed by your Spirit and your Word.