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Ring of Truth provides 366 daily ‘proofs’ that the Bible is consistent throughout from Genesis to Revelation, and relevant for our lives today!
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Numbers 35:11
Select some towns to be your Cities of Refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee.
God is a merciful God, a God of order, planning and forethought.
First of all, whilst Moses was still alive, God appointed leaders to assign the Promised Land to the various Tribes. He also gave specific instructions regarding the Levites. They would receive no territory as they were God’s possession and He was to be their Provider in a very special way as they served as His priests. However, they needed somewhere to live and so they were given 48 cities from the other tribes, with fields surrounding them - designated specifically for them.
From among these 48, six were to be set up as Cities of Refuge. If you read Joshua 20:7-8, you will find out which they were and where. They were set up as a Refuge for fugitives. Specifically they were for those who had accidentally killed someone. Maybe they were walking around the top of the city wall and dislodged a stone, which fell on a passer-by and killed him. There was no intent to kill; it was purely an accident. Because the law allowed the injured family the right to avenge death, the person who dislodged the stone was liable to be killed in recompense.
In mercy, God provided a system so that they could escape to the City of Refuge and stay there unharmed. The ‘guilty’ person could run to a City of Refuge and live there without any fear of being exposed, betrayed or handed over, as long as the current High Priest lived, and then he could return to his own home guilt-free. (For further details, read Numbers 35:26-28.)
The rest of Numbers 35 explains in more detail how murder is defined. If our judiciary system reverted to Scripture, they might find it a lot easier to define the issues. In simplicity, an accident is an accident. There is no intention, nor pre-planned opportunity. The stone had not been purposely loosened, nor had the victim been lured into the position where the stone would ‘naturally’ fall on him.
Murder is different. It is not accidental. He who takes a piece of 4” x 2” wood, a baseball bat, a rock, a knife, a sword or a gun (sawn-off or otherwise) in their hands - any of which are, in essence, capable of causing death - and a victim dies - has, by definition, at least considered the possibility. There is inherent intent.
You don’t accidentally stab someone. You don’t accidentally kill someone with a gun (except perhaps in a sports-shooting/hunting accident). You have already picked up the weapon. It was loaded and cocked ready to fire and the result is murder. The intent is harm and the penalty is death.
Christ Jesus is our City of Refuge. He died - He paid for all my unintentional sins, all my sins of accident and covers them all by His shed blood.
He is, however, even greater than the Cities of Refuge, because His death covers my deliberate and intentional sins too. I am completely safe in Him. Hallelujah!
Yes, in setting up the Cities of Refuge, God was pointing forward to His Son who would be the perfect ‘City of Refuge’ and the never-dying High Priest.
You can run to Him with complete assurance right now and experience total peace and eternal security. He is both Your Saviour and Your Protector and He lives forever.
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