JULY 26, Joshua 20:1-8

God is the supreme judge and His law is just. The blessings and punishments that He sends are always right. Those who disobey His Commandments receive a fair punishment. In the Old Testament there is the rule of an eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth. So, if a man kills another, he would receive the death penalty. It is the rule of a life for a life. But, what if it were a pure accident?

Suppose a man was cutting wood and his axe head flew off its handle, hitting and killing another man. Although the killer did not kill on purpose, the relatives of the dead would still hunt him down to avenge the dead. It seems so unfair, doesn’t it? Well, our God may be strict about rules because He is holy. But, He is also boundless in mercy and will provide a way of escape for the unwitting killer. He instructed Joshua to appoint some cities to be Cities of Refuge.

“Refuge” means asylum or a place of safety. These cities of refuge were set up to protect the killer from his avengers. The six cities of refuge, located on hills spread throughout the land were Kedesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth-Gilead, and Golan. After the killer arrives at a city of refuge, the congregation would judge to find if he acted unintentionally. If he did, he would remain in the city of refuge and live there safely until the death of the high priest who was in office at the time of the trial, at which point he could return to his property. If the attacker left the city of refuge before the death of the high priest, however, the avenger would have the right to kill him (Numbers 35:24-28).

Did you know that similarly, God is our refuge and strength? We can always turn to Him when we face trials and difficulties.

Read the Bible verses to find out the missing words:

1. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present __________ in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

2. “The eternal God is thy __________…” (Deuteronomy 33:27)

Thought: God is my Refuge. He will keep me safe.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your mercy and for Your promise to help me when I am in trouble. I know I can trust You always. In Jesus’ name I pray – Amen.