My wife and I once stayed in a lovely old seaside hotel with large sash windows and thick stone walls. [1] And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. . These cities of refuge foreshadowed God's plan of salvation in Jesus Christ. If anyone kills his neighbor unintentionally without having hated him in the past as when someone goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down a tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dieshe may flee to one of these cities and live . These cities were chosen after they reached the promised land (Joshua 20:1-3, 7-9). 'If he pushed him of hatred, or threw something at him lying in wait and as a result he died, or if he struck him down with his hand in enmity, and as a result he died, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death, he is a murderer; the blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him. These cities of refuge were designated for the to the Levite tribe in the Old Testament and provided asylum for perpetrators of accidental or unintentional manslaughter. As God had declared these duties to be their inheritance, the Levites were not allocated territories (Numbers 18:20), (Deuteronomy 18:1-2). 46:1 GOD IS our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble Cities of refuge 1. A highway will be there, a roadway,And it will be called the Highway of Holiness.The unclean will not travel on it,But it will be for him who walks that way,And fools will not wander on it. Bolded text or other emphases in the Scriptural references are the author's. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee. Only one tribe, the Levites, was not given land to develop. Evangelism Training Featuring courses and local seminars on how to be a better witness in your community. What are your takeaways? If he struck him down with a stone in the hand, by which he will die, and as a result he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. In Numbers 35 G-d commands Moshe to set aside 48 cities for the Levi'im. And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the tableland, from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. You may feel like the person who wrote these words, "I feel . Further, He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven. [9] Later on, it is prescribed that three cities of refuge be set aside in Canaan once it is conquered,[10] with three additional cities to be set aside 'if the Lord your God enlarges your territory'. As an Amazon Associate, as well as an affiliate of other programs, this means if you purchase something using these links, I will receive a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you! that the manslayer who kills any person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall become your refuge from the avenger of blood. These things shall be for a statutory ordinance to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. And the congregation shall rescue the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to his city of refuge to which he had fled, and he shall live in it until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. Does it take a strong will to have victory? Just as the guilty person sought refuge in the cities of refuge in the Bible, we can flee to Jesus for refuge from sin. so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Cities of Refuge. No, not even close. But in Chapter 20, we're first told of the cities that were provided for refuge. The Bible names the six cities as being cities of refuge: Golan, Ramoth, and Bosor, on the east (left bank) of the Jordan River, and Kedesh, Shechem, and Hebron on the western (right) side. A literal translation of the Hebrew phrase means "a city of intaking.". But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. you shall set aside three cities for yourself in the midst of your land, which the, You shall prepare the roads for yourself, and divide into three parts the territory of your land which the, Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: when he kills his friend unintentionally, not hating him previously. One tribe, however, the Levites, were not given their own land. In addition, there were signs which read Miklat meaning Refuge.. At this point, Moses separated three cities of refuge on the east side. What Did Jesus Mean When He Said, Sell Your Cloak and Buy a Sword? -The Lord then said to Joshua, "Speak to the Israelites and say, 'Choose refuge cities for yourselves, just as I told you to do through Moses. The key note of this chapter is mercy. All the cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be forty-eight cities, together with their pasture lands. If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you are to take him even from My altar, that he may die. Hevron/Kiryat-arba is not explicitly mentioned in the Apostolic Writings. 2. You would have been a poor outcast from God, an alien from all that is holy and happy. And these were placed by one another, just as two ranks of vines are in a vineyard: Hebron in Judea against Bezer in the wilderness: Shechem in mount Ephraim . These words are closely related to the word describing G-d in Isaiah 6:3 where He is described as "Holy, Holy, Holy" (qadosh- Strong's #6918). After entering the land, God reiterated this command to Joshua (Josh. 12they will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that anyone accused of murder may not die before they stand trial 4 and when he that See below for a printable study guide on the cities of refuge in the Bible. I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge . It is in the hill country of Naphtali. Jehovah's law on the sanctity of blood was very explicit. This meant that the remaining 11 tribes were required to appropriate a total of 48 cities and pasture lands for the Levites to use for dwelling and living purposes (Numbers 35:1-5). In the end, our city of refuge, always, is Jesus. The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Key Points About the Cities of Refuge. Jesus *said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. Negligence, which required exile to a city of refuge. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. Thanks be to God! There are six cities of refuge listed in Scripture: Kedesh Shechem Kiryat-Arba Bezer Ramot-Gil'ad Golan Although all are listed several times in the Tanakh, none of them are directly referenced in the Apostolic Writings. In the setting of the Book of Deuteronomy, the Israelites have conquered several kingdoms on the east side of the Jordan river, and are about to enter the land of Canaan. 15 these six cities will serve as a refuge for the israelites and for the foreigner or stranger among them, so that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there. The fugitive was required to live within the walls of the city until they came to trial before the gathered assembly. 1. The latter reference above is "Kedesh in Galilee" but is not greatly informative since the northern-most city named Kedesh is in the northern part of the area known as Galilee and the southern-most of the two is very near the Sea of Galilee. The lack of importance given by the Deuteronomic Code to the identity of the cities of refuge is considered by scholars to be an attempt to continue the right of asylum, even though the sanctuaries (apart from the Temple in Jerusalem) had been abolished by Josiah's reforms. 4 Bible Verses about Cities of refuge Most Relevant Verses Numbers 35:6-34 The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities. Among these cities are to be "cities of refuge" to which someone in Israel can flee if they accidentally kill another person. Sanctuary cities, in contrast, are illegal and outside the justice system altogether. You shall prepare the roads for yourself, and divide into three parts the territory of your land which the Lord your God will give you as a possession, so that any manslayer may flee there.read more.Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: when he kills his friend unintentionally, not hating him previously as when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the handle and strikes his friend so that he dieshe may flee to one of these cities and live; otherwise the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in the heat of his anger, and overtake him, because the way is long, and take his life, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated him previously. [4], In the Book of Numbers, the laws concerning the cities of refuge state that, once he had claimed asylum, a perpetrator had to be taken from the city and put on trial;[5] if the trial found that the perpetrator was innocent of murder, then the perpetrator had to be returned under guard (for their own protection) to the city in which they had claimed asylum. Those on the west were Kedesh (in the land of Naphtali), Shechem (in the western part of Manasseh's inheritance) and Hebron (in the land of Judah). [15] Modern biblical critics regard the chapter as being written by the Deuteronomist. According to the rabbinical commentator Rashi, Kiryat Arba ("Town of Arba") means either the town (kirya) of Arba himself, the giant who had three sons, or is referring to four giants: Arba and his three sons, Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmi who are described as being the sons of a "giant" in Numbers 13:22. [29] The Talmud argues that the death of the high priest formed an atonement,[30] as the death of pious individuals counted as an atonement. Psalm 46:1, says God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Shechem is not mentioned again until the book of Y'hoshua (Joshua): 1 Kings 12:1 (and its parallel in 2 Chronicles 10:1) state that "all Israel" had come up to Shechem to make Rehoboam king. This situation arises when someone is killed while the perpetrator is fulfilling his legal duties such as. Bible Concordance Bible Dictionary Bible Encyclopedia Topical Bible Bible Thesuarus. If a person feels "led by the spirit" to speak, behave, or believe a certain way, they should test that spirit (1 John 4:1) and see whether what that spirit is telling them to do is in agreement or disagreement with Scripture. 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. Three of the cities were located on the west side of the Jordan River and three were east of it. Ramot Gil'ad is two Hebrew words: (ramot- Strong's # 7216) which means "heights" and (gilad- Strong's # 1568) which means "to expose" or "lay bare". 14 select three cities across the jordan and three in the land of canaan as cities of refuge. The cities of Refuge are a picture of Christ and His church. God's justice and mercy, the sanctuary service, and the day of atonement connect beautifully to show how God plans to resolve the sin problem. These were cities of refuge. Joshua 20 is a short chapter and is entirely focused on the cities of refuge. Therefore, I command you, saying, You shall set aside three cities for yourself. If the Lord your God enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which He promised to give your fathers if you carefully observe all this commandment which I command you today, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in His ways alwaysthen you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three. Here are the other three books in the series: Have you ever studied the cities of refuge in the Bible? Joshua 20:7 goes on to list the third city of refuge as Kiryat-Arba [also known as Hevron] in the hill country of Y'hudah. Cities of Refuge Ps. This is the provision for the manslayer, who by fleeing there may save his life. The cities which you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge, which you shall give for the manslayer to flee to; and in addition to them you shall give forty-two cities. What is City Refuge? 35:6-34; Deut. Joshua 20:7 lists Kedesh in the Galil [Galilee] as the first city of refuge. CITIES OF REFUGE. All rights Reserved. When he flees to one of those cities, he is to stand at the entrance to . The Levites were the only tribe who had been appointed by God to serve Him as His priests. 14 You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. [31] Maimonides argued that the death of the high priest was simply an event so upsetting to the Israelites that they dropped all thoughts of vengeance. Apr 8th, 2022 Stay in the City of Refuge. If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Christianity.com, Jesus and the Cities of Refuge?, John Barnett. All the names of Jesus reveal all He does for us. The last references to Kedesh in the Tanakh are found in 1 Chronicles chapter 6. If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. If he pushed him of hatred, or threw something at him lying in wait and as a result he died, or if he struck him down with his hand in enmity, and as a result he died, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death, he is a murderer; the blood avenger shall put the murderer to death when he meets him. He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. God is your FatherChrist is your elder Brother. 1 Chronicles 7:28 describes Shechem as an area having "towns" [plural] that belonged to the descendants of Y'hoshua the son of Nun. I'm talking about when the bottom of life drops out. Before God's people ever entered the Promised Land, the Lord commanded them to designate six "cities of refuge" (Num. David said, "Pour out your hearts to him"; that's what David did all the time. If the High Priest ruled in favor of the fugitive, he was allowed to live in the city of refuge until the death of the same High Priest who had acquitted him, died. Albany, Georgia Scripture Reading: Num. From the very first murder when Cain killed his brother Abel to the first giving of the law when God . There were roads leading to the six cities to assist fugitives in reaching the cities of refuge. Is there an Equivalent of the Cities of Refuge in the Bible for Us Today? If the High Priest ruled in favor of the fugitive, he was allowed to continue living in the city until the death of the said priest who had acquitted him, died. [16] Though the masoretic text for this chapter includes a role for the death of the high priest, the Septuagint's version of the chapter does not mention it. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cities_of_Refuge&oldid=1117638681, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia with a Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Complete innocence, for which no further action was necessary. As the Levites were to have no allocated land like the other tribes in the land of milk and honey, Canaan, the Levites were to live in certain cities appointed to them for their use. The idea behind the cities of refuge in the Bible with the Levites judging is most likely due to the idea that the Levites would be the most suitable and impartial judges, that their presence and counsels might calm or restrain the stormy passions of the blood avenger.
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