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Cities for the Levites
“And the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, saying: “Command the children of Israel that they give the Levites cities to dwell in from the inheritance of their possession, and you shall also give the Levites common-land around the cities. They shall have the cities to dwell in; and their common-land shall be for their cattle, for their herds, and for all their animals. The common-land of the cities which you will give the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits all around. And you shall measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, on the south side two thousand cubits, on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits. The city shall be in the middle. This shall belong to them as common-land for the cities.
“Now among the cities which you will give to the Levites you shall appoint six cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. And to these you shall add forty-two cities. So all the cities you will give to the Levites shall be forty-eight; these you shall give with their common-land. And the cities which you will give shall be from the possession of the children of Israel; from the larger tribe you shall give many, from the smaller you shall give few. Each shall give some of its cities to the Levites, in proportion to the inheritance that each receives.”
Cities of Refuge
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally may flee there. They shall be cities of refuge for you from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment. And of the cities which you give, you shall have six cities of refuge. You shall appoint three cities on this side of the Jordan, and three cities you shall appoint in the land of Canaan, which will be cities of refuge. These six cities shall be for refuge for the children of Israel, for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills a person accidentally may flee there.
‘But if he strikes him with an iron implement, so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. And if he strikes him with a stone in the hand, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. The avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. (The avenger of blood is a family member who is to avenge the victim.)
If he pushes him out of hatred or, while lying in wait, hurls something at him so that he dies, or in enmity he strikes him with his hand so that he dies, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
‘However, if he pushes him suddenly without enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait, or uses a stone, by which a man could die, throwing it at him without seeing him, so that he dies, while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm, then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments. So the congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall return him to the city of refuge where he had fled, and he shall remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil. But if the manslayer at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he fled, and the avenger of blood finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the avenger of blood kills the manslayer, he shall not be guilty of blood (murder), because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer may return to the land of his possession.
‘And these things shall be a statute of judgment to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. Whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty. Moreover you shall take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. And you shall take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the priest. So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.’ ”
God is still making advance provision for the fashion in which the Promised Land is to be divided. Now it is the turn of the Levites. God orders that the Levites have a total of forty-eight cities, each with two thousand cubits of common land around it as their inheritance. These cities are to be dotted throughout Israel. Six of these cities are also to serve as cities of refuge for anyone who has accidentally committed murder.
Why are cities of refuge necessary? In the prevailing culture at the time of Moses, once someone dies accidentally or is murdered, it is incumbent on the closest male relative to avenge that death. The shedding of innocent blood brings curses on a land, so this retribution is necessary. Murderers are to be put to death; however, what about those who have accidentally caused someone to die? Perhaps two men are cutting wood together and the axe head flies off the handle of one man’s axe, striking the other and killing him. What should happen to the innocent man? Or perhaps a man’s hand slips as he is throwing a stone at a bird and the stone strikes a passerby, killing him. What should happen to that man? In such cases, God is providing cities of refuge. Manslayers may run to these cities of refuge and remain there until they stand in judgement before the congregation. If the congregation agrees that this death was accidental, the manslayer will remain alive as long as he stays in the city of refuge until the death of the current high priest. But if the manslayer becomes impatient and tries to sneak out, his life is forfeit.
Why is it so important to ensure that true murderers be put to death while the innocent are protected? The shedding of innocent blood brings curses on a land and must be paid for by blood. Repeatedly, God warns “So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.’ ”
APPLICATION: We read these commands in the Old Testament and automatically dismiss them. After all, those were different times, times in which it was incumbent upon the relatives of someone who had been murdered to enact vengeance on the murderer. But what if we are wrong? What if the shedding of innocent blood still brings curses and defiles a land? The United States legalized abortion in 1973. Since then, hundreds of thousands of infants have been murdered through this heinous practice. While we are flailing around blaming climate change, the use of fossil fuels, etc., we are steadfastly refusing to acknowledge the fact that we have poisoned our own land.
We live and work in Ghana. In recent years, numerous non-governmental organizations have been pushing abortion, offering large amounts of money as an inducement. The Christian Health Association of Ghana, the umbrella organization for mission hospitals and clinics, has refused to countenance abortion in any of its facilities. With so many other forms of birth control readily available, it is ridiculous to insist upon legalizing abortion.
When reading the Old Testament, let’s remember that the God of the Old Testament is also the God of the New Testament and that He is changeless. Let us respect God’s commands and let us study them closely.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we have tolerated the murder of infants through abortion. We beg You for forgiveness and ask You to blot out this practice. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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