Cities of refuge

Joshua 20:1-9

Forty years elapsed as the Israelites wandered around the wilderness until they entered the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. The land was largely conquered and, following this, divided up into territories that were allocated to each of the tribes (see Joshua chapters 13-21 for details).

Israel then had the task of establishing a God-led nation in their new land. The law which God had entrusted to them during their exodus from Egypt was to be introduced fully, and Godly worship, modelled on the Tabernacle worship, was to be implemented.

Part of the law was the designation of cities of refuge. These were six cities to which someone who had unintentionally killed someone else, the manslayer, could flee for safety (v3). Even though a death was accidental, the shedding of blood meant that the killer was held responsible for the loss of life. Since the law decreed that punishment should be like for like, such as ‘an eye for an eye’, it meant that if someone was killed accidentally their family were within their rights to take the life of the killer.

Joshua 20 describes how the cities of refuge worked. The manslayer could flee to the city, present their case for innocence and be admitted to the city (v4). The cities were located such that every part of the country was within one days’ travel from a city of refuge. The cities were run by the Levites (see Joshua 21) which meant that they were a local centre of worship so that those who had fled could still worship God. The names of cities give some insight into the character of God: Kedesh (meaning holy); Shechem (shoulder see Isaiah 9:6), Hebron (fellowship or unity), Bezer (fortification or stronghold), Ramoth (high or exalted) and Golan (joy or exaltation).

The manslayer was guaranteed safety as long as they remained within the boundaries of the city. However, the law allowed that when the high priest died the person was free to leave (v6).

That is amazing! The death of the high priest provided freedom from the mistake and paid the price for the shed blood. The death of the high priest meant that the killer walked free with no fear of retribution or punishment.

For us, the death of Jesus, the Ultimate High Priest, means that we, too, can walk free from fear of any punishment for any mistake we have made, however serious.

Further reading: Hebrews 7:26-28 Hebrews 9:11-22

Worship Video:

To think about:

In times of trouble is your first instinct to run to God or to sort it out in your own strength?

Creative Response:

Journal page by Bernice

Please remember to go back to previous blog posts to see the creative responses that have been added. Click on the thumbnail pictures to view them.

Please share your creative response using the linky below. To use the linky click on 'Click here to enter'. You will need the URL from your own blog or from a photosharing website like Flickr. Alternatively share your response in the Facebook group.