“The ultimate tragedy,” said Martin Luther King, “is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”

Yes, the silence you maintain when wrong things happen, is as bad as carrying out those same acts of injustice against the innocent.

God was very definite about justice and injustice. When He was promulgating the laws that the Jews had to live by, the Lord said to Joshua in the Book of Joshua Ch 20: 1-9, “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood. When they flee to one of these cities, they are to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state their case before the elders of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and provide a place to live among them.

If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the fugitive killed their neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought.

They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in the town from which they fled.”

So, they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem^h in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba in the hill country of Judah. East of the Jordan they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh.

Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.

In other words, God wanted the accused to get a fair trial.

And when we look at the ‘cities of refuge’ that God insisted was to be built, a city the accused could flee to and live a free man till the time of trial, we realise how important it is that we maintain the same, that a man or woman is innocent till proven guilty.

This law is laid down by God, because in His infinite wisdom, He knew there would be vengeful acts committed on the wrong people, He knew there would be dishonest and corrupt rulers who would want a speedy, unfair trial, and to implement a system of justice God brought in the ‘cities of refuge’.

Today as we see people wasting their lives in jail in our country, ask yourself, if you are happy being silent, or it’s time to say no to these inhuman laws and acts of injustice.

Today as you see bullies in your office or society or organisation hitting out at the weak or vulnerable, ask yourself if your silence is cowardice.

Today as you see and hear hypocrites fooling people you know, ask yourself why you keep quiet about exposing them, and revealing the truth.

You may be the ‘city of refuge’ the innocents, the weak, the bullied and the helpless are running to.

Remember God abhors injustice, so, don’t close your gates..!

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