Laws About Cities of Refuge, Fraud, and Perjury Reviewed

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Deuteronomy 19:1) “When the LORD your God has cut off the nations whose land the LORD your God gives you, and you succeed them, and dwell in their cities and in their houses, (2) You shall separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which the LORD your God gives you to possess."

Throughout the book of Deuteronomy, Moses had been reviewing the Law for the children of Israel before he died and left them.  He now reviewed the law about cities of refuge.  When the people came into their promised land of Canaan after God had driven out the previous inhabitants, and began to dwell there in their cities and houses, they were to set about setting apart three cities in the land.

(3) “You shall prepare yourself a way and divide the coasts of your land, which the LORD your God gives you to inherit, into three parts, to which every slayer may flee."

The people were to create an open way, or perhaps a better translation is a roadway or highway.  They were to divide their entire land into three sections, and in each section would be a place that a man slayer might flee to await judgment.  Moses had already appointed on their current side of the Jordan River three cities of refuge, and he now told them they were to appoint three more, as God had commanded they have six cities of refuge, three on each side of the Jordan (Numbers 35:14). 

(4) “And this is the case of the manslayer who flees there, that he may live: Whoever kills his neighbor ignorantly, whom he did not hate in time past, (5) As when a man goes into the woods with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand swings a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies, he shall flee to one of these cities and live."

Moses described the case of a man slayer who might flee to a city of refuge.  If a man accidentally or unintentionally killed another, someone he had never shown any hatred toward in the past, he could flee to a city of refuge and live.  He gave an example of a man chopping wood with his neighbor, and his ax slipping and striking his neighbor, and killing him unintentionally.  He could flee to the city of refuge and be safe from the avenger of blood, who was a relative who might take vengeance for the life of his brother.

(6) "Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past."

Verses 3 through 6 represent one long directive by Moses.  Verse 6 is intended to finish the thought started in verse 3 that the people were to provide an open way to three separate cities of refuge for the convenience of the man slayer to run to from the avenger of blood.  If the path was not clear and open and it was a great distance away, an innocent man might be killed by the avenger of the accidentally killed man.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wrote, "The Jews inform us that the roads to the cities of refuge were made very broad, thirty-two cubits; and even, so that there should be no impediments in the way; and were constantly kept in good repair."

(7) “Therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall separate three cities for yourself.’"

Moses finished his thought by saying his previous statements established the reason why these three cities of refuge must be provided.

(8) "And if the LORD your God enlarges your coasts, as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which He promised to give to your fathers, (9) If you shall keep all these commandments to do them, which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God and to walk always in His ways, then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three, (10) That innocent blood be not shed in your land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, and blood be upon you."

If the Lord enlarged Israel's territory as He had sworn to their forefathers, conditional on them keeping the Lord's commandments, loving the Lord and always walking in His ways, then they were to add three additional cities of refuge so that innocent blood not be shed in their land because someone who accidentally killed someone else without malice and intention, was killed by a relative avenger of blood, although he was innocent.  The guilt of innocent blood would be upon their land if they did not provide more proper asylums for such people if their territory was enlarged.

(11) "But if any man hates his neighbor, lies in wait for him, rises up against him and strikes him mortally, that he dies, and flees to one of these cities, (12) Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him from there, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die."

However, if a man hated his neighbor and with malice and premeditation, lay in wait for his neighbor and killed him, and he presumed to flee to a city of refuge, then the elders of his city were to send for him to be delivered to them to be tried before them, to determine whether he was a proper person to receive the benefit of the city of refuge or not, and if not, to pass the sentence of death upon him, at which time he would be delivered into the hands of the avenger of blood, who would be the executioner of that death sentence.

(13) “Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with you."

The people, including the judges in his case, were to have no pity on a person guilty of killing his brother intentionally.  They must execute murderers to put away the guilt of innocent blood upon their land, so that it might go well for them.

(14) “You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set in your inheritance, which you will inherit in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess."

Before the use of fencing, people marked the boundaries of their property with some sort of landmark.  A landmark might be easily moved, and this was a law against moving such a landmark that had been previously set marking the inherited property of an estate.

(15) “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin that he sins; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established."

A single witness was not allowed to give evidence against another so that a sentence was passed.  It must be the testimony of at least two or three witnesses to establish that an iniquity had been performed.

(16) “If a false witness rises against any man to testify against him for wrongdoing, (17) Then both the men in the controversy shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges who will be in those days."

If a false witness rose up to testify against another for wrongdoing, bearing false witness against his neighbor, in direct conflict with one of God's Ten Commandments, then both the one bearing false witness and the one he was accusing with his false statements were to come before the priests and judges who would be serving at that time, and before the Lord, as well.

(18) “And the judges shall make diligent inquisition, and, behold, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother, (19) Then you shall do to him as he had thought to have done to his brother; so shall you put away the evil from among you."

The judges were to make a thorough examination of the facts, and if they determined that the one bringing the charges was indeed a false witness, then he was to receive the same punishment he had been seeking against the one about whom he had brought false accusation.  Once again, this was to put evil away from their land.  It must be noted that although this was a single witness, and his testimony wouldn't be allowed to pronounce sentence on the one he was accusing anyway, it was so grievous to bear false witness, that it must be lawfully determined if the accuser was a false witness.

(20) “And those who remain shall hear and fear, and henceforth commit no more such evil among you."

All other people would hear about the case and would take care not to commit such false testimony against another, knowing what the outcome would be; thus they would not commit such evil in the land.

(21) "And your eye shall not pity; life shall be for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot."

Again no one, including the judges, was to pity the false witness.  He must be held to account and punished for his false testimony in like manner as he had desired against the one he had falsely accused.  Just laws are necessary for the safety and flourishment of a society.  A Christian may and should act in forgiveness for injuries, but unless wrongdoers are brought to account and punished, and the public see that these wrongdoings will not be tolerated, such evil deeds will only increase in number, and a society will be destroyed.  Once again, we see how wise God's laws are.  I can't help but think of the "wisdom of men" in this present day who want to let prisoners out of jail, or not even bring them to justice in the first place.  As in the case of illegal entry to our country or of rioting that we are experiencing at the time I write this, letting people get away with lawless acts scot-free serves only to embolden the criminals and others to do likewise and more.  Rather than putting evil away from our society, we encourage it.  Sadly, that is what a Godless nation will do.