Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

God is Just

Bryan Schneider · June 25, 2022

Joshua 20

sharonrpc.org/sermons/god-is-just

Summary

Justice is not merely something God sometimes performs; it belongs to his holy, good, faithful, and righteous character.
Joshua 20 establishes six accessible cities of refuge because God protects life and requires impartial justice for Israelite and stranger alike.
The refuge process distinguishes accidental killing from murder through an initial hearing, protection from vengeance, witnesses, and congregational judgment.
God's law attends to motives, intent, evidence, and degrees of guilt rather than treating every harmful outcome identically.
Mercy toward an unintentional slayer does not make the death insignificant: bloodshed is serious, guilt remains, and release comes only with the high priest's death.
Jesus deepens the sixth commandment by exposing sinful anger and contempt, so every hearer discovers a personal need for refuge.
God does not clear guilt by ignoring justice; Jesus the righteous One dies for the unrighteous, bearing guilt and purchasing freedom.
The fitting response is to flee to Christ as the only secure refuge and cling to him rather than to innocence, excuses, or self-atonement.

What is the difference between saying God acts justly and confessing that God is just?
How do the location and availability of six refuge cities display both mercy and impartial justice?
What procedural protections in Joshua 20 and Numbers 35 prevent immediate private vengeance?
Why do intent, prior hatred, means, witnesses, and circumstances matter when assessing guilt?
How does the law uphold the life of both the person killed and the accused slayer?
Why does accidental harm still require refuge rather than being dismissed as though nothing serious occurred?
How does Jesus' teaching about anger and contempt uncover the sixth-commandment guilt of every hearer?
In what sense does the death of Jesus, the just for the unjust, provide the refuge sinners actually need?

Justice: God's morally perfect and impartial ordering of judgment according to truth and righteousness.
City of refuge: One of six appointed Israelite cities where an unintentional killer could receive protection and a lawful hearing.
Avenger of blood: A family representative charged with pursuing justice for a relative whose life was taken.
Manslaughter: The taking of human life without prior hatred or murderous intent, distinguished from premeditated murder.
Motive: The purpose or disposition of the heart that God's law considers when assessing guilt.
Sanctity of life: The God-given worth of human life that requires protection, accountability, and impartial judgment.
Bloodguilt: Real liability arising from the shedding of human blood, even when the degree and penalty differ according to intent.
Christ our refuge: Jesus as the righteous substitute and High Priest whose death answers guilt and frees sinners from condemnation.