Historical Books Joshua
Chapter 20
¹ Then the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, ² "Say to the Israelites, 'Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, ³ so that anyone who kills a person without intent or by mistake may flee there; they shall be for you a refuge from the avenger of blood.
(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 20 verses 1 to 3)
Oh God, my Father, there are many people who have had to flee their hometowns or homeland, for such reasons and have spent the rest of their lives living in fear of being caught and prosecuted for a crime that they had nothing to do with. I thank You for granting international protection to such people who have either sought or are still in the process, of being granted refuge to this very day Amen.
⁴ The slayer shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and explain the case to the elders of that city; then the fugitive shall be taken into the city, and given a place, and shall remain with them.
(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 20 verse 4)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for having inspired humans to create such systems of refuge for people to make use of. I thank You for also giving me a role in this refuge and accommodation system. I pray for wisdom so that I can carry out the role that You have given me with care love and diligence so that people who have been injured by situations or circumstances can come to seek the merited refuge and be given another chance to start again on aa safe island of refuge and be given the necessary protection Amen.
⁵ And if the avenger of blood is in pursuit, they shall not give up the slayer, because the neighbor was killed by mistake, there having no enmity between them before.
(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 20 verse 5)
Oh God, my beloved father, I admire Your justice. Many accidents happen and people often get hurt or even die as a consequence, however we are not to bear a grudge for life and seek to avenge the death of our loved one or relative, but seek to forgive that person and not drag the person into court to seek justice where an injustice has not even be proved to have taken place.
⁶ The slayer shall remain in that city until there is a trial before the congregation, until the death of the one who is high priest at the time; then the slayer may return home to the town in which the deed was done."
(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 20 verse 6)
Oh God my Father how just You are. You create a refuge for the innocent, and You also give the guilty a time to calm down and reflect on one's own action. I pray that we follow this example of reflecting on our actions Amen.
⁷ So they set apart Kadesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. ⁸ And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ These were the cities designated for all the Israelites, and for the aliens residing among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so as not to die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until there was a trial before the congregation.
(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 20 verses 7 to 9)
Oh God, my beloved Father, to this day and year 2017, many people are still leaving their lands in fear of persecution of their lives and that of their families. Today there are also host countries such as Malta that give refuge and protection to such people. I thank God for such countries Amen.
With reference to such host countries I refer you to the following links:-
Top 10 Countries offering Asylum
Malta Statistics of Refugees per 1000 people in Malta
Oh God my beloved Father, I would like to end the twentieth chapter of the book of Joshua with the following prayer:-
Oh God my beloved Father, I thank You for being a port of refuge to me especially when the waves were crashing on my boat, and my life was in a crisis. I thank You for sending people in my life, who showed me light from darkness. I thank You for the job that You have given me as a Social Worker working with Asylum Seekers, for You have made me aware of the needs of such people and have given me the opportunity to be of help. I pray for wisdom to make the right decisions, love to be caring, understanding and empathic. Amen
⁴ The slayer shall flee to one of these cities and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and explain the case to the elders of that city; then the fugitive shall be taken into the city, and given a place, and shall remain with them.
(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 20 verse 4)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for having inspired humans to create such systems of refuge for people to make use of. I thank You for also giving me a role in this refuge and accommodation system. I pray for wisdom so that I can carry out the role that You have given me with care love and diligence so that people who have been injured by situations or circumstances can come to seek the merited refuge and be given another chance to start again on aa safe island of refuge and be given the necessary protection Amen.
⁵ And if the avenger of blood is in pursuit, they shall not give up the slayer, because the neighbor was killed by mistake, there having no enmity between them before.
(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 20 verse 5)
Oh God, my beloved father, I admire Your justice. Many accidents happen and people often get hurt or even die as a consequence, however we are not to bear a grudge for life and seek to avenge the death of our loved one or relative, but seek to forgive that person and not drag the person into court to seek justice where an injustice has not even be proved to have taken place.
⁶ The slayer shall remain in that city until there is a trial before the congregation, until the death of the one who is high priest at the time; then the slayer may return home to the town in which the deed was done."
(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 20 verse 6)
Oh God my Father how just You are. You create a refuge for the innocent, and You also give the guilty a time to calm down and reflect on one's own action. I pray that we follow this example of reflecting on our actions Amen.
⁷ So they set apart Kadesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. ⁸ And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ These were the cities designated for all the Israelites, and for the aliens residing among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so as not to die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until there was a trial before the congregation.
(Historical Books Joshua Chapter 20 verses 7 to 9)
Oh God, my beloved Father, to this day and year 2017, many people are still leaving their lands in fear of persecution of their lives and that of their families. Today there are also host countries such as Malta that give refuge and protection to such people. I thank God for such countries Amen.
With reference to such host countries I refer you to the following links:-
Top 10 Countries offering Asylum
Malta Statistics of Refugees per 1000 people in Malta
Oh God my beloved Father, I would like to end the twentieth chapter of the book of Joshua with the following prayer:-
Oh God my beloved Father, I thank You for being a port of refuge to me especially when the waves were crashing on my boat, and my life was in a crisis. I thank You for sending people in my life, who showed me light from darkness. I thank You for the job that You have given me as a Social Worker working with Asylum Seekers, for You have made me aware of the needs of such people and have given me the opportunity to be of help. I pray for wisdom to make the right decisions, love to be caring, understanding and empathic. Amen
