Unity is Strength 2024 Peace Haggadah_For Digital Viewing.pdf
Cities Of Refuge
1. Cities of Refuge Laindon – 30 September 2009 P Moriarty These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth any person at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stood before the congregation. Jos 20:9
2. Thou shalt not kill Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. [Gen 9:6] But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die. [Exo 21:14] And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee. [Exo 21:13] He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. [Exo 21:12] Thou shalt not kill. Exo 20:13 Exo 21:28-32 28 If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit. 29 But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death. 30 If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.
3. Deuteronomy 19:1-13 1 When the LORD thy God hath cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their cities, and in their houses; 2 Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it. 3 Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither. 4 And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbor ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past; 5 As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbor, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live: 6 Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. 7 Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee. 8 And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers; 9 If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three: 10 That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. 11 But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities: 12 Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13 Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.
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5. Preparing to enter the promised land Num 35:6-15 KJV [6] And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities. [9] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, [10] Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan; [11] Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares. [12] And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment. [13] And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge. [14] Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge. [15] These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.
6. Preparing to enter the promised land Num 35:6-15 KJV [6] And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities. [9] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, [10] Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land of Canaan; [11] Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares. [12] And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment. [13] And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge. [14] Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge. [15] These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither.
7. . Kedesh Napthali [sacred place / holy place] Shechem (Sychar) West Mannasseh (Mount Ephraim) [ back / shoulder] Hebron Judah [ association / fellowship] Golan East Mannasseh [their captivity / their rejoicing] Ramoth-Gilead Gad [heights / raised up] Bezer Reuben [remote fortress / protect]
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14. The Ecclesia as a type of the City of Refuge And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them" — Joshua 20:4 1. The killer approached the gate seeking admission 2. He was interrogated as to his case, (like an examination for baptism) and after having expressed his urgency (recognising that the Avenger of Blood was on his trail), 3. he was taken within the city 4. and was appointed a place, 5. where he could dwell among them.
15. The Ecclesia as a type of the City of Refuge And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city , and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them" — Joshua 20:4 1. The killer approached the gate seeking admission 2. He was interrogated as to his case, 3. he was taken within the city 4. and was appointed a place, 5. where he could dwell among them.
16. The Ecclesia as a type of the City of Refuge And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city , they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them" — Joshua 20:4 1. The killer approached the gate seeking admission 2. He was interrogated as to his case 4. and was appointed a place, 5. where he could dwell among them. 3. he was taken within the city
17. The Ecclesia as a type of the City of Refuge And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them , and give him a place, that he may dwell among them" — Joshua 20:4 1. The killer approached the gate seeking admission 2. He was interrogated as to his case 3. he was taken within the city 4. and was appointed a place, 5. where he could dwell among them.
18. The Ecclesia as a type of the City of Refuge And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place , that he may dwell among them" — Joshua 20:4 1. The killer approached the gate seeking admission 2. He was interrogated as to his case, 3. he was taken within the city 4. and was appointed a place, 5. where he could dwell among them.
19. The Ecclesia as a type of the City of Refuge And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them " — Joshua 20:4 1. The killer approached the gate seeking admission 2. He was interrogated as to his case, 3. he was taken within the city 4. and was appointed a place, 5. where he could dwell among them.
20. The Ecclesia as a type of the City of Refuge 1. The death of the High Priest 2. Freedom .
21. The Ecclesia as a type of the City of Refuge 1. The death of the High Priest 2. Freedom .
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Editor's Notes
We will find in our study We see types and symbols relating to the amount, purpose, location, and names of each of the cities and especially in relation to the manslayer that took refuge in these cities. These cities provided security and spiritual lessons to the Children of Israel and to the present day believer.
When we start at the beginning of the bible and begin reading, it is not long before we see recorded the first murder. By chapter 4 of Genesis we see the son of Adam and Eve – the righteous Abel, is slain by his elder brother Cain. Violence increased on the earth right up to the days of Noah, until the flood when the earth was cleansed of those who ignored Noah's warning. We see in Gen 9:6 God’s instruction to Noah after he came out of the ark to a cleansed earth, and the clear teaching that a murderer must pay for that crime with his life. The wilful killing of another individual - made in God’s image, showed contempt not just for his fellow man but also for God As we move forward in time to the wilderness wanderings we see the instruction incorporated in the law. The punishment is clearly stated in the principle of a life for a life. However provision was to made for a person committing an accidental killing to be able to flee to have their case heard. But this provision was not to abused – the person committing wilful murder was to die Rules regarding the death of an individual killed by an ox are also specified later on in Ex 21. We see in verse 29 where an ox owner who had not taken proper care over an ox that was that was likely to be dangerous – was to be put to death as well as the ox if that ox killed a person. However, in this case it was possible for the family of the dead person to accept a ransom for the life of the ox owner instead of demanding the death penalty. We will see later that for a deliberate murder by an individual there is no ransom available, and the penalty is death.
In Deuteronomy we are given more detail regarding the cities the land of Canaan was to be split in 3, roads were to be built to each of the cities of refuge for easy access The handling of an innocent case In verses 8-10 we see God’s promise to increase the number of cities by a further 3 – Moses had already set aside the 3 on the east of the Jordan Deut 4:41-43. Here 3 were to allocated on the west of the Jordan. And depending on their obedience to God and the enlargement of the land a further 3 were to be allocated. But since no more detail is given of these cities we must assume they had shown themselves disobedience before they were assigned.
Now as the children of Israel are about to enter the promised land the boundaries of the land are specified in Num 34, and in Num 35 we see recorded details about the cities of the Levites and the cities of refuge. These instructions were given to Moses on the plains of Moab, and detailed that there were to be three cities on the east of the Jordan, and three on the west – in the land of Canaan. There were to be 48 Levitical cities, and 6 of these were to be cities of refuge We see that a manslayer was to have the opportunity of a trial – thereby protecting an innocent person from death at the hands of the avenger The provision of the cities of refuge was to be available to all people – stranger, sojourner as well as the children of Israel
We see here that the revenger of blood (next of kin of the murdered individual) must be put to death We can see the reason for this if we look forward a few verses to 33-34
The land was to be clean in the same way that the wilderness camp was to be kept clean. For God to continue to dwell among the children of Israel – this cleanliness needed to be maintained. The only cleansing for shed blood, was the shedding of the blood of the one who carried out the murder We see in verse 31 the word ‘satisfaction’ can be translated or ransom, or as in the case of a dangerous ox ‘ a sum of money’. For a wilful murder the penalty must be death and no ransom can be paid for the life.
It was only by seeking admission into one of the 6 cities of refuge that any hope could be found for the accidental killer who was being pursued by the avenger of blood Similarly for us, through our descent from Adam we are also pursued by death in the nature we bear Just as the killer sought refuge by pleading his case before the elders of the City, so today a sinner will seek to obtain salvation by entering into the ecclesia of Christ, awaiting the time of final judgment at his hand. Proverbs 18:10 declares that: Pro 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. Refuge then, for the righteous, involves entering into the “tower” of the LORD’s Name. And believers are baptised “into” that Name: “the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mat. 28:19). And the Ecclesia, becomes a place for those who are baptised into the Name to find refuge, and together look for the salvation that is effected by the death of their High Priest.
Prior to baptism, a believer must give a confession of his faith, and declare his case before the ecclesia. He must confess his sin, and seek Forgiveness before he can enter the ecclesia through baptism. The slayer who sought refuge had to declare his cause to the Elders, who would then decide whether or not he should be admitted into their midst. Somewhat similar to an interview for Baptism into the Body of Christ
If his confession and declaration was accepted by the Elders, he was allowed to enter the City, and so find refuge there from the destroyer. In the same way, the Ecclesia, as the “household of faith” will accept into their midst those who would seek refuge in Christ It was the Elders’ responsibility to decide whether or not to accept him, and if they found him guilty of murder, as distinct from being an unwitting slayer, he would be refused entry, and the Avenger of Blood would be allowed to slay him. The only hope for the slayer was for the Elders to believe him, and grant him a place within the city.
The unintentional manslayer had to remain in the refuge city or within a distance of 1,000 cubits (about 1,450 feet) outside its walls. (Numbers 35:2-4) If he wandered beyond that point, he might encounter the avenger of blood. Under those circumstances, the avenger could with impunity put the manslayer to death. But the manslayer was not shackled or imprisoned. As a resident of the refuge city, he had to learn a trade, be a worker, and serve as a useful member of society.
When we read the word dwell here we think of Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! What a wonderful thing for those of like precious faith to be able to dwell together, looking forward to the day of Christ’s Appearing To dwell amongst the Ecclesia of Christ is certainly a great privilege, but it also brings responsibilities to ensure the good of all.
On being adjudged innocent of murder, the killer still had to remain in the city until the death of the High Priest. This, of course, pointed forward to the death of Christ, the antitypical High Priest” Through his sacrificial death, the Avenger of Blood – sin in the flesh – has lost it’s power: Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; Heb 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Naturally speaking, we are all our lifetime subject to death, and the effects of inheriting a sinful, mortal nature. But Messiah, in taking the great enemy to the Grave has destroyed that which has the power of death, rendering the Serpent venomless. Through Christ Crucified, we see the death of our High Priest, which is essential for our salvation. Even if we are found to be innocent of an intentional specific sin, we are still pursued by the Revenger of Blood, which can legitimately slay us, unless we abide in the house of Refuge of Yahweh’s providing. Our release, coincidental with the removal of the power of death from the Revenger of Blood, can only come about through the death of our High Priest. But notice, the High Priest’s death was only efficacious for those who were unwitting sinners. Heb 10:26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, Heb 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. Let us be instructed, and be wise.
On being adjudged innocent of murder, the killer still had to remain in the city until the death of the High Priest. This, of course, pointed forward to the death of Christ, the antitypical High Priest. Those baptised "into his death" (Rom. 6:3) are liberated from servitude to sin (i.e. sin's flesh) through the forgiveness available through his death. Until the Redeemer appeared "to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself", sin still remained dominant. However, the efficacy of his offering stretched back to the beginning as well as forward to the end (Heb. 9:15); for sin continued to reign until deposed by his offering. These facts were dramatised in a remarkable manner in the provision of the Cities of Refuge.
Act 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. Isa 57:14 And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people. Isa 62:10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Mat 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Joh 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Act 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. Isa 57:14 And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people. Isa 62:10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Mat 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Joh 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
![Thou shalt not kill Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. [Gen 9:6] But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die. [Exo 21:14] And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee. [Exo 21:13] He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. [Exo 21:12] Thou shalt not kill. Exo 20:13 Exo 21:28-32 28 If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit. 29 But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death. 30 If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)