DIVINE JUSTICE SYSTEM

 ANCHOR OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE for MONDAY, 5TH DECEMBER, 2022.

Topic: DIVINE JUSTICE SYSTEM

MEMORIZE: "That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee" (Deuteronomy 19:10).

SCRIPTURE READING: DEUTERONOMY 19:1-10 (NKJV)

¹ "When the Lord your God has cut 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 separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess. ³ You shall prepare roads for yourself, and divide into three parts the territory of your land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, that any manslayer may flee there. ⁴ "And this is the case of the manslayer who flees there, that he may live: Whoever kills his neighbor unintentionally, not having hated him in time past- ⁵ as when a man goes to the woods with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies--he shall flee to one of these cities and live; ⁶ lest the avenger of blood, while his anger is hot, pursue the manslayer and overtake him, because the way is long, and kill him, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated the victim in time past. ⁷ Therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall separate three cities for yourself.' ⁸ Now if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as He swore to your fathers, and gives you the land which He promised to give to your fathers, ⁹ and if you keep all these commandments and do them, which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and to walk always in His ways, then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three, ¹⁰ lest innocent blood be shed in the midst of your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and thus guilt of bloodshed be upon you."

EXPOSITION:

Prior to their redemption and full settlement in Canaan, the Israelites ran a primitive justice system. For instance, their laws allowed the next of kin of a slain person to wreak vengeance. He or she was permitted to go after the murderer and carry out any judgment they desired. But the Lord rolled out a better judicial agreement that would protect the unintentional killer and prevent the shedding of innocent blood.

As the land in Canaan was allocated to the various tribes, God commanded the children of Israel to separate cities where "every slayer may flee thither." The idea was that in their new environment, murder cases must be thoroughly investigated so as not to lead to arbitrary punishment. If a person died in the field while another wielded his axe in the course of felling a tree, the unintentional killer could flee to one of the cities of refuge. He would not be "worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past."

This provision prevented unjust revenge and miscarriage of justice, which might lead to spiraling acts of fatal crimes. It is the prevalence of the pursuit of retaliatory deeds that has made the world unsafe today. The absence of an acceptable system of justice that would bring redress to the aggrieved has been pushing everyone to adopt his or her way of seeking justice, even if it is an illegitimate means. This has brought more sorrow to a world in search of peace and joy.

God, the Author of peace, has proclaimed that man must seek His infallible concept of justice to be secured in the world. Without adhering to heaven's law of equity that respects the rights of others to live and enjoy the abundance of life given by God through faith in Jesus, the Prince of peace, man would continue to function in bewilderment.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Man cannot have peace without seeking divine justice.

PRAYER POINTS:

Lord, let your justice prevail in our nation, church and homes and let it restore true peace unto us all in Jesus name.

DAILY BIBLE READING IN A YEAR– Philippians 1-4.