Cities of Refuge

 Joshua 20:1-9

Then the Lord said to Joshua: “Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood.

They are to stay in that city until they have stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in the town from which they fled.

So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh. Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.

Six cities, three to the east of the Jordan, three to the west - all belonging to the Levites - are designated 'cites of refuge', to protect who caused accidental death from subsequent vengeance and blood feud.

Why?

The cities of Refuge are said through Moses for the Lord said, so Joshua said to Israelites.

If anyone killed a person accidentally, after explained to the elder then he may stay there from the avenger. But it not allow anyone who was intended to kill others. The elders of the refuge city will investigate it.

This is the love design from the Lord to protect his people.

------------

設立逃城目的要保護過失傷人、殺人的。死者的親人可能會做出更嚴重的錯誤。報仇的人在盛怒之下，容易殺人。所以也防止殺人事件發生。逃城內對於過失殺人的人也會有公正判決，確定是否過失殺人。人報仇時好像行公義，替天行道，其實往往是自己怒氣的發作。逃城是保護的意思。消滅更多的冤仇。

逃城、神的救恩，不僅涵蓋以色列人也包括外邦人，福音不僅給予猶太人，也給外邦人。只有在耶穌基督裏，人才有可能得到真正保障、喜樂，得著力量、安息。

------------

How?

Listen and love others is the foundation of a Christian.