Joshua 20 "On Accident"

Joshua 20 – Brandon Hatmaker “On Accident”
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

What an amazing chapter of due process, protection, and judgment. I don’t know if I’m more impressed that it was revealed and instructed through Moses many battles and ventures prior or by the fact that the Israelites actually followed through with the instructions. Either way, God had given an amazing process that very closely foreshadows the refuge found in Christ for the guilty who would flee to Him.

However, there is one thought about this whole thing that rubbed me a bit this morning. It is first introduced in verse 3, when it says that these cities were to be designated “so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.”

Now, I don’t know about you… but I haven’t “accidentally or unintentionally” killed anyone lately. I think most of us would agree that this would be a rare occasion in our society and would certainly not necessitate an entire city of refuge. Even in moments of accidental death, most would come without those who desire to be “avengers” due to their obvious unintentionality. No matter the harsh society they lived in, this is hard for me to grasp.

Enter our lives and the “unintentional”. Whether we deliberately choose to sin out of rebellion to God or selfishness, or we just do so of our nature under the “head” of Adam, we know that sin is sin. Many do not view their sin as intentional… or even as sin… in fact, most of us have sins that are not just intentionally “secret”, there are many that we are downright blind to.

So I am reminded today of (1) our ignorance and blindness to our own sin, but also (2) that whether they are unintentional or accidental, whether we are oblivious to our own actions or do them on purpose… the consequence of sin is still death. And for all of us, our established city of refuge that was appointed by God before the beginning of time was, is, and always will be, Jesus.

While it makes me want to search out my “unintentional and accidental” sin issues (which is a good thing), today I’m even more thankful that Jesus paid it all and for all.