Joshua 20

2. Justice Joshua 20 Mercy Forgiveness

3. Justice • Is to do with retribution & punishment • Is blind in its purest form • Is to do with ‘cause & effect’ • Has evolved over the millennia

4. Mercy • Is an amelioration of justice • Can only come from one who is in a place of power • Is received by one who is vulnerable • Is undeserved by the standards of justice

5. Forgiveness • Is a 2 way thing • Can be asked for or can be offered • Sometimes conditions may be required to complete the ‘business’ • Brings together Justice & Mercy • Is a powerful means of reconciliation

6. The Cities of Refuge • Six in all i.e. one for each 2 tribes • Spread out through the land • Had to be signposted ‘Refuge’ • The access road had to be twice the width of an ordinary road—32 cubits (16 yards) instead of 8 yards • The road surface had to be smooth & even

7. The Cities of Refuge—What they were for: • For manslaughter • To allow time for the case to be examined properly • To allow mercy to be shown • Possibly death of High Priest = atonement

8. The Cities of Refuge—What they were not for: • Murder—premeditated, hate-filled killing—Glencoe was ‘murder under trust’ • Minor offences

9. The Prodigal Son… …or The Forgiving Father & The Unforgiving Brother Justice—The son had lost his inheritance, but the brother demanded more (as Jewish law required) Mercy—The father was willing to let mercy triumph over judgement (Micah 6 v 8) Forgiveness—The father was willing to offer forgiveness &, in humility, to entreatthe brother to do the same

10. Legacies You can:— Hang on to your demand for justice or Be willing to offer mercy or Forgive & be reconciled There is a city of refuge for each of us to set us free from the burden of bitterness & pain