How Do We Build Better Cities?
Good Morning Friends,
The destruction of Jerusalem, the fall of Rome, the dismantling of Detroit, were all pretty traumatic events in the history of those places. The demise of certain churches in Holy History follows a similar path. But the Bible tells us that this dynamic of people and place all pales in comparison to the final destruction and the ultimate building of God’s City for God’s people. It is interesting that the societies behind the building of earthly cities seek to do good, just as the church strives to do good, but that in the grand design of God’s plan fall short for a lack of justice and love somewhere else. The vacant cities of China are an example of this reality. You see, humans must not only strive to purse an order that allows for peace, but actually succeed in the proper and just sharing of resources. Our current structures and engineering practices focus resources for a while in our building but even then chaos seems to destroy these dreams as it did the dreams of pharaohs. Friends, if we are to believe the Bible, heaven’s future on earth may not so much depend on the work of man building cities as it depends on the body of Christ brought into holy union in a city built by God. But until then we have a tale of two cities set forth in the book of Joshua that gives some insight into what must be done. And this makes us hope that we might find a better spirit for the task of: How Do We Build Better Cities?
Scripture: For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
Hebrews 11:10 (NRSV)
For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it.
1 Corinthians 3:9-10 (NRSV)
Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Appoint the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, 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.
Joshua 20:1-3 (NRSV)
The angel who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width; and he measured the city with his rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal. He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits by human measurement, which the angel was using. The wall is built of jasper, while the city is pure gold, clear as glass. The foundations of the wall of the city are adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each of the gates is a single pearl, and the street of the city is pure gold, transparent as glass. I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelation 21:15-27 (NRSV)
But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me wholeheartedly, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.
Numbers 14:24 (NRSV)
Message: Charles Dickens’ classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities, revolves around the injustice of the rich French Aristocracy towards the peasants, in the period leading up to and including the French Revolution. Callousness and injustice fuels the revolutionary spirit in one of the main characters in the book, who goes on to fight for justice. It is that same desire for justice that characterizes our look today at two cities in the Book of Joshua. Chapters 20 and 21 describe for us the establishment of two different types of cities for the people of Israel in the Promised Land. God read it on your own. Chapter 20 describes the cities of refuge; chapter 21 describes and is a list of the cities for the Levites…the people set aside for helping with worship. In today’s passage from Joshua we need to remember that the Israelites were just becoming a nation.
They lived by the principle of retribution…an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. And this idea of justice being the right to punish someone for doing something wrong by doing the same to them gets out of hand if there is an accident. With a system of justice based on retribution, you can see that there was a need for something else, and that is why we read about these cities of refuge. As I read, these were places to which you could flee if you had killed someone, and you would be guaranteed protection until a trial could be conducted fairly. The cities were spaced evenly throughout the land, so that they were reachable in about a day’s journey. This was the beginning of the idea of people being considered innocent until proven guilty…something that is still not universal in its application. However the very character of God longs for Justice so in due course God will have His way. The creation of the cities of refuge serves an important link in the process, ensuring that a person could be safely protected until tried and convicted of a crime. So we see both God’s heart for justice, and also that He has delegated responsibility for justice in our world to us. The key principle here is that as God’s people we are responsible to make sure that there is justice in our world, with a particular responsibility to ensure that the weak and powerless are treated justly. And it is a principle that still applies today. It is still a part of our responsibility today to fight for the rights of others. What is happening here is an example of exactly that, for the tribes of Israelites gave the Levites out of their own inheritance the land for the cities. And interestingly though not all Levitical cities were cities of refuge, all cities of refuge were Levitical cities spread throughout the land meaning that were out amongst the people and not limited to the service in the Temple. And tied to this there is a practical lesson found in the story of Caleb that is relevant for this work. You see Caleb had a can do spirit. He and Joshua had waited more than 40 years for God’s promise of the land to be kept. They were the ones willing to initially fight for the land when others were fearful. And after the wandering in the desert it was they who went and fought for that inheritance. And you can read in the Bible about Caleb capturing the city of Hebron and then the city of Debir. And you can also read that these cities were some of the first listed as Levitical. So after being victorious, Caleb handed those cities back over to God for the use of the Levites. And Caleb’s actions instruct us that the story is really about God. It is about God keeping His promises to us. It is about God giving us an inheritance. It is about God giving us a pathway to use all of the gifts we have, all the abilities and resources, all the friendships and opportunities, to glorify God because they really all belong to God. Here Caleb’s different spirit is a model for us. It tells me not to hold on to things too tightly, not to get deluded into thinking we are the “owners” and the ones in charge. Friends, the future of cities will take time for the Lord to design and build by His own hand, preparing mansions in each of us, even as He now works in and through us for His purposes…to His glory. Friends, the work of building better cities begins with us becoming better. And that is the story of mercy and that is the tale of our journey to justice.
Pray this Fourth of July weekend that we have the Spirit of Justice that is not independent but dependent on God in the building of the places we will call home. Pray
God’s City reveals the heart, the genius, and the power of God, the love of Jesus for His church. Pray our soul’s reward is discovered in part even now as we glorify God by working together with all our heart, mind and soul, in a unique relationship with in the Body of Christ…for the Master Builder of our faith. Pray for all who build their faith upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. Pray we never shortchange God when it comes to the materials used in the building of His Temple in us. Pray that when our work is inspected it will have the mark of the Master architect. Pray our family and our churches and our places of business and even our cities become places of refuge. Pray we as Caleb learn to follow God fully. Pray we too offer a pathway to mercy.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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