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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Joshua 20
Set – Joshua 20; 1 Corinthians 9
Go! – Joshua 18-20; 1 Corinthians 9

Joshua 20
¹Then the Eternal One spoke to Joshua.

Eternal One: ² Tell the Israelites, “You must set apart cities of refuge, as I directed you through Moses, ³ so that anyone who accidentally or unintentionally kills a person may flee there. These cities shall be set up as a refuge from anyone seeking blood revenge. ⁴ If the slayer flees to one of these cities, he can stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and explain the case to the elders of that city; then the fugitive will be taken into the city and given a place, and he will live among them. ⁵ If the person seeking to avenge in blood comes after him, the people of the city may not give up the slayer since the neighbor was killed by mistake and there was no premeditation or prior hatred. ⁶ The slayer may remain in that city until there is a trial before the congregation. And when the high priest who currently holds the office dies, then the slayer may return home to the town from which he fled.”

⁷ So they set apart and consecrated Kedesh in Galilee (in the hill country of Naphtali), Shechem (in the hill country of Ephraim), and Kiriath-arba (Hebron, in the hill country of Judah). ⁸ Beyond the Jordan, east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer (in the desert plateau from the tribe of Reuben), Ramoth in Gilead (from the tribe of Gad), and Golan in Bashan (from the tribe of Manasseh). ⁹ These, then, were the cities set aside to be sanctuaries for all the Israelites and for the foreigners residing among them, so that anyone who killed a person accidentally could flee there and not die at the hands of someone seeking blood revenge until there was a trial before the congregation.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Vengeance is Mine. It was true during the most violent times of ancient biblical history and is still true today. The laws that meet out punishment for crime is necessary to keep order in society, but ultimately, I will dole out the appropriate punishment for the sins and evil of the world. Vengeance is and always will be Mine and belongs to no one else.

You might say, “But you don’t know what he or she did to me.” Yes I do. I know all things. Still, vengeance belongs to Me alone. That’s the reason I set out the cities of refuge in the early days of the nation of Israel. I wanted reason and justice to prevail, not the heated emotions that follow an action. I know the motive and intent of men’s hearts and so I own the final say in giving the punishment due each, not you.

I didn’t want family members to conduct mock trials and hold the blood of the innocent on their hands because of rash decisions made in the heat of the moment. The cities of refuge reduced that opportunity and placed it into a more just system. Witnesses must prove guilt before priests who I would hope would also consult Me before making their final decisions about the guilt or innocence, and punishments given to accused.

Laws changed through the years and you no longer go out and kill those who wrong you. But I’ve see society at work. You can kill in more ways than with knives and guns. Words can ruin and destroy people just as easily as weapons. You can cut as deeply as a dagger with your words and ruin reputations with just a few sentences on a piece of paper or a few characters in an email. But remember, vengeance is Mine, not yours.

There are no more cities of refuge. I wish there were. I wish I could take all the times people exact revenge on another person, separate them, and put one into a city of refuge until real believers can consult Me on what should be done. What a different world it would be! How much violence, gossip, and discord would decrease if I could do it!

Think about the cities of refuge the next time you think you’ve been wronged and want revenge. Remember vengeance is Mine, not yours. Don’t let yourself get trapped by your emotions and do something you’ll regret. I’m the Avenger. Vengeance is Mine…always. Let Me handle the outcome. I will, trust Me. Yes, I want all to come to saving knowledge of Me and have their sins forgiven, but I also know best how to deal with the consequences, the guilt, the restitution, the punishment in this life and the next. I am the one who can bring justice to the world. After all, I give you My grace and you don’t deserve it either. All have sinned and come short of My glory. But I am the giver of grace and mercy. I am also the deliverer of justice and wrath.

Vengeance is Mine, not yours.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
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