1 00:00:02,690 --> 00:00:13,569 Speaker 1: Life Audio Thank you for listening to your daily Bible verse. 2 00:00:14,390 --> 00:00:17,650 Speaker 1: The podcast that examines one verse each day to learn 3 00:00:17,670 --> 00:00:20,710 Speaker 1: more about God and His will for our lives. I'm 4 00:00:20,730 --> 00:00:25,310 Speaker 1: your host, Kyle Norman. Today we are continuing our series 5 00:00:25,350 --> 00:00:29,270 Speaker 1: titled Courage for the Journey Trusting God One Step at 6 00:00:29,310 --> 00:00:35,710 Speaker 1: a Time with a discussion of Joshua chapter 20, verse 9. 7 00:00:45,830 --> 00:00:50,410 Speaker 1: Joshua 20, verse 9. These were the cities designed for 8 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,820 Speaker 1: all the people of Israel, and for the stranger sojourning 9 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent 10 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,279 Speaker 1: could flee there. so that he might not die by 11 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 1: the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood 12 00:01:03,100 --> 00:01:08,330 Speaker 1: before the congregation. I remember setting up my office of 13 00:01:08,430 --> 00:01:12,030 Speaker 1: my first church placement. I was fresh out of seminary, 14 00:01:12,550 --> 00:01:15,030 Speaker 1: and this was what I had been waiting for and 15 00:01:15,250 --> 00:01:19,580 Speaker 1: studying toward. Finally, I was an ordained pastor working in 16 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:23,979 Speaker 1: a church. My office, I thought, needed to convey what 17 00:01:24,060 --> 00:01:27,300 Speaker 1: was important to me in ministry— It should tell people 18 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:32,020 Speaker 1: about my priorities and, by extension, what should be important 19 00:01:32,100 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: to their spiritual lives. So, my desk was placed facing 20 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:38,840 Speaker 1: the door to show that I was always open to 21 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,470 Speaker 1: speak with people. My back was never pointed towards them. 22 00:01:43,390 --> 00:01:46,310 Speaker 1: I would have two comfortable chairs where people could sit 23 00:01:46,350 --> 00:01:50,590 Speaker 1: and talk, because fellowship is important. It should be comfortable, 24 00:01:50,710 --> 00:01:55,290 Speaker 1: but not too soft. Then there was my bookshelf, ordered 25 00:01:55,390 --> 00:02:00,150 Speaker 1: in a way that echoed my ministerial priorities. For example, 26 00:02:00,310 --> 00:02:04,110 Speaker 1: first there was my array of Bibles, followed by commentaries 27 00:02:04,210 --> 00:02:09,930 Speaker 1: and historical texts. Theology, ecclesiology, and Christian living came next. 28 00:02:11,090 --> 00:02:14,889 Speaker 1: I probably spent my whole day arranging the office the 29 00:02:14,930 --> 00:02:17,790 Speaker 1: way that I wanted. And when I was done, I 30 00:02:17,889 --> 00:02:20,870 Speaker 1: just sat back in my chair and surveyed what was 31 00:02:20,930 --> 00:02:26,750 Speaker 1: before me. Finally, my journey was complete. Finally, I had arrived. 32 00:02:28,350 --> 00:02:32,740 Speaker 1: But no sooner as I delighted in this crisp office 33 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:38,820 Speaker 1: before me that I had this thought. Okay, now what? 34 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:44,550 Speaker 1: When we think about Joshua taking the Israelites to the 35 00:02:44,590 --> 00:02:48,710 Speaker 1: Promised Land, we sometimes mistakenly believe that this was the 36 00:02:48,770 --> 00:02:52,260 Speaker 1: end of the journey. Israel just needed to get across 37 00:02:52,300 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 1: the river, and once they got there, well, then everything 38 00:02:55,300 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 1: would be great. But things weren't that simple. Israel also 39 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:03,530 Speaker 1: needed to know how they were to live in the land. 40 00:03:04,310 --> 00:03:08,130 Speaker 1: After spending 40 years in wilderness wanderings, learning the heart 41 00:03:08,169 --> 00:03:11,830 Speaker 1: of God for God's people, they now had to put 42 00:03:11,910 --> 00:03:15,850 Speaker 1: that learning into practice. What would being the people of 43 00:03:15,930 --> 00:03:20,519 Speaker 1: God actually look like in the promised land? One of 44 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 1: the ways that Israel was asked to be different than 45 00:03:23,940 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: the nations around them was by setting up what was 46 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:31,210 Speaker 1: known as cities of refuge. These cities were designed as 47 00:03:31,260 --> 00:03:36,430 Speaker 1: a haven for people caught in unfortunate circumstances or accidental death. 48 00:03:37,510 --> 00:03:41,490 Speaker 1: In doing so, these were testimonies to God's loving disposition 49 00:03:41,550 --> 00:03:45,850 Speaker 1: toward the people that God made. God knows that despite 50 00:03:45,890 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 1: our best efforts, things happen that we don't intend. God 51 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:53,380 Speaker 1: also knows that in those moments, it can be easy 52 00:03:53,460 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 1: to let our emotions run rampant, to want payback or 53 00:03:57,380 --> 00:04:01,250 Speaker 1: retribution for a hurt or a harm, even if it 54 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:05,950 Speaker 1: was accidental. And so, in love and in grace, God 55 00:04:06,330 --> 00:04:10,510 Speaker 1: sets up a system to help Israel navigate those times. 56 00:04:11,490 --> 00:04:15,110 Speaker 1: God knew that the balance between mercy and justice can 57 00:04:15,170 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: be difficult to achieve when And so God designed these 58 00:04:19,260 --> 00:04:24,260 Speaker 1: cities of refuge as a way to navigate this dynamic. Now, 59 00:04:24,290 --> 00:04:28,770 Speaker 1: there are two things that are meaningful about these cities. Firstly, 60 00:04:29,570 --> 00:04:34,810 Speaker 1: mercy does not contradict justice. The city of refuge was 61 00:04:34,870 --> 00:04:38,490 Speaker 1: not a way to avoid responsibility. God is a God 62 00:04:38,529 --> 00:04:41,510 Speaker 1: of justice. But God is also a God of mercy, 63 00:04:42,070 --> 00:04:45,900 Speaker 1: one who is spendthrift in grace and love. And so 64 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,479 Speaker 1: the cities of refuge were not a place where somebody 65 00:04:48,540 --> 00:04:53,040 Speaker 1: could just avoid the consequences of behavior, because that's not justice, 66 00:04:53,779 --> 00:04:57,229 Speaker 1: nor is that love. A God who doesn't hold us 67 00:04:57,260 --> 00:05:00,510 Speaker 1: to account for actions in our lives is ultimately not 68 00:05:00,589 --> 00:05:04,350 Speaker 1: loving towards us. So scripture says that the city of 69 00:05:04,450 --> 00:05:09,310 Speaker 1: refuge was a place to go to avoid undue retribution, 70 00:05:10,270 --> 00:05:13,920 Speaker 1: but that was only until the person could stand before 71 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 1: the congregation. See, the city of refuge gave people time 72 00:05:18,900 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: to discern what exactly took place and then how to 73 00:05:23,180 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: act faithfully and how to respond appropriately. Mercy and justice 74 00:05:29,460 --> 00:05:35,110 Speaker 1: were held together. The other thing to notice is that 75 00:05:35,250 --> 00:05:39,450 Speaker 1: who the cities of refuge were open to. God says 76 00:05:39,529 --> 00:05:42,170 Speaker 1: that the city of refuge was open to all people, 77 00:05:42,830 --> 00:05:46,620 Speaker 1: even to the alien and the soldier in the land. See, 78 00:05:46,660 --> 00:05:50,820 Speaker 1: God's mercy isn't relegated simply to the people of Israel. 79 00:05:51,620 --> 00:05:54,840 Speaker 1: God's mercy is for all. His grace is unbounded and 80 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:58,580 Speaker 1: his love never ends. So Israel is asked to bear 81 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:02,120 Speaker 1: this open love for all people, even if they were 82 00:06:02,190 --> 00:06:06,810 Speaker 1: not Israelites. Even those outside the nation could use the 83 00:06:06,870 --> 00:06:10,310 Speaker 1: city of refuge. Even those who did not know the 84 00:06:10,350 --> 00:06:14,630 Speaker 1: God of Israel could receive God's mercy. And in doing so, 85 00:06:15,300 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: potentially be drawn into a life-giving relationship with the God 86 00:06:19,380 --> 00:06:24,010 Speaker 1: who made them and longed for them. See, God's heart 87 00:06:24,070 --> 00:06:29,230 Speaker 1: of mercy and justice is one that beats for us all. Now, today, 88 00:06:29,310 --> 00:06:32,530 Speaker 1: we may not have cities of refuge, but as followers 89 00:06:32,570 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 1: of Jesus, we are to ask ourselves, how do we 90 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:41,250 Speaker 1: incarnate God's mercy in this world? How do we help 91 00:06:41,390 --> 00:06:46,010 Speaker 1: people discover the freedom found in God's love and God's mercy? 92 00:06:46,029 --> 00:06:49,190 Speaker 1: A freedom which does not avoid the hard things of 93 00:06:49,270 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 1: life or the consequences of our actions, but finds the 94 00:06:53,339 --> 00:06:56,580 Speaker 1: love of God in the midst of it. See, because 95 00:06:56,600 --> 00:07:01,099 Speaker 1: God's mercy isn't theoretical. God's mercy is about real people 96 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:05,160 Speaker 1: living a real life and finding themselves in real situations. 97 00:07:07,220 --> 00:07:11,890 Speaker 1: So ask yourself, What step might you take to make 98 00:07:12,050 --> 00:07:14,980 Speaker 1: God's mercy real in somebody's life today?