Numbers 35:1-24 NKJV
35 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, saying: 2 “Command the children of Israel that they give the Levites cities to dwell in from the inheritance of their possession, and you shall also give the Levites common-land around the cities. 3 They shall have the cities to dwell in; and their common-land shall be for their cattle, for their herds, and for all their animals. 4 The common-land of the cities which you will give the Levites shall extend from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits all around. 5 And you shall measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, on the south side two thousand cubits, on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits. The city shall be in the middle. This shall belong to them as common-land for the cities.
6 “Now among the cities which you will give to the Levites you shall appoint six cities of refuge, to which a manslayer may flee. And to these you shall add forty-two cities. 7 So all the cities you will give to the Levites shall be forty-eight; these you shall give with their common-land. 8 And the cities which you will give shall be from the possession of the children of Israel; from the larger tribe you shall give many, from the smaller you shall give few. Each shall give some of its cities to the Levites, in proportion to the inheritance that each receives.”
9 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 11 then you shall appoint cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person accidentally may flee there. 12 They shall be cities of refuge for you from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation in judgment. 13 And of the cities which you give, you shall have six cities of refuge. 14 You shall appoint three cities on this side of the Jordan, and three cities you shall appoint in the land of Canaan, which will be cities of refuge. 15 These six cities shall be for refuge for the children of Israel, for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills a person accidentally may flee there.
16 ‘But if he strikes him with an iron implement, so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 17 And if he strikes him with a stone in the hand, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 18 Or if he strikes him with a wooden hand weapon, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer; the murderer shall surely be put to death. 19 The avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death. 20 If he pushes him out of hatred or, while lying in wait, hurls something at him so that he dies, 21 or in enmity he strikes him with his hand so that he dies, the one who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
22 ‘However, if he pushes him suddenly without enmity, or throws anything at him without lying in wait, 23 or uses a stone, by which a man could die, throwing it at him without seeing him, so that he dies, while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm, 24 then the congregation shall judge between the manslayer and the avenger of blood according to these judgments.
The Levities received no territory of their own. Because Simeon and Levi had cruelly taken vengeance upon the Shechemites in Genesis 34, the patriarch Jacob prophesied of Simeon and Levi, “I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel” (Gen 49:7). The Levites’ dispersal throughout the land of Israel partially fulfilled that prophecy.
Yet God works all things—even the evil acts of wicked men—for the good of those who love Him. Levi’s descendants are scattered throughout the land in forty-eight cities and the common land around these cities. Every tribe of Israel would have cities for Levites “in proportion to the inheritance that each receives” (8). Amid every tribe’s inheritance would be Levites who would teach God’s judgments and laws to Israel (Dt 33:10). Six of the Levite’s cities were also appointed “Cities of Refuge.” If someone accidently killed a man, he could flee to this city to be safe from the “avenger of blood.” This avenger would be a relative of the one who was slain. If the killing had been intentional, the avenger of blood had the right to put the murderer to death. The cities of refuge provided a place for the accidental manslayer to flee that he might be safe from the avenger of blood. In a city of refuge, his case could be decided by the Levites.
The cities of the Levites are a picture of the church scattered throughout the world, outposts where God’s word is taught correctly and clearly. God graciously scatters the faithful teachers throughout our lands so that those who want to learn God’s word, the gospel, and the Christian life, may find them. The cities of refuge are also a picture of Christ, for when we find that we have sinned unintentionally (or intentionally, but may God persevere us from this!), we flee to Him in repentance, lest the avenger of blood—the devil—strike us with his accusations and lead us away from faith so that we despair that God’s mercy is not for us. When you find that you sinned, flee to your city of refuge, Jesus Christ!
Let us pray: Thank you, Lord, for being our City of Refuge to whom we may continually flee. As often as Your Spirit convicts us of sin, drive us to You and Your mercy. Amen.