“One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established” (Deuteronomy 19:15).
TEXT — Deuteronomy 19:1-20
Message
What do you think about a society without a justice system or a place where the emphasis is on judgment instead of justice? Of course, without law and order, people would have the unrestrained liberty to perpetrate crimes and atrocities, and make the lives of other citizens more precarious. On the contrary, the justice system is necessary to maintain order in society. Sadly, in the judicial system of this world, there are cases of miscarriage of justice and people buying their way. This makes the ordinary people lose hope in the system’s integrity.
Our text reveals two significant situations in God’s order: the separation of cities of refuge for apparently guiltless murders, and specific laws governing witnesses to a crime. The Lord commanded that cities of refuge be separated in the Promised Land, and that additional cities were to be added to the initial ones when Israel would have been enlarged in the land. The cities of refuge were to be accessible to anyone who mistakenly killed his neighbour without hatred or premeditation of murder. They could flee into any of those cities for refuge from the sword of the avenger of blood in the land.
The other case deals with bearing witness against an offender. Therefore, to ensure justice among His people, God commanded that at least two or three persons must be witnesses against anyone to establish the truth after diligently investigating a case.
As a just God, He will judge the wicked who perpetrate injustice. His judgment will be fair, fearful and final without any appeal. While men may seek judgment without necessarily doing justice, in God’s economy, justice is served when judgment is delivered righteously.
Thought for the day
In God’s system, the wicked shall not be unpunished.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
