School Board, Cities of Refuge, and God's Leading

Six of the towns you give the Leviteswill be cities of refuge,...to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee...so that a person accused of murdermay not die before he stands trial before the assembly.(Numbers 35:6ff)

I have been visiting some of the schools within our school district this past week. The school board is getting ready to make some tough decisions about ways to keep our district financially flexible through tough times of lower enrollment and a shrinking tax base while health care and utility costs continue to rise.

My visits have been strictly voluntary. No one forced me to make them. But I'd like to get as many of the facts as I can before we are asked to cast a vote in a few days.

On my little fact finding junkets, several things have become clear to me:

1.) Every decision we make leads to effects for students, teachers, and parents.

2.) We will only be able to see some of those effects prior to implementing our decision.

3.) We live in a community and as such, the right attitude and sense of "we're all in this together" is often as important as which decision we will end up making.

4.) Anger, frustration, and hurt are logical responses by those whose lives are being changed without their input.

5.) Good "governing" and "lawmaking" dictates that we constantly communicate every step along the way, clearly keeping in mind the way these decisions will affect others, both for the short-term and the long-run.

It is some of that same desire for good governing and lawmaking that lead God to command Moses to implement "cities of refuge" in Numbers 35:6-34.

Notice that the cities of refuge laws assumed several things:

1.) Vengeance is not always the right response. Sometimes tragedy occurs by accident. We say something stupid or we do something at the wrong time and bad things happen. It does not mean it was intentional or that the perpetrator deserves to be punished to the fullest extent. God instructs Moses to allow for a trial, for fact-finding, prior to any decision being made.

2.) Life is valuable. If someone dies, their life matters enough that one who killed another, even accidentally, may have to move and live somewhere else for a time.

3.) Sin must be punished. If the death was pre-meditated and found to be murder, there is no acceptable response except by spilling the blood of the murderer. Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who deserves to die. He must surely be put to death...(35:31-32).

4.) Those who are close to the victim have every right to be angry. The one who was at fault for the death lost their protection if they left the city of refuge (35:26ff), even if they were innocent.

5. Response to sin reflects upon and affects the community. Bloodshed pollutes the land...Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites (35:33-34).

I wonder how we do when we come up against circumstances in our lives.

Do we take time to corroborate the story of someone who delivers bad news to us? Or are we quick to assume it must be true and immediately begin to plot our revenge? (Multiple witnesses were needed before action could be taken in Numbers 35).

Do we allow others the right to be angry and hurt over changes in life or losses they experience? Or do we expect them to simply get over it?

How we handle such situations reflects upon the God we serve and the community He is seeking to create in us and through us. God wants justice and reason to be part of the equation.

May we be wise, reasoned, measured, and living so closely to Him that we can take bold actions as He leads our community.

Grace & peace