Numbers 33-36

The Book of Numbers closes with a passage that recounts all of the stops along the way of the Israelites' forty-year journey from Egypt to the land of Canaan. It summarizes the setting of the boundaries of the Promised Land, the allotment of land to the twelve tribes (two-and-a-half of which have elected to live just outside of Canaan), and the setting aside of land for the Levites. I find the discussion of the land of asylum an interesting concept: a place where someone who has unintentionally killed another can go and be protected from vengeance by the dead person's "avenger."  There the "killer" must remain until the death of the high priest in order to be protected. I am not sure, honestly, what I think about the concept of Purgatory--maybe a discussion for another time--but this reminds me of that concept. The land of asylum is a temporary place for someone who is culpable for an action, but not a grievous or horrific action that signifies a complete turning away from God and neighbor. Not until the high priest (Christ?) dies is the exile free from retribution for his sin. 

Why does God free me from my sins?  Why does He forgive me? I have done nothing to merit that forgiveness, obviously. I am on a journey to the Promised Land, like the Israelites.  I grumble and complain like the Israelites. I forget His many kindnesses; I want more. Occasionally, I hear His message through some "Moses" in my life--my wife, my children, a friend, a song, nature, a work of art, a poem. But it is only "occasionally" because my heart is not properly attuned to His message. He has to "shout". It is easy for me to read these passages and wonder how the Israelites could have been so stubborn, so arrogant, so blind, so forgetful.  And then I look in the mirror . . .