Deuteronomy 19:1-7
“When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land the LORD your God is giving you, and you have dispossessed them and settled in their towns and in their houses, 2you shall set apart three cities in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess. 3You shall calculate the distances and divide into three regions the land that the LORD your God gives you as a possession, so that any homicide can flee to one of them” (Deuteronomy 19:1-3)
The Law in the Torah (the non-narrative parts of the first five books of the Bible) is often an interesting place to encounter God. To be sure, the laws and statutes given here are not without intention and – in some manner – exist to reveal God and God’s will to God’s people. Of course, the precise meaning of the Law is always under debate (Israel even has a word – midrash – that describes writings about the Law; today we would call that “biblical studies” and “theology” in the church). I encourage you to read these parts of the Law (in small, slow bites, so to speak) and ponder them because this is one of the ways we cultivate our moral and faithful imaginations.
Today’s reading from Deuteronomy 19 (and make sure to read the entire selection and not just the bit quoted above) is a great example. In it, we see the mandate to create what scholars will call “sanctuary cities.” (Now, I know, “sanctuary city” has taken on a political meaning in light of the immigration crisis in our country and while there might be some riches in comparing the political version of these with the biblical version, we should save that for a discussion over coffee. Just let me know when is good for you).
The case study (found in verses 4-7) that accompanies the above-quoted mandate is a pretty simple story:
- Two men go to cut wood together – a good and productive thing to do
- The head of the axe slips off, strikes one man, and kills him – a terrible accident
- The living man (rightly) fears vengeance from the dead man’s kin and clan – of course!
- The living man has the right to flee to a nearby sanctuary city
So, the question is: What do we learn about God in this mandate?
First, God is compassionate and merciful even to those who do something that creates harm. Intention matters, and so too does actual actions (irrespective of intention).
Second, actions have consequences.
Third, consequences need to be regulated in light of compassion and mercy.
Because, we should be clear, even though the remaining lumberjack gets to live, he’s cut off from his own family and clan. He lives in exile, but at least he lives. The exile is the consequence of his action, but the mercy is found in his not having to pay with his life for the loss of another’s life. “Eye for an eye” does not apply here.
We might also learn that God is not unaware nor indifferent to the contingencies and calamities of our lives. Indeed, He mandates around them. God knows that mistakes and accidents happen – and that consequences even for accidents are also unavoidable – and therefore seeks not to create a world in which neither accident nor consequence apply, but rather seeks to create a people with the character to nuance their consequences through the prism of compassion.
And in the end, that’s what this mandate – these sanctuary cities – are really all about. It’s about forming a people with a certain character; a people who are capable of institutionalizing grace and mercy in the very systems of their life together.
Oh, and though the Law above only mandates there be three such cities, the Old Testament ultimately records the existence of six such cities. Why? Because once the people of God have their character transformed by mercy and grace, they can faithfully add to God’s mercy and grace. Amen.
