God demonstrates His amazing grace throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, God established “cities of refuge ” (Numbers 35, Joshua 20); six cities where those guilty of accidentally killing another person could escape the punishment of death.
God did this for the benefit of the guilty. Under Old Testament law, a relative of the deceased had the right to avenge that death. While the guilty party could choose to run or hide, God provided a place where they could live.
God did this to provide a way of escape from death. The penalty due to the guilty party was physical death. If they made it into the borders of one of the cities of refuge and remained there until the death of the high priest, they could avoid that penalty completely
God did this in a demonstration of His grace. We often define grace as God’s unmerited favor, a gift from God we do not deserve and cannot earn. By the grace of God, a person who accidentally found themselves guilty could find themselves innocent once again.
It should be easy for us to see many parallels in our spiritual lives today. God sent His Son for the benefit of the guilty, all of us. God sent His Son to provide an escape from our penalty of death. God sent His Son, by His unmerited, unnecessary, and impossible to earn, amazing grace.
Matt Langfield