Joshua 20:1-9
1 Then the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying,
2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘Designate the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses,
3 so that one who commits manslaughter by killing a person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall become your refuge from the avenger of blood.
4 Then he shall flee to one of these cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and state his case in the presence of the elders of that city; and they shall receive him into the city to them and give him a place, so that he may remain among them.
5 Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, then they are not to hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, since he struck his neighbor without premeditation and did not hate him previously.
6 And he shall remain in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then he shall return to his own city and to his own house, to the city from which he fled.’ ”
7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah.
8 And beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plain from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh.
9 These were the designated cities for all the sons of Israel and for the stranger who resides among them, so that whoever kills a person unintentionally may flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the congregation.
Cities of Refuge
The purpose of cities of refuge
Moses commanded the Israelites to assign cities of refuge after they entered the land of Canaan (ref. Num. 35, Deut. 19). (1) The city of refuge was established as haven for unintentional manslayers fleeing the “avenger of blood.” (2) A total of six cities were assigned: three cities of Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan in the east of the Jordan River, three cities of Kedesh, Shechem, and Kiriath-arba (Hebron) in the west. (3) These cities were located at about a half-day walking distance, reachable from anywhere in Canaan. One who kills a person unintentionally shall stand at the gate of the city and state his case to the elders. Then the elders shall take him into the city and give him a dwelling place. Even if the avenger of blood pursues him, the elders shall not give the manslayer to him. The manslayer shall stay in the city until he stands before the congregation for judgment or until the death of the high priest of that time. Then the manslayer shall return to his own city.
Foreshadow of Christ
The city of refuge was a foreshadowing of Christ. (1) All sinners, if they confess their sin, Christ will draw near and help them. Let’s remember that these cities of refuge were located within a half-day walking distance. If you feel that Satan is accusing you of your sin, let us flee to Christ immediately. (2) Condition for release was to receive judgment or death of the high priest of that time. Jesus, our high priest, died on the cross and freed us from curse and death. The place we shall return to is the bosom of God the Father. The city of refuge was established not only for the Israelites but also for the Gentiles. This is God of Israel’s universal love for all humans. God loves you, no matter who you are. Let’s trust in Christ today and entrust our life to His loving hand.
Today's prayer
God the Father of Jesus Christ, Lord Jesus is my city of refuge. Please protect me from all attacks, curses, and temptations. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.