“33 Do not defile the land where you are, for bloodshed defiles the land, and there can be no atonement for the land because of the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of the person who shed it. 34 Do not make the land unclean where you live and where I reside; for I, Yahweh, reside among the Israelites.”
Numbers 35:33-34
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Chapter 35 talks all about the cities of refuge, how to handle deaths, both accidental and malicious, and it deals directly with the concept of bloodshed and justice. No one should ever desire the death of another person. Death, when linked with revenge, never satisfies the hurt inside due to loss and anger. All it does is remove one component physically from the mix from that point forward. The pain will still exist, the anger still lingers and depending on what happened, justice may or may not have even been served in the process.

That distinction, though, between killing and murder, is an important one, and makes for interesting conversation, but the point is this: the taking of a human life is a very serious thing and there is no easy recovery that goes along with it. When God speaks in verse 33, He is very plain, ‘bloodshed defiles the land.’ We see this today in all of these recent killings and murders that have gained national attention. Murder, or even the suggestion of it, stirs people and communities in a deep way. Killing is devastatingly difficult to deal with, and the families and neighbors of those killed still have to choose how they are going to respond. Life has still be taken, and anger springs up when a foolish decision brings it upon them. The land is defiled when murder occurs, when blood is shed in anger, hate and discord. The two police officers who were shot, assassination style, in New York serve as a prime example of what anger, ignorance and discord can create. Tragedy comes from these things, and families are left broken and mourning that should have been whole and celebrating this week. Their land has been defiled by one man’s anger and lack of understanding, and now three are dead, three families and communities mourn, and discord still runs strong after the fact. This is the definition of needless pain. And so it continues.

Human life is precious, it was designed to be so, and so it cannot be taken lightly or easily. We were not spoken into being like the animals, but sculpted, formed and God Himself breathed life into our nostrils. That is part of what makes the distinction between mankind and animals. We are not animals. But when we act like them, that difference shows. A hawk can kill a sparrow and nothing changes, everything is okay. A vicious dog can kill another animal, and in reality, the world stands unmoved. But when people die, are killed or murdered, the souls of those surrounding are touched in a way that nothing else can duplicate. And when murder is the culprit, the land is defiled, and reconciliation for hearts is nearly impossible. Every life matters. Color plays no part in whether a life matters. Race/ethnicity plays no part in whether a life matters. Gender plays no part in whether a life matters. Age plays no part in whether a life matters. Occupation plays no part in whether a life matters. Every human life, from conception forward matters. And because every life matters, no life can be taken lightly. We would do well as we GoLove in Christ’s Name to remember this, to encourage this and to teach this to every one we can, because Jesus came so that all might find life everlasting, if they will put their pride aside and come to Him. Then His life is in us and everything changes.