A Right for the Guilty to Escape!

Deuteronomy 4:41-42
(41) Then Moses set aside three cities east of the Jordan, (42) to which anyone who had killed a person could flee if they had unintentionally killed a neighbor without malice aforethought. They could flee into one of these cities and save their life.

A guilty person is not supposed to escape. A guilty person is supposed to be charged in court. A guilty person is supposed to be sentenced to death or life in prison. When a guilty person escapes everything must be done to apprehend him or her.

As Israelites prepared to settle in the Promised land, Moses gave the speech that the book of Deuteronomy is. Moses also put up structures that would define this new nation and help in governance. One of them is strange and is recorded in our key text today.

Moses set aside three cities that he referred to as the cities of refuge. These were cities where a person who was guilty of killing another person unintentionally would escape and hide. When you kill someone unintentionally, the relatives of that person and friends can kill you out of anger without giving you a hearing. In order to give this guilty criminal a chance to be saved Moses created the cities of refuge.

Cities of refuge are a confirmation that out of anger, people can regrettably harm you, therefore you need to escape. These cities were created to avoid actions borne out of anger. God knew that out of anger, those who lost a loved one could kill someone who doesn’t deserve to die. God knows that out of anger we can harm our church members, students, workers, etc. God wants us to learn from Him and create a way of escape for the guilty.

The Geneva Convention is an international agreement that dictates how signatory nations will treat prisoners of war. The Geneva Convention requires that prisoners of war be treated humanely. Even though the prisoners were your enemies, now that you have arrested them, they are guilty, but God commands that we treat them humanely. A person is guilty of killing someone unintentionally, give them a chance to escape. A right for the guilty to escape!

In the boxing match when your opponent is down and cornered the referee separates the two of you and gives a chance for your opponent to recover and fight again. To give your opponents whom you have cornered another chance is to be like God. A right for the guilty to escape.

In the Akasha case in the USA, the brothers were guilty of international drug trafficking. The court gave them a chance to confess their guilt in exchange for lighter sentences. They were cornered but given a chance to escape the full consequence of their guilt. A right for the guilty to escape.

In the criminal justice system, the guilty person is sometimes given a chance to be a prosecution witness in order to escape harsh treatment. It is all in the spirit of giving the guilty person a right to escape the full consequence of his/her wrongdoing. Sometimes a guilty person is allowed to resign instead of facing the full terrible consequence of a trial. A right for the guilty person to escape!

A spouse who catches his or her partner violating marital vows may resolve to give them a right to escape as opposed to a messy drama and public divorce process. Some couples have agreed on arrangements that have maintained their dignity and enabled them to parent the children. It is possible even in moments of anger and hurt, to give your opponents a right to escape the full consequence of their guilt. A right for the guilty to escape!

Anti-corruption bodies have negotiated with their suspects. An example is out-of-court deals, these are attempts to give the guilty a chance to escape. When corrupt individuals surrender what they stole from the public, sometimes they escape the court process and punishment. Through this process, both sides reach a satisfactory agreement. A right for the guilty to escape!

Adam and Eve would have died on the spot upon sinning or when they met God, but God gave them a right to escape. When Cain killed Abel, God gave him a right to escape and protected him from anyone who would have wanted to revenge. God knew David had committed murder and adultery, but he gave him a right to escape. A right for the guilty to escape.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

The greatest right for the guilty to escape is in the command to forgive one another. When we confess our sins we invoke the right to escape the full consequence of our actions. God promises that if we confess and repent, He will forgive us. This is a right for the guilty to escape!

Romans 12:19
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

When God demands that only Himself can revenge, He consequently gives all guilty persons a right to escape. Since we cant revenge, the guilty person has a chance to come to their senses and confess sins. Since we cant revenge, the guilty person gets the chance to escape. A right for the guilty person to escape!

Not all criminals and criminal activities get a right to escape. Some were so gross that God dealt with it on the spot by killing the guilty. Achan in the book of Joshua died without a chance to escape. Ananias and Saphira were also killed on the spot. Sometimes for purposes of deterrence, the guilty person has to immediately and publicly bear the weight of his or her sins. This helps realize that the right of the guilty to escape is not an excuse to harm others without being called to accountability.

Revelation 22:11
Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”

Some day in the near future the right to escape will be withdrawn. The door of mercy will close. Probation will close for good. The right o escape may be granted once or twice, but someday, it will be denied. With that in mind, we must strive to overcome sin.

May God grant us a right to escape. May God empower us to grant others who offend us a right to escape. May we not abuse the right to escape. May God help us escape sin and its consequences, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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