Joshua 20:9: “These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwelt among them, that whoever killed a person accidentally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood before the congregation.”

April 10th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Life is precious to the Lord. Shortly after Adam and Eve disobeyed God, their son, Cain, murdered his brother, Abel, in a jealous rage. In Genesis 9:6 God gave a fundamental law to Noah that anyone who murderously shed blood must pay for their crime with their own blood. But because both justice and mercy are critical, God explained 3 times (Exodus 21, Numbers 35, Deuteronomy 19) that there was to be a distinction made between premeditated murder and manslaughter, or the unpremeditated killing of another person. To provide time for cooling down and the opportunity of a fair trial, God gave them cities of refuge. These cities were not only for the Israelite, but for the stranger who lived among them as well. God’s justice and mercy applied to all, without partiality.

On a map, we see that the cities of refuge were well spaced throughout the country. It didn’t matter where you were in Israel, you were not very far from a city of refuge. Deuteronomy 19:2 commanded that proper roads be built and maintained to these cities; it wasn’t much good to the slayer if they couldn’t get to it quickly and easily.

Scripture applies this picture of the city of refuge to the believer finding refuge in God in several places. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Fifteen other times, the psalms speak of God as our refuge. In the New Testament we find the same: “That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18).

There are many similarities between the cities of refuge and Jesus. Like the cities, Jesus is within easy reach of the needy person, and is open to all, not just the Israelite. Also Jesus is the only alternative for the one in need. There is, however, one crucial distinction between Jesus and the cities of refuge. The cities were only a safety for the innocent, but Jesus is where the guilty can run to find refuge and forgiveness. Still today no one needs to fear that they will be turned away from their place of refuge in their time of need.

“LORD, thank You for the grace You have given us in Jesus our refuge today. Hide us in Him we ask.”

=============================================================

Joshua 20 KJV

¹ The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying, ² Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses: ³ That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. ⁴ And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. ⁵ And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime. ⁶ And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled. ⁷ And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.  ⁸ And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation.