“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there. ‘The cities shall be to you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands before the congregation for trial.” (v. 9-12)
In the ancient culture of Israel, it was not left entirely up to the government to avenge a murder. Each extended family had a recognized avenger who would ensure that one who murdered a family member would likewise be killed. This practice was based upon a correct understanding of Genesis 9:6: Whoever shed’s man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God, God made man. This, if properly understood and applied, could be an effective deterrent to murder and not a bad institution. Yet, the system had a fatal weakness: What if a death was accidental, yet difficult to prove that it was accidental?
Therefore, there were six cities of refuge (which might be reached in less than a day's journey from any part of the land) to which a manslayer might flee and be safe till they had a fair trial. Anyone – a stranger or a citizen of Israel – anyone who needed to find protection in the cities of refuge could. And protection was not limited to the children of Israel.
The Bible makes a clear distinction between killing and murder. All murder is killing; but not all killing is murder. Therefore, every society needs laws to establish the principles that decide a death to be either; an unfortunate killing, or true murder.
In our text, if a manslayer was acquitted from the charge of murder, they were protected from the avenger of blood; yet they must continue to live within the walls of the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. If the man who sought protection in the city of refuge wandered outside the walls of the city, he was fair game for the avenger of blood – only within his place of refuge was he safe. On the other hand, if proved guilty on sufficient evidence, he would be condemned and punished as a murderer, without the possibility of deliverance.
These cities, ordered by the LORD, show His compassion/protection of the innocent and established that both humanity and justice would be met.
The Truth: “The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble.” (Psalm 9:9)
