Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Joshua 20

Joshua 20 - Cities of Refuge


Above image is from www.dawnbible.com/1990/9005cl-2.htm

We learn in Numbers 35, Deuteronomy 16 & 19 and Joshua 20 a number of characteristics of the cities of refuge:

  • They were established by God before they were needed.
  • They were available and accessible to all- Israelite and stranger alike.
  • Their gates were always open.
  • They were widely advertised. The Torah instructed that signposts be posted on all the crossroads pointing the way to these cities of refuge.
  • All the cities of refuge were prominently located at high elevations so that they could be seen from great distances.
  • Everyone was within a day's journey from at least one of them.
  • "Whosoever" needed to flee to one of the cities was free to do so, whether or not he was an Israelite.
  • The refugee was free to leave after the death of the high priest (Numbers 35:25).
  • Refuge was for someone who had killed accidentally. If the trial showed him to have killed purposely, he was a murderer and must be put to death (Numbers 35:15-21).
  • Coming to the gate of the city, he would tell his case to the elders. Gates of those cities were places of city government. The elders would hear the fugitive's story and give him a place of safety in the city.
  • The avenger of blood (the goel hadam)—the relative of the slain one who inherited his property and had the right to kill his murderer—could not touch the fugitive while in the city of refuge.
  • The accused would be brought to trial before the congregation—a court made up of representatives of the people.
  • If judged a willful murderer, he would be turned over to the avenger of blood.
  • If judged innocent of intent to kill, he was given safe asylum in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest.
  • If he was found out of the city, the avenger of blood was allowed to kill him (Numbers 35:26-28).
  • The offender was not isolated from contact with his loved ones and outside contacts. These environments were penal colonies that had all functions of a community, including productive work. Indeed, once the offender chose to flee to one of the cities, the court would order the inmate's wife, children and teacher to accommodate him.
  • A similar right of refuge seems to have been recognized in Israel as attaching to the altar in the temple at Jerusalem.
    • 1 Kings 1:50: Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he rushed to the sacred tent and grabbed on to the horns of the altar.
    • 1 Kings 2:28: Joab had not joined Absalom’s earlier rebellion, but he had joined Adonijah’s rebellion. So when Joab heard about Adonijah’s death, he ran to the sacred tent of the Lord and grabbed on to the horns of the altar.
  • Deuteronomy 4:41-42: Then Moses set apart three cities of refuge east of the Jordan River. Anyone who killed another person unintentionally, without previous hostility, could flee there to live in safety.
  • Deuteronomy 19:4-7: “If someone kills another person unintentionally, without previous hostility, the slayer may flee to any of these cities to live in safety. For example, suppose someone goes into the forest with a neighbor to cut wood. And suppose one of them swings an ax to chop down a tree, and the ax head flies off the handle, killing the other person. In such cases, the slayer may flee to one of the cities of refuge to live in safety. “If the distance to the nearest city of refuge is too far, an enraged avenger might be able to chase down and kill the person who caused the death. Then the slayer would die unfairly, since he had never shown hostility toward the person who died. That is why I am commanding you to set aside three cities of refuge.
  • Numbers 35:6,13,15: “Six of the towns you give the Levites will be cities of refuge, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can flee for safety. In addition, give them forty-two other towns. Designate six cities of refuge for yourselves, These cities are for the protection of Israelites, foreigners living among you, and traveling merchants. Anyone who accidentally kills someone may flee there for safety.

The court is obligated to straighten the roads to the cities of refuge, to repair them and broaden them. They must remove all impediments and obstacles. . . . Bridges should be built (over all natural barriers) so as not to delay one who is fleeing to [the city of refuge]. The width of a road to a city of refuge should not be less than thirty-two cubits. “Refuge, Refuge” was written at all crossroads, so that the murderers should recognize the way and turn there. (Mishneh Torah, Laws Regarding Murder and the Preservation of Life 8:5)

In those days there was no police force, so it was the duty of the first born son to avenge the untimely death of a family member. Since a relative of the deceased could not be counted on to be objective, the killer could flee to a City of Refuge to plead his case to the elders there. If they agreed that the death was accidental they were required to protect the killer from the avenger of blood (as the first born was called) by keeping him inside the city walls until the death of the current High Priest whereupon he was set free and was no longer subject to the death penalty. Cities of Refuge are a model of Christ. When we flee to Him we are protected from the one who wants to take our life (Satan). Once there, the death of our High Priest (Jesus) has set us free so we are no longer subject to death. Like most types, the type of the Cities of Refuge is incomplete. The Israelites had to get there before being caught or else they were fair game. Jesus meets us right where we are the moment we call. The elders of the city had to agree that the death was accidental and therefore the perpetrator was not guilty. Jesus protects us knowing that we are guilty. If the perpetrator wandered out of the city, he was fair game for the avenger. Once we ’re in Jesus we can’t wander away.

Although all the cities of refuge were to be in the land of Israel, they were not all in the same territory. There were the three in the land of Israel proper—the Holy Land. Three were in the territories east of the Jordan. There may be three cities of refuge established when the millennial Kingdom is here. This is based on the idea that Deuteronomy 19:7-9 talks about these cities and expanded borders for Israel. Since Israel's final borders have not been expanded yet, it is believed that with these final borders these three cities of refuge will also be established.

The Bible itself provides for servitude (involuntary, imposed by the court), as a reparative form of incarceration. Under certain circumstances, the court could order that a perpetrator of larceny or theft be "sold" for a period of time (not to exceed six years) in order to raise the funds necessary to make restitution. Yet such court-imposed servitude could not degenerate into cruel slave labor. The "bondsman" was entitled by law to good nutrition, proper clothing, productive work and food and shelter for his wife and children. Restitution, not punishment, was the goal.

God is frequently spoken of as a refuge in the Old Testament and also in the New Testament:

  • Psalm 46:1: God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
  • Psalm 142:5: Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.
  • Hebrews 6:18-19: So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.
    • We have fled to Jesus Christ, and He is our eternal refuge. As our High Priest, He will never die (Hebrews 7:23-25); and we have eternal salvation. No avenger can touch us, because He has already died and arisen from the dead.

(1) The Lord said to Joshua,

(2) “Now tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed Moses.

(3) Anyone who kills another person accidentally and unintentionally can run to one of these cities; they will be places of refuge from relatives seeking revenge for the person who was killed.

(4) “Upon reaching one of these cities, the one who caused the death will appear before the elders at the city gate and present his case. They must allow him to enter the city and give him a place to live among them.

(5) If the relatives of the victim come to avenge the killing, the leaders must not release the slayer to them, for he killed the other person unintentionally and without previous hostility.

(6) But the slayer must stay in that city and be tried by the local assembly, which will render a judgment. And he must continue to live in that city until the death of the high priest who was in office at the time of the accident. After that, he is free to return to his own home in the town from which he fled.”

(7) The following cities were designated as cities of refuge: *Kedesh of Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; **Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Kiriath-arba (that is, ***Hebron), in the hill country of Judah.

  • *Kedesh: Means "a sanctuary" or "holy". It was the residence of Barak, (Judges 4:6) and there he and Deborah assembled the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali before the conflict
  • **Shechem is in northern Israel. Shechem means "shoulder." The earliest mention made of it is when Abraham slept under its oaks and erected his first altar under their shade (Genesis 12:8) and one of the last Bible notices regarding it, is in connection with the woman of Samaria, when Jesus sat with her at "the well of Sychar," Also, in this city, known today as Nablus, lie the remains of Joseph.
  • ***Hebron contains the traditional burial site of the biblical Patriarchs and Matriarchs and is therefore considered the second-holiest city in Judaism after Jerusalem. King David reign from Hebron for about seven years. It is there that the elders of Israel came to him to make a covenant before Yahweh and anoint him king of Israel. In Hebrew, it means "fellowship" or "friendship."

(8) On the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho, the following cities were designated: *Bezer, in the wilderness plain of the tribe of Reuben; **Ramoth in Gilead, in the territory of the tribe of Gad; and ***Golan in Bashan, in the land of the tribe of Manasseh.

  • *Bezer literally means "stronghold," or "rock."
  • **Ramoth was situated somewhere near the banks of the brook Jabbok, where Jacob wrestled in prayer with the angel. It literally means" exaltation."
  • ***Golan signifies "joy."

(9) These cities were set apart for all the Israelites as well as the foreigners living among them. Anyone who accidentally killed another person could take refuge in one of these cities. In this way, they could escape being killed in revenge prior to standing trial before the local assembly.

APPLICATION and LESSONS to LEARN:

  1. We Christians are to serve as living signposts, calling out “Refuge! Refuge!” and pointing the way to Jesus Christ, the true "refuge" for sinners.
  2. It is interesting to look at the meaning of the names of the cities of refuge. "Kedesh" means holy. " Shechem" means shoulder. "Hebron" means fellowship. "Bezer" means fortification. "Ramoth" means height, or exaltation. "Golan" means exaltation. All of these names show us Jesus Christ, who is our refuge. He is our very present help in trouble. He is holy. He is a shoulder for us to lean upon. He is our very best friend. We can fellowship with Him, when no one wants us.  He builds a hedge around us, He is our fortification. He is our joy {exaltation}. The names of the cities of refuge are a description of Jesus Christ {our protector}.

NOTES:

Posted by at