Human Response 237: Defile Not the Land

Numbers 35:34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.

Do not defile the Kingdom of God in which you live, and where the Lord lives with you. The context of this chapter is about a man killing another man accidentally and his escaping the Revenger of Blood. The killer must go to a City of Refuge to be safe from the Revenger, if it was an accidental slaying. But if it was deliberate murder he shall suffer the death penalty. Meanwhile, he is safe until witnesses confirm guilt or innocence.

The response of the believer is to pollute not the land, for blood defiles the land. The slaying of an innocent man, whether perpetrator or victim, pollutes. It was lawful for a Revenger of Blood to kill a guilty murderer, but not if he was innocent of premeditation. This law protected that.

The kingdom within must be protected from defilement, for the Holy Lord lives there in the heart. Anger and hatred is murder, and it defiles. When we become angry we have polluted the heart. “Grieve not the Spirit.” Immediately, we respond by entering the city of refuge, which is going to Jesus for cleansing. This we do before the sun goes down. The Christian does not live with defilement, for Jesus’ forgiveness and cleansing is always available.