The City of
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For the benefit of Israelites who killed
someone by accident or unintentionally, YHWH Elohim favourably made an
arrangement in the form of six cities of refuge. After entering the Promised
Land those cities were built in obedience to God, six
in total, evenly distributed over the country. See Numbers 35:9-34 and Joshua
20:2-9.
What was the idea behind the scheme?
The Free Cities, as they are sometimes called, were provided so that the
country would not be contaminated with innocent blood and no blood would come
upon the people (Dt 19:10).
Even if someone was an unintentional murderer, in principle he should be put to death under God's ordinance:
Whoever sheds man's
blood, his own blood will be shed by man, for in God’s
image he made man.
(Gn 9:6)
Only by God's merciful provision, an unintentional murderer could take
refuge in one of the Free Cities (Dt 19:4-5).
In the Letter to the Hebrews, chapter six, the author is alluding to the
regulation of the Free Cities:
17 Therefore God, when he wanted to prove abundantly the immutability of
his counsel to the heirs of the promise, stepped in with an oath,
19 This [hope] we have as anchor for the soul, both sure and firm, and it goes into the
inside of the curtain,
20 where a Forerunner entered in our
behalf, Yeshua, who became high priest after the order of Melchizedek forever.
In verse 18, the verb καταφευγω [katapheugoo]
is used by the author to describe the decisive action
to which the seed of Abraham must proceed to get out of danger and gains
safety.
The verb katapheugoo
appears in the LXX (the Septuagint) in connection
with the flight to the
Because the Jews are the heirs of the promise made to the patriarch,
they live with a wonderful prospective hope, because YHWH, their Elohim,
endorsed the promise with an oath. Compare Genesis 22:15-18.
Quite wrongly, at the time of Yeshua's ministry, they cherished the view that they could not loose that promise because they were Abraham's natural descendants (Mt 3:1-2, 7-9). How exactly?
From God's standpoint, according to the apostle Paul, there is such a
thing as a true
In Rm
4:12 he shows that Abraham really becomes the (spiritual) father of
circumcised offspring when its members follow in the footsteps of the faith
that he had; first in his uncircumcised state, and also afterwards when he was
circumcised.
In the Messianic era some things are necessarily involved having the
faith of Abraham. Most important is the fact that faith is
practiced in the Mashiach and in his vicarious suffering for sin. Only
on that basis one can take a righteous position before
God.
Rm 3:21-23 applies to everyone, including the
Jews:
21 But now, apart from Torah, Elohim's
righteousness has been revealed, being witnessed by the Torah and the Prophets,
22 namely the righteousness of
Elohim through faith in Yeshua Mashiach for everyone who believes. For there is no distinction.
23 For all sinned and fall short of the glory of Elohim.
Concerning faith in Yeshua, however, for a Jew something else is at
stake. Yeshua in fact is their own Jewish brother; he was born within their own
nation: having come out of a
[Jewish] woman, having come under Law
(Galatians 4:4).
For that reason the ordinances of the Mosaic Law were applicable among
them, including the mutual personal relations and one of those divine
ordinances concerned the City of
When it was decided by the elders that the
claims of the murderer on asylum in the Free City were founded, he was allowed
to enter permanently the City. For how long?
Possibly for the rest of his life:
For he ought to dwell
in his City of Refuge until the death of the High priest; but after the death
of the High priest, the manslayer may return to the land of his possession (Nm 35:26-28).
Outside the City of
The rise of Zionism at the end of the 19th century and the establishment
of a Zionist state in May 1948 brought no actual change in that situation.
The Jews therefore cannot ignore the declaration of Peter in Acts 2:36
>>
Therefore let all the house of Yisrael know for certain that
Elohim has made this Yeshua, whom you impaled, both Master and Mashiach.
Also compare Gn
9:6 and Mt 27:25.
Fortunately for them, in Acts 3:17, Peter also concluded the following: And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance,
just as your rulers.
The Jews, therefore, is offered the opportunity
to seek protection against the Avenger of Blood in the antitypical City of
By placing themselves under the protection of
the true High Priest, Yeshua their Mashiach.
As a nation,
Consequently, this merciful arrangement has not yet become visible antitypically.
Therefore, the words of Hebrews 6:17-18 are still waiting for full
accomplishment, just as is the case with the complete High priestly
arrangement, as Mashiach Yeshua is concerned. We are alluding to the New
Covenant and the restoration prophecies that are involved with that ‘berith’. All those weighty spiritual matters will be achieved in their full extent only in the 70th
Annual Week, in conjunction with the then established Kingdom for
In ancient Israel, the saving scheme of the City of Refuge was in shade
available, just as a pious Hebrew stated in the First Century: The Torah - having a shadow of the good things to
come - not the very substance of the facts themselves (Hebrews
10:1).
Only when the unintentional murderer sought safety in the City of
refuge, and actually stayed there, he was safe from the avenger of blood:
For he shall remain in
his City of refuge until the Kohen Gadol dies, and only after the Kohen
Gadol has died, may the murderer return to the land which is his possession.
Numbers 35:28
Mashiach Yeshua is the actual Self of the true Israel of
God; in him all the shadows and types of the Torah are
getting their full meaning (fulfilment). Therefore, only when an Israelite in
faith is connected with that principal brother of him,
he may share fully in the spiritual provisions that YHWH Elohim kindly made
available in His Son.
Interesting features of the
arrangement
Upon reaching a City of
The Cities were known to be such; they were
open to all Israelites and proselytes, that killed any person at unawares, and
they were open at all times.
The way to them was made plain and large. Every year care was taken to make the way good, to remove every hillock, or
anything that hindered. If there was a river in the way, to
make a bridge over it. In addition, where more ways
met, to set up pillars with a hand to them, and these words written on it:
"Refuge, refuge".
Nor was the road to be less in breadth than thirty-two cubits.
So, the antitypical arrangement is open to all
Israelites and at all times. The way of life and salvation by their Mashiach
Yeshua, the True High Priest, is plainly pointed out
in the Gospel, and by the ministers of it. They were
appointed to direct unto him, and to remove all impediments and
discouragements from such who are seeking to him.
A remarkable difference between him and the Cities of refuge: There were
six of these, pointing explicitly to man’s imperfect humanity, liable to make
mistakes and doing hurtful things.
However, in him, the perfect MasHiach
High priest, there is only one.
-.-.-.-