CHAPTER 20

The Cities of Refuge

Key Passage:
Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his
counsel, confirmed it by an oath: [18] That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for
God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set
before us:

The of These Cities

(verses 1-2, 7-8)
1. When the nation was still on the other side of the
Jordan, God told Moses to have the people set aside
special cities for the Levites (Numbers 35:1-5), as
well as six “cities of ” (Numbers
35:6-34; Deuteronomy 19:1-13).
2. cities (3 on the East, 3 on the West of
Jordan), basically equidistant from each other.
• Kedesh in Galilee (Naphtali). Means to
separate, consecrate, make holy
• Shechem (Ephraim) – Means diligent, ready
to sustain, bear burdens
• Kirjatharba, Hebron (Judah) – Means
bringing together
• Bezer (Reuben) – Means protection, fortress,
security
• Ramoth (Gad) – Means exalted, raised high
• Golan (Manasseh) – means The way, the
passage
3. The of the names of
these cities reflect the character of Christ.
4. Since Canaan is about the size of the state of
Maryland, you can see that nobody was very far from
a city of refuge.

The of These Cities

(verses 3-9)
1. These cities were established for the protection of
the .
2. The six “cities of refuge” were needed because society in that day had no police force to investigate
crimes.
3. Anybody who killed another person could flee to a city of refuge and be protected from “the avenger of
blood” until the elders of the city could investigate the circumstances.
4. places a high price upon the life of a human.
• God instituted the (Genesis 9:6) long before the
Mosaic Law ever came into existence (Exodus 21:12,14 & 20; Deuteronomy 19:11-13).
• Murder (the taking of an innocent life) is a violation of the sanctity of life.
• There is a difference between deliberate, premeditated murder and accidental, unintentional murder
(manslaughter). A man who intentionally kills a person with malice and forethought differs from a
man who is sawing a tree that falls and kills a person.