Refuge in Paradise

Even in the promised land, God anticipated a world of both accidental and intentional violence. Mercifully, he provided cities of refuge as way to curtail vigilante justice while taking seriously the consequences of death by human hands. New covenant believers no longer live in a theocracy, but we can learn from it in the way we relate to others today. Jesus showed in Matthew 5:21-22 that both actual violence and verbal violence are liable to judgment. As our great high priest, he has not only given his innocent life to atone for our guilt, but he has sent his Spirit to empower us as humble agents of reconciliation.