Archives

Deuteronomy 19:1-7

A person who accidentally killed another might run to the tabernacle and grasp the horns of the altar, thereby putting themselves in the care and mercy of the Lord.  When a person was killed, their kinsman (goel) was obligated to avenge their blood.  Shedding blood was viewed as a pollutant to the land.  Avenging the blood reestablished the balance. 

Grasping the horns of the altar kept them safe from retaliation from the avenger.  This risked defiling the temple if the person had been in contact with a dead body.  The cities of refuge provided a convenient alternative that would be nearby and would not risk the purity of the tabernacle.

The inherited land would be divided into three parts.  A centrally located city would be designated in these three parts.  Roads were to be prepared to provide easy access for anyone.  This provided a place of refuge from the avenger in the case of accidental death. 

There was no central authority to defend the people of the tribe.  The kinship redeemer served as the defender of the members of their family.  This prevented two things.  First, it prevented the unlawful death of a person who accidentally killed another.  Their death would be unjust and unlawful.  Second, it prevented the avenger from killing this person in anger and bringing guilt upon themselves and their family.  It prevented a tit for tat family war resembling the Hatfields and McCoys.

See Num 35:14; Josh 20:7

Deuteronomy 19:8-13

Israel would end up with three cities of refuge west of the Jordan and three on the east side of the Jordan.  The same principle is at work, the avoid defiling the land with bloodshed. 

If the murder of the neighbor was found to be pre-meditated, then the elders of the city of refuge were obligated to deliver that person from refuge to the avenger of blood.  Justice would then be served, and that person would die.  No pity was to be shown on a murderer.  This kept the guilt of innocent blood from defiling the land. 

Deuteronomy 19:14

The markers of old were the boundary markers of land designated by the Lord.  To move a marker was to steal from their brother what was given to them by God.  Deuteronomy 27:17 declares those who move a boundary stone as cursed.  We see an example of the sacred nature of the boundaries in 1 Kings 21:3 with Naboth.

Moses tells them of the cities of refuge.   There were to be 3 cities initially set up.  Jesus is our city of refuge; he is the avenger of blood and the High Priest who died to set the captive free.  I did not realize that there were to be more cities if they were obedient and God gave them more land (see 8-10).  No one was to be found guilty at the witness of one.  There had to be 2 or more witnesses.  They were to show no pity to the guilty; life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. 

Deuteronomy 19:15-21

The testimony of two or more was established to make sure that a proper verdict was arrived at.  This was to prevent wrongful accusations from ruining a life but also to make sure that lawbreakers were dealt with so that it went well with the people in the land.

The passions of man drive him to do awful things against his neighbors.  When conflicting testimony was given, then it began to reveal that someone might be a false witness.  This was to be investigated.  If a person was found to be a false witness, then his punishment would be what he sought for the innocent brother or neighbor.  This was likened to putting away the evil from among them. 

Everyone would hear of this and know the severity of giving false testimony. 

The law of retaliation was a powerful deterrent.  We seem to have forgotten that.

©2007, 2023 Doug Ford, Calvary Chapel Sweetwater