In today’s daily devotional, we delve into Joshua 20, which details the allocation of the cities of refuge in ancient Israel. These cities served as safe havens for those who accidentally caused the death of another, providing a crucial place for protection and due process until their case could be heard. While the chances are slim that you will ever need a city of refuge, the broader lesson is one of immense value. Just as these cities offered sanctuary and justice, so does God’s Word offer guidance and wisdom for navigating life’s complexities. As we explore Joshua 20, reflect on how the principles embedded in these ancient laws continue to speak to us today. I invite you to read or listen to Joshua 20, and consider how you rely on God’s Word to shape and direct your life. To read about Joshua’s final allocation of land, read the daily devotional on Joshua 19.
Joshua 20 Commentary by Allen J. Huth
Today, we reach Joshua 20, the allocation of the cities of refuge. You may never need a city of refuge, but I hope you always need God’s Word. Do you look to it to live your life? Please read or listen to Joshua 20.
In 1995, I read Joshua 19 and 20 on the same day. Concerning chapter 20, I wrote, “Cities of refuge were identified so people who accidentally killed someone had a place to flee. Life was taken more seriously then.”
In 2004, I read Joshua 20-22 on the same day and had no reference to Joshua 20 in the notes in my journal.
What Was the Purpose of the Cities of Refuge in Joshua 20?
In 2013, after reading Joshua 20, I wrote, “Cities of refuge were six of the forty-eight designated cities for Levites since they didn’t inherit the land. The Holy Land was to be a worshipful, just land. Six cities were designated as safe havens where people could go for protection and a hearing on what happened when someone died. Shechem and Hebron were two such cities.”
Why Did God Provide Cities of Refuge?
What is a city of refuge? To get an understanding, let’s go back to the Book of Numbers, chapter 35, verses 9-15:
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. And the cities that you give shall be your six cities of refuge. You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there.”
To get an even better understanding, I am going to share from my English Standard Version Study Bible footnote concerning cities of refuge, “They are to guarantee judicial due process for anyone in Israel, including ‘the stranger’ and ‘the sojourner.’ They are to be appropriately spaced, so that the fugitive can reach the nearest one before being overtaken by the avenger” (p. 424).
Who Is the Avenger of Blood in Joshua 20?
Continuing in another footnote:
A manslayer was one who unintentionally or without premeditation took another’s life. The “kinsman-redeemer” was typically the nearest male relative, responsible to protect the family’s lives, liberty, property, and so on. Where a life was taken, the kinsman-redeemer became the avenger of blood, held responsible in cases of murder to “put the murderer to death.” In distinction from some of its ancient Near Eastern neighbors, Israel was to “accept no ransom for the life of the murderer,” for the Lord desired justice in respect to both guilt and innocence (p. 424).
Cities of refuge were part of the judicial system God was establishing in the new Promised Land. They gave people a place to go so they could have due process, so they could get a hearing before the congregation before someone killed them.
Three of the cities of refuge were on the west side of the Jordan River, and three were on the east side of the Jordan River because tribes were on both sides of the Jordan. I suppose, in a way, these cities were like jails where people could be held until they were tried. They provided a secure place for people to go until the congregation had a chance to decide guilt or innocence.
How Do the Cities of Refuge Hold Spiritual Truth for Us Today?
It is pretty neat that as God took His people, millions of people, into the Promised Land, He also created a system of how they were going to live. He gave that system to Moses, yet Moses never entered the Promised Land. Now Moses’ assistant, Joshua, is implementing all those plans God gave His friend Moses.
God has also given us His plans for how we are to live life. He instructed Moses to write down those plans. Moses did and we can read most of it even today. We have the Word of God, the Bible, God’s idea of how we ought to live our lives. Most likely, most Western societies were built on Judeo-Christian principles founded in the Word of God. Today, for the most part, the Word of God is being ignored by governments establishing how we ought to live life.
I for one, am thankful God loved us enough to give us an instruction book, an owner’s manual called the Bible. Most of us have one in our homes or on our smart phones. We can access how God wants us to live life anytime. The problem is most of us do not do it. I hope Day by Day Through the Bible is helping.
At the Ezra Project, we believe in the whole counsel of God. That is why we go through the Word of God chapter by chapter. By doing so, we can have the mind of Christ, the mind of God. I hope you study the whole Bible using Day by Day.
To conclude Joshua 20, I hope you never need a city of refuge. But I do hope you will always need a copy of the Word of God to guide you through this thing called life.
Prayer
May God bless you and me as we seek to learn how He wants us to live our lives. And may God help us as we do. Amen.