The Levites were not given a separate inheritance, rather they were to receive cities and pasturelands from the other tribes. Six of these cities wereto be utilized as cities of refuge, where someone who had killed anotherperson accidentally could flee the avenger until their case was tried. - P56
Thesimple fact that Levitical duties and cities of refuge for involuntary manslayers were needed shows the utter depravity of humanity. Yet, the graceofGod is evident in that, even under the old covenant, He provided a waysinful humans to coexist with a holy God. And under the new covenant,
- P56
we marvel at a better provision: Jesus Christ has been given to us so that wewould be made holy and be able to dwell with God forever. - P56
Dear Jesus, thank you for the many blessings You have poured upon us.
- P57
Make our hearts generous like Yours so that we can be a family that givesaccording to what we have been given. In Your name, amen. - P57
God commands that six cities of refuge be designated, where those who havekilled unintentionally can flee for protection. - P59
God differentiates between accidental manslaughter and intentional murder. A murderer must be executedby the avenger of blood, but an innocent person must stay in a city of refugeuntil the high priest dies. - P59
Some regions in Albania still practice a code of "blood feud." This termrefers to a practice in which a clan personally takes vengeance over themurder of their kin. The code gives the victim‘s family the right to kill anyblood relation of the murderer. In their turn, however, the initial murderer‘sfamily can then take another life for the one that was taken from them invengeance. It doesn‘t take long for both sides to simultaneously become vic-tims and murderers. Blood feuds can only come to an end when and if thelast victim of vengeance decides to forgive and stop the cycle of retaliation.
- P61
Blood feuds are the reality of the sinful heart when sinful ideas of justicebecome culturally acceptable. And we would not know how to end suchfeuds if we were not first shown what forgiveness is-the ultimate forgive-ness. As Christians, we remember that we were in something worse than ablood feud, perpetually at enmity with God. Our constant rebellion towardthe holy God rightfully marked us for death. - P61
But instead of slaying us, Godsent His own Son, who took on flesh so that His body could bleed insteadof ours. God ended the feud at His own cost. - P61
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