BIBLE STUDY LESSON 14
CITIES OF SAFETY
THE LEVITICAL CITIES AND THE CITIES OF REFUGE
From Numbers 35
The Lord gave Moses further instructions while the people of Israel remained on the plains of Moab, across the Jordan River from Jericho. “Tell the people that they must share their inheritance with the Levites,” the Lord said. “This inheritance will be cities where the Levites may live and surrounding lands where they may keep their cattle, flocks and other livestock. This pastureland shall extend from the wall of each Levitical city fifteen hundred feet, giving them a parcel of land around each city which is three thousand feet wide in both directions. “Six of the cities which you give the Levites will become Cities of Refuge. Whenever a person kills someone he may take refuge in one of these cities until he is proven guilty. You also shall give the Levites forty-two other cities, so there will be a total of forty-eight Levitical cities, along with the surrounding pasturelands. “These cities will be scattered throughout the tribal inheritances. Larger tribes which have many cities will give more of them to the Levites, while smaller tribes will give them fewer cities.
“When you arrive in the land, the Cities of Refuge will be set aside for anyone who may kill someone accidentally. The relatives of the slain man may want to take revenge and try to kill the accused person. But the accused person must not be turned over to the avenger until he has had a fair trial before the people. Three Cities of Refuge will be in Canaan, west of the Jordan River and three will be east of the Jordan River. They shall be places of refuge for both Israelites and strangers, whether they are permanent residents or simply visitors in the land. “There are several obvious cases of murder, such as striking one down with an instrument of iron or stone or even a weapon of wood. When such is the case, it will be considered murder and the avenger may kill the murderer when he meets him. “It also will be considered murder when someone stabs another or throws something that kills another or waits in ambush to kill another or hits another man so that he dies and these things are done because of hatred or enmity. Then the avenger shall put the murderer to death when they meet.
“But if someone is accidentally killed by stabbing or by a stone thrown without intent to kill or in some other way without anger or malice, the congregation will judge whether or not it is murder and whether or not the avenger may kill the person who is accused. “If the people judge that it was an accident and not murder, then the accused person may be protected from the avenger by living in a City of Refuge until the death of the High Priest. The man must remain in the city. If he leaves and the avenger kills him outside the City of Refuge, it will not be murder. After the High Priest dies, the man will be free to return to his home and lands. These laws will remain in effect throughout all generations. “Murderers must be put to death, but there must be more than one witness to the murder. No one may be executed because of the testimony of only one person. A murderer must die and cannot be spared by the payment of ransom. A person who has fled to a City of Refuge cannot buy his freedom to return home before the death of the High Priest. Thus the land will not be polluted, for murder pollutes the land. The only just punishment for murder is execution; never a payment of money. You must not pollute the land where you will live, for I the Lord will be living there with you.”
COMMENTARY
LIFE THEY LEFT BEHIND: THE LEVITES COMPARED TO EGYPTIAN PRIESTS
When the Israelite tribes were each given territory to settle in, the tribe of Levi was not given one particular place. Instead, forty-eight cities scattered throughout the territories of the other tribes were to belong to them. Thirteen of these were especially set apart for the Levite priests, the descendants of Aaron. The land allocated to the Levites included about a mile of pastureland around each city. In this way, though they had no territory of their own, they could own livestock and farmland while they performed their duties among all the people of Israel. Six of these cities were special “Cities of Refuge.” Someone falsely accused of murder or who had murdered accidentally could find refuge there and be given a fair trial. When the Ark was taken into battle against the Philistines and captured, the Israelites began to worship at small local altars, usually set on hills and called “high places.” Aaron’s descendants, scattered throughout the land of Israel, served as the priests at those shrines. Other Levites served as judges in disputes involving matters of religious and local laws. They were also teachers and enforcers of religious law. Compared to the Levites in Israel, the priests of Egypt held an incredible amount of power and wealth. Whenever a pharaoh or any wealthy person built a temple or set up a fund to ensure comfort in his life after death, the Egyptian priests demanded a large share in return for maintaining the temple throughout the person’s life and promising to maintain it after his death. They asked for; and received; such things as the lands around the temple, cattle and slaves to farm the land and for themselves. Egyptian priests also owned shipyards and ships, whole towns, vineyards, orchards and sometimes took all the spoils of war. At one point in ancient Egyptian history, the priests owned one person out of every fifteen and one acre out of every eleven. The Levites in Israel were neither weak nor poor. But they did not live like masters and kings.
TEST YOURSELF
1.) How many Cities of Refuge were there?
A) Nine
B) None
C) Six
D) Three
2.) How many cities were given to the Levites, in total?
A) 34
B) 10
C) 120
D) 48
3.) How many Cities of Refuge were there east of the Jordan River?
A) Nine
B) None
C) Six
D) Three
4.) Who had to die before a person who had accidently killed someone could leave the City of Refuge and returned to his home?
A) The victim’s father
B) The High Priest
C) The victim’s brothers
D) The current judge
5.) What was the penalty for murder?
A) Exile
B) Death
C) A large fine
D) All of these
5.) Where did the Israelites begin to worship when the Ark was taken into battle against the Philistines and captured?
A) The Cities of Refuge
B) Jerusalem
C) “High Places”
D) None of these |
