Joshua 20:1–9
God told Moses to choose six cities for a special purpose. These were to be the cities of refuge.
People sometimes kill others by accident. If this happened in Israel they could be safe in these cities. This was a law of God that had been given by Moses. Before that, if someone killed another by accident, they too were killed. The dead man’s relatives would kill them. It didn’t matter that it was an accident.
For example, if an axe slipped and killed a man, the man holding the axe would have to pay with his life. Or there might be a hunting accident where a man was killed. The other hunter would be killed by the dead man’s relatives. But Moses’ new law brought justice to these cases.
When such an accident occurred, the innocent person could run to a refuge city. The elders there would decide if the death was an accident. Then the innocent man could live safely in the refuge city. When the high priest died, he could return to his first home. There he could live in peace without fear. This is one way Israel’s laws made life better.
Questions: What were the six special cities called? Why would someone run to a refuge city?