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Cities of Refuge.

From: The New Topical Textbook

By: Reuben Archer Torrey

• 1 min. read • grade level: 12

Design of. Ex. 21:13¹³And 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. (Exodus 21:13). Num. 35:11¹¹Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares. (Numbers 35:11). Josh. 20:3³That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. (Joshua 20:3).

Names &c. of. Deut. 4:41-43⁴¹Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising; ⁴²That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbor unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live: ⁴³Namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites. (Deuteronomy 4:41‑43). Josh. 20:7, 8⁷And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjath-arba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah. ⁸And on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh. (Joshua 20:7‑8).

REQUIRED TO BE

Easy of access. Deut. 19:3³Thou 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. (Deuteronomy 19:3). Isa. 62:10¹⁰Go 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. (Isaiah 62:10).

Open to all manslayers. Josh. 20:4⁴And 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).

Strangers might take advantage of. Num. 35:15¹⁵These 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. (Numbers 35:15).

THOSE ADMITTED TO

Were put on their trial. Num. 35:12, 24¹²And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment. (Numbers 35:12)
²⁴Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments: (Numbers 35:24).

Not protected outside of. Num. 35:26, 27²⁶But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled; ²⁷And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood: (Numbers 35:26‑27).

Obliged to remain in, until the high priest's death. Num. 35:25, 28²⁵And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil. (Numbers 35:25)
²⁸Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession. (Numbers 35:28).

Afforded no asylum to murderers. Ex. 21:14¹⁴But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die. (Exodus 21:14). Num. 35:16-21¹⁶And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. ¹⁷And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. ¹⁸Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. ¹⁹The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him. ²⁰But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die; ²¹Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him. (Numbers 35:16‑21).

ILLUSTRATIVE

Of Christ. Psa. 91:2²I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. (Psalm 91:2). Isa. 25:4⁴For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. (Isaiah 25:4).

Of the hope of the gospel. Heb. 6:18¹⁸That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: (Hebrews 6:18).

(The way to,) of Christ. Isa. 35:8⁸And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. (Isaiah 35:8). John 14:6⁶Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6).

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The New Topical Textbook

• Children, Good.

• Children, Wicked.

• Christ, Character of.

• Christ Is God.

• Christ, the Head of the Church.

• Christ, the High Priest.

• Christ, the King.

• Christ, the Mediator.

• Christ, the Prophet.

• Christ, the Shepherd.

• Church of Israel.

• Church, the.

• Circumcision.

• Cities of Refuge.

• Cloud of Glory.

• Commandments, the Ten.

• Communion of Saints.

• Communion of the Lord's Supper.

• Communion With God.

• Compassion and Sympathy.

• Compassion and Sympathy of Christ, the.

• Condemnation.

• Conduct, Christian.

• Confessing Christ.

• Confession of Sin.

• Conscience.