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Joshua 20:1- 4 Implementation of cities of refuge - Day 195

Good afternoon,

Have you ever made a promise and then failed to carry it out.  Back in Numbers, God gave the direction for cities of refuge.  Now that the conquest of Promised Land is winding down, Joshua is directed to implement the plan.  God never forgets and does not allow us to forget.

Blessings,

Jeff

Cities of refuge and the sixth commandment. 

You shall not murder. 

râṣaḥ; a primitive root; properly, to dash in pieces, i.e. kill (a human being), especially to murder: — put to death, kill, (man-)slay(-er), murder(-er).

Interesting that the same Hebrew word that is used in the commandment and translated here as manslayer. 

If no ever killed another person for any reason, the sixth would be completely adequate with no need for defining punishment and types of killing.  But then someone is killed and case law is needed. We have seen rules given for various accidental death and what we would call "justifiable homicide".  

Number 35:19ff is where the purpose of cities of refuge are described.  the avenger of blood can execute any killer on sight.  The cities of refuge allowed someone who accidentally killed some one to evade the avenger of blood until the congregation could make a determination about the circumstances.  Intentional killing was capital offense, required multiple witnesses and sentence carried out by avenger. But even someone who was found not guilty of intentional killing had to stay in the city of refuge.  there was some degree of guilt even in the unintentional case.

Accidentally killing someone had significant impact on the killer's life.  

I can understand why Pharisees in Jesus day were focused on the physical act and not the thoughts.  there were many barriers to prevent a false accusation of intentional killing.  How could someone be found guilty for thinking of killing someone?

In any case, the interpretation and understanding of the sixth command continues to re-appear.


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