Joshua 20 Devotional
By Pastor Lawrence

After all the tribes had received their allotted inheritance, Joshua designated six cities at various locations throughout the Promised Land to serve as cities of refuge, three west of the Jordan and three east of it, so that any Israelite or foreigner who had unintentionally killed another could find a place of refuge close to home in order to escape the avenger of blood. Previously in Numbers 35:9ff Moses foretold the need for such cities in order to distinguish between the murderer and the non-murderous manslayer. Whenever anyone was murdered in the Promised Land, it was the duty of the closest relative of the slain person to bring justice to the killer—blood for blood—in order to purge the pollution from the land. But not all killing was intentional, so there was a provision within the Law to protect the manslayer from the avenger until he had his day in court.

Upon arrival at one of the cities, the manslayer was not automatically granted asylum but first needed to state his case before the elders at the city gates who would then make a determination of whether to bring him into the city and house him until a trial could be set. If he were admitted, he would immediately come under the protection of the elders until a judgment could be rendered by the congregation of Israel. Presumably it could be a few weeks—not months or years—until all the parties were ready for such a trial. If the accused were charged with guilt, he would be released into the hands of the avenger who would shed his blood outside the city gates. On the other hand, if he were proven innocent, he would be allowed to stay in the city under the protection of the elders until the death of the high priest in Israel. If for any reason this innocent man were to leave the city prior to the death of the high priest, then the avenger of blood could once again pursue him unto death.

The important question is: what did the death of the high priest have to do with this right to vengeance? In Genesis 9:6, after God destroyed the earth in the Flood, He gave this command: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” That divine mandate doesn’t seem to distinguish between murder and manslaughter; thus, the shedding of blood was still required for both acts. But in this case, the death of the high priest served to cleanse the land of all such unintentional sins. Because he was the anointed one of God to represent the whole nation of Israel before the Lord on the Day of Atonement, his ritual purity and his holiness in death would satisfy the requirements of the Law as it pointed to the coming Messiah, our great High Priest, who offered Himself without spot or blemish unto God to grant us forgiveness for all our sins. Only after the death of the high priest, could the manslayer be restored fully unto God and once again share in God’s inheritance. Of course, it’s not hard for us to see the parallels for us today. Now that Christ Jesus has tasted death for us, we who have fled to him for refuge are truly safe and have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope that is set before us that we too may receive our promised inheritance.