Deuteronomy 19 (Listen)

Laws Concerning Cities of Refuge

19:1 “When the LORD your God cuts off the nations whose land the LORD your God is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses, 2 you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. 3 You shall measure the distances¹ and divide into three parts the area of the land that the LORD your God gives you as a possession, so that any manslayer can flee to them.

4 “This is the provision for the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past—5 as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies—he may flee to one of these cities and live, 6 lest the avenger of blood in hot anger pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and strike him fatally, though the man did not deserve to die, since he had not hated his neighbor in the past. 7 Therefore I command you, You shall set apart three cities. 8 And if the LORD your God enlarges your territory, as he has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land that he promised to give to your fathers—9 provided you are careful to keep all this commandment, which I command you today, by loving the LORD your God and by walking ever in his ways—then you shall add three other cities to these three, 10 lest innocent blood be shed in your land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance, and so the guilt of bloodshed be upon you.

11 “But if anyone hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and attacks him and strikes him fatally so that he dies, and he flees into one of these cities, 12 then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die. 13 Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood² from Israel, so that it may be well with you.

Property Boundaries

14 “You shall not move your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in the inheritance that you will hold in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.

Laws Concerning Witnesses

15 “A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established. 16 If a malicious witness arises to accuse a person of wrongdoing, 17 then both parties to the dispute shall appear before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days. 18 The judges shall inquire diligently, and if the witness is a false witness and has accused his brother falsely, 19 then you shall do to him as he had meant to do to his brother. So you shall purge the evil³ from your midst. 20 And the rest shall hear and fear, and shall never again commit any such evil among you. 21 Your eye shall not pity. It shall be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

(ESV)

The mercy of the Most High made three cities of refuge, safehavens for unintentional manslayers. Otherwise, avengers might continue the cycle of death, and sin in their “hot anger”. Should Israel “care-fully keep” the commands of God, “by loving the Lord,” and therefore grow beyond initial borders, they were to build three more cities of refuge for peace.

If on the account of two or more witnesses murder was proven premeditated, leaders were to purge the manslayer from the city of refuge and put him to death without pity.

Be holy for God is holy: leave property lines alone. God knows.

False witness appeared before the Lord for sentencing unto death, so that “the rest shall hear and fear, and never again commit any such evil.” Justice ought to characterize the people of God’s character. Like Father, like sons.

Galatians 1:11–24 (Listen)

Paul Called by God

11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.¹ 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born,² and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to³ me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;⁴ 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.

(ESV)

Paul testifies of his attempts to destroy the church he now loves and lives to build up through the preaching of God’s Word. He holds himself out as a living example of the greatness of God’s grace available for these Galatians: “If He can redeem me, then anyone!” This man of zeal God fashioned from before birth so that, once redeemed by God’s grace, that zeal would prove instrumental in laying down his life for the glory of Jesus, the glory of God! Paul had scarcely met with the apostles after his rebirth, revealing that his understanding of Jesus—'the Word made flesh'—did not come from man, but from the Master! Word and wonder of his conversion brought glory to God alone.