Choose the Way of Life

The same Lord who appoints cities of refuge, who forgives the sins of His people, and who sets before Jerusalem the way of life and the way of death, is not divided against Himself. His mercy is not softness toward evil, and His judgment is not forgetfulness of mercy. He gives refuge for the innocent and due judgment for the murderer; He restores the penitent and casts down the stubborn. Therefore no man should ask peace from God while keeping fellowship with violence, deceit, or pride.

In the psalm, forgiveness is praised, yet the prayer does not end there. Those whose sins are covered must also be turned again. Methodius says, “Verily, He will speak peace unto His people, and to His saints, and to those which turn their hearts unto Him.” Peace, then, is not spoken to the double-minded, nor to those who cry out in danger but will not amend their works. Jeremiah shows this plainly: when the city loved injustice, the temple and the throne did not shield it. Rank, office, and outward religion do not save the impenitent.

The cities given to the Levites remind us that the holy life must dwell in the midst of the people. Judgment must be careful, wrath restrained, and blood not treated lightly. If God so guarded bodily life among Israel, how much more must Christ’s people guard the life of the soul: fleeing hatred, reconciling quickly, speaking truth, and making room for repentance.

So let a man not seek safety in walls, words, or ancestry. Let him choose life by obedience: confessing sins, turning from wrongdoing, and doing justice while there is still time.