Refuges

                 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. “When he flees to one of these cities, he is to stand in the entrance of the city gate and state his case before the elders of that city. Then they are to admit him into their city and give him a place to live with them. If the avenger of blood pursues him, they must not surrender the one accused, because he killed his neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought. He is to stay in that city until he has stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high priest who is serving at that time. Then he may go back to his own home in the town from which he 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. On the east side of the Jordan of Jericho they designated Bezer in the desert 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 alien living 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. (Joshua 20:1-9)

 

            God told Moses about the cities of refuge in Deuteronomy. Given Moses' history with regard to manslaughter, I imagine it was near and dear to his heart. According to my study Bible, the idea of cities of refuge was unparalleled in Middle Eastern laws. The idea was simple, if a person accidentally and unintentionally killed someone else, that person could flee to one of these cities and the city was responsible to protect him until a trial could be held to establish his innocence and until the high priest died. After that, the avenger of blood could no longer legally pursue vengeance.

         This follows a number of trends in the Old Testament Law. Those who sinned unintentionally were able to make an atoning sacrifice when they discovered their sin. Those who stole were offered a chance to make it right. The judgment for an injury was not to exceed the injury itself (an eye for an eye....)  Those who made hasty, ill-considered vows could be released. Debts were even forgiven every 7 years. There were sins for which the penalty was death, but they were fewer than we might imagine. 

        I remember an incident when I was a teen. Mom and I were shopping at the mall. We'd gone into a craft store. When we wandered out again, we had gotten half-way across the concourse when I made a startling realization. "Mom!" I called, and held up an embroidery hoop for which I had forgotten to pay. I was horrified. I expected to be arrested and put in jail. We went back and paid for it without any dramatic scenes. As horrified as I was by the unintentional theft, I can only imagine how I'd feel if I were driving and a child ran out into the street and I could not stop. I can understand how the parents of that child would feel. Depending of the temper of the parents involved, a safe house might be appreciated, not only as a place of safety from their temper, but as a place to work through my own reactions to the tragedy. 

          What of lesser crimes in our own lives? Could  "go to your room" be a modern equivalent within a household? Could that give people the space they need to adequately judge guilt in a family sin? In the New Testament, we're told not to let the sun go down on our wrath. Could that be a good equivalent to someone remaining in the city of refuge until the high priest died? (Since our High Priest already died.) When punishment is administered, should we, perhaps, make sure that it not only does not exceed the crime, but that it takes place outside of the room(s) of refuge, in the common area of the house? 

         What of my crimes within myself...those trespasses, mistakes and failures for which I tend to beat myself, sometimes for years. Should I give myself a "city of refuge" so my internal court can determine my legal guilt or innocence, a place where I can remain until the end of the day, by which point I must either make atonement  for myself or forgive myself?

       Another question comes to mind. The sins that I commit, the ways that I fail, the mistakes that I've made... how many of them are unintentional?  Certainly, I must do something about them, especially if they are repeated lapses that reveal a clear weakness on my part. But should I perhaps be addressing them differently from intentional sins? Food for thought.