Today I read Joshua 20, in which the children of Israel appointed six cities of refuge. Today I considered that a refuge city or sanctuary city was about saving the life of someone who committed manslaughter, not for any other reason.
Refuge City to Save Lives
The Lord told Joshua to have the children of Israel assign cities of refuge for people to go when they have unintentionally kill someone that they did not hate beforehand (Joshua 20:1-9). People could flee to the city and find a place to stay through the city elders. The refugee would not be handed over and killed when someone came looking for them. They stayed until they stood before the congregation, until after the high priest died. The children of Israel appointed Kedesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan as refuge cities. A sanctuary city was about saving a life.
Questions and Thoughts for Today
People in the cities of refuge or sanctuary cities fled to save their lives from death by an avenger of the blood. The people were still supposed to follow God. Refuge cities were just an option for those who unintentionally killed similar to what we would call committing manslaughter.
What do you find interesting about how refuge cities are described in the Bible?