(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)
Joshua 20:1–6, :The LORD also spake unto Joshua, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses: That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime. And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled.”
Once all the land had been allocated the Lord then made sure the Joshua showed that life is precious in the Lord’s eyes. Sin leads to death but no man has the right to unlawfully take another person’s life. (Gen 9:4–6, “But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.”) If a man deliberately takes another person’s life then that person’s will be shown the shown the same respect as he showed to his victim’s life. On the other hand, people are, from time to time, accidentally killed and the man doing the killing has no malicious intent. Under those circumstances the man has shown proper respect for his victim’s life and doesn’t deserve to die. The cities of refuge were set apart, at this stage, to give these people protection. However, it would have been foolish to set aside the cities of refuge if they were not possessed by the tribes, otherwise the protection they offered would not be worthwhile because the people in those cities would not be bound by the Law of the Lord.
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