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Joshua
Chapter 20
{Chapter
20 - Cities of Refuge}
1-3~~The
Jehovah/God also spoke unto Joshua, saying, 2~~
"Speak
to the children of Israel, saying,
'Appoint
out for you cities of refuge,
whereof
I spoke unto you by the hand of Moses' 3~~
That
the slayer that kill any person unawares and unwittingly
{NOT premeditated 1st degree murder - but lower cases}
may
flee there. And they shall be your refuge
from
the avenger of blood."
{Note: Divine provision in the judicial realm. For premeditated murder Numbers 35:16-19 he was to die. But if it was a lower case of murder, the man could start running. But if the 'avenger of blood' (like a relative of the victim) could kill the murderer if they could reach him before he hit a city of refuge. The cities of refuge were set up for those who committed manslaughter.}
{The
Procedure/Ordinance Related to the City of Refuge}
4-6~~"And
when he that does 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
{the
Judges},
they
shall take him into the city unto them,
and
give him a place, that he may dwell among them. 5~~
And
if the avenger of blood pursue after him,
then
they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand;
because
he smote his neighbor unwittingly,
and
hated him not before time.6~~
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 where he fled."
{List
of the Cities of Refuge}
7~~And
they appointed Kedesh {name means refuge}
in
Galilee in mount Naphtali
{name means wrestler - Christ fights for us},
and
Shechem {name means power}
in
mount Ephraim {name means fruitfulness},
and
Kirjatharba which is Hebron {name means fellowship},
in
the mountain of Judah {name means praise}.
8~~And
on the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward,
they
assigned Bezer {name means defense}
in
the desert upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben,
and
Ramoth{name means heights}
in
Gilead out of the tribe of Gad
{name means good fortune/happiness/joy},
and
Golan {name means rejoicing}
in
Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh
{name means forgetfulness - forget those things which are behind}.
9~~These
were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel,
and
for the stranger that sojourned among them,
that
whosoever killed any person at unawares might flee there,
and
not die by the hand of the avenger of blood,
until
he stood before the congregation.
{Note: When Jesus died on the cross, He created a NEW city of refuge. It was the only city of refuge that the Jews could flee to for salvation. From a premeditated point of view the common Jew did not commit first degree murder - but His blood was still on them and all their children. Jesus Said 'Father forgive them, they know not what they do.' RBT says this appears to be Him setting up a city of refuge for the Jews.}
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