Deuteronomy 19:1 - Meaning and Application

It was one of the commands given to Noah’s descendants that whoever sheds human blood, by human hands his blood will be shed, that is, by the avenger of blood (Genesis 9:6). Here, that rule is worked out between the blood of the murdered person and the blood of the murderer. Clear provision is made for the one who killed another by accident, so he would not die for a crime that was not a willing act, but an accident of life.

The setting up of cities of refuge had already been taught (Exodus 21:13), and the law about them was given at length before (Numbers 35:10 and following). Here it is repeated, and direction is given about three things. First, three cities were to be appointed in Canaan for this purpose. Moses had already set apart three on the east side of the Jordan, which he had seen conquered, and now he tells them that when they are settled in the rest of the land, they must set apart three more (Deuteronomy 19:1-3, 7).

The land was to be divided into three districts, as nearly equal as possible, with a city of refuge near the center of each. That way, every part of the land would have one within reach. In this, Christ is like a refuge that is not far away, something we would need to reach by climbing to heaven or crossing into the deep. No, the word is near us, and Christ is in the word (Romans 10:8). The gospel brings salvation to our very door and knocks there for welcome.

To make it easier for the one fleeing there, the road to the city of refuge had to be kept clear. They likely had raised roads or marked paths leading to those cities. Jewish writers say that once each year, the magistrates sent messengers to check that the roads were in good repair. They removed stumbling blocks, repaired broken bridges, and where two roads met, they set up a post with a sign pointing the right way, engraved with the word “Refuge” in large letters. In the same way, gospel ministers should show people the way to Christ and help them flee to him by faith. They should be ready to remove prejudice and help people over their difficulties. Blessed be God, the way of holiness is so plain to those who seek it honestly that even fools will not go astray there.

Second, the use of these cities is described (Deuteronomy 19:4-6). It is possible for a man to kill his neighbor without any plan, without hatred, and without sudden anger, but simply by accident, as when an axe head flies off. That is the example given, and every case like it was to be judged by that pattern. This shows how exposed human life is each day, how often we are in danger, and how much we need to be ready at all times, with our souls always, as it were, in our hands (Ecclesiastes 9:12). It is a sad evil time when such a thing happens, not only for the one who dies, but for the one who killed him.

It is also assumed that the dead man’s relatives would be eager to avenge the blood, out of love for their family member and concern for justice. The law did not allow death to be used to answer any other insult or injury, but the avenger of blood would be given some allowance for the heat of his heart under such a strong provocation. Still, if he killed the accidental manslayer before that man reached the city of refuge, it would not be counted as murder, though it is admitted that the man was not worthy of death. God meant this to fill people with a deep fear of murder. If a man who kills by accident is placed in such danger, then surely the one who deliberately does violence to another’s blood, whether from old hatred or sudden anger, must flee to the pit and let no one stop him (Proverbs 28:17). Yet the New Testament speaks of murder as even more serious and dangerous than this law does, saying, “No murderer has eternal life living in him” (1 John 3:15).

Third, it is provided that if an avenger of blood were unreasonable enough to demand payment for blood shed by accident, the city of refuge would protect the one who killed. Sins done in ignorance do expose us to God’s anger, but there is relief provided if we use it by faith and repentance. Paul, who had once persecuted the church, received mercy because he acted in ignorance. Christ also prayed for those who crucified him, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

A third group of three cities was to be set apart if God later enlarged their territory and spread the reach of their religion, so that all places brought under Moses’ law in other matters might also enjoy this benefit of the law (Deuteronomy 19:8-10). This points, first, to God’s gracious intention to enlarge their borders, as he had promised their fathers, if they did not lose the promise by disobedience. That condition is carefully repeated here, so that if the promise was not fulfilled, the shame would lie on them, not on God. He promised to give the land if they kept all his commands, and not otherwise.

They are also told to set apart three more cities in their new conquests. The number shows that their later territory should be as large as their first. Wherever Israel’s border went, this protection had to go with it, so innocent blood would not be shed (Deuteronomy 19:10). Though God is the Savior and Preserver of all people, and has a tender care for all life, the blood of Israelites is especially precious to him (Psalm 72:14). Ainsworth notes that Jewish writers themselves admit that, since the condition was not kept, the promise of enlarged borders was never fulfilled, so there was no reason to add those three cities of refuge. Yet, they say, the holy blessed God did not command it for nothing, because in the days of Messiah the prince, three more cities will be added to the six. They expect this in a literal way, but we know that in Christ it has a spiritual fulfillment. The borders of gospel Israel have been enlarged according to the promise, and in Christ, the Lord our righteousness, refuge is provided for all who flee to him by faith.

Second, the cities of refuge were never to become a shelter for a deliberate murderer. Even from there, he was to be taken and handed over to the avenger of blood (Deuteronomy 19:11-13). This shows that willful murder must never be protected by the civil ruler. He carries the sword of justice for nothing if he lets those escape who are guilty of blood, since he is charged with avenging it. During the rule of the papacy in our land before the Reformation, some churches and religious houses, as they called them, became places of safety for all kinds of criminals who fled there, including deliberate murderers, so that, as Stamford says in his Pleas of the Crown, book 2, chapter...

The law of sanctuary may point to a deeper truth. In Jesus Christ, there is no refuge for people who keep on sinning on purpose. If someone keeps sinning willfully and goes on in it, there is no sacrifice left for that kind of rebellion (Hebrews 10:26).

Those who flee to Christ from their sins will be safe in him. But those who expect him to protect them while they stay in their sins have no such promise. Even salvation itself will not save that person, because divine justice will find them out. They are not entitled to the protection that belongs to those who truly seek refuge in Christ.