Towns for the Levites

INTRO

This is the end of the study on the Book of Numbers. For every book of the Bible we have studied so far, we have identified one word to represent the Messiah. In Genesis, we have the Seed through Adam and Eve. In Exodus, Moses’ writings are about the Deliverer, about how Moses delivered his people, and how Jesus delivered us in the New Testament. In Leviticus, we have Atonement, and how Christ serves as our atonement. In Numbers, we have the Rock, and the Messiah is our Rock. First Corinthians 10:4 says, “And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.”

In Numbers 34, Moses was instructed to write down the 42 different stages God has taken

the Israelites through. Every step of the way, God was with them. At the end of Numbers 34, they were about to walk into the Promised Land.

TEACHING

Numbers 35:1–5: The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab (v. 1) and told Moses to command the Israelites to give cities and pastures from their inheritance to the Levites (v. 2). The cities would be for the Levites to live in and for their herds and flocks of animals (v. 3). The pasturelands of the cities were to extend from 500 yards on every side (v. 4). To determine these boundaries, they were to measure 1,000 yards outside the city to the east, south, west, and north with the city in the center (v. 5).

Numbers 35:6–8: The cities given were to include six cities of refuge, plus the 42 other cities (v. 6). The Levities were given 48 cities in all, plus pastureland (v. 7). Joshua 20:7–8 lists these six cities of refuge. Within these six refuge cities, those who had murdered someone would be safe. In Israel today, no one owns any land; it is all rented from the state. The Levities were scattered throughout the Promised Land, and each tribe was given up to four cities. Exodus 19:5–6 explained, “‘Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession out of all the peoples, although all the earth is Mine, and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.” (John 4:21–23: Jesus is saying that you are holy wherever you are at). Some commentators suggest that some of these Levitical cities were actually hamlets, or a few small houses clustered together. Each tribe was to give a certain number of cities based on their size (v. 8).

Numbers 35:9–15: The Lord told Moses to explain to the Israelites that when they crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, they were to designate cities to serve as cities of refuge. If a person killed someone unintentionally, then he had a place to flee to for safety (vv. 9–11). These designated cities would provide refuge from an avenger, so the one who killed would not be executed until he stood trial (v. 12). The Israelites were to select six cities of refuge, three cities across the Jordan river and three in Canaan (vv. 13–14), where an Israelite, alien, and sojourner, who unintentionally killed someone, could go (v. 15).

Numbers 35:16–21: In verses 16–21, additional instructions were given about how to treat someone who murdered someone else. If someone struck another person holding an iron object causing death, he was a murderer and must be put to death (Genesis 4:15; 9:5). If someone used a stone and caused someone to die, he, too, was judged to be a murderer and must be put to death (v. 17). If someone used a wooden object that caused someone to die, he was also judged to be a murderer and must be put to death (v. 18). In each case, a blood relative was to be the avenger of the murdered person and was to kill the murderer (v. 19). If anyone, in hatred, pushed a person or threw an object at him with malicious intent, which caused death, the one who struck him must be put to death because he was judged a murderer (v. 20–21).

Numbers 35:22–25: If someone accidentally pushed a person or threw an object without malicious intent and was not an enemy and the person died, the assembly was to determine guilt or innocence according to these ordinances (vv. 22–24). The assembly was to protect those found innocent from the hand of the avengers. The assembly would return him to the city of refuge he fled to, and he must live there until the high priest died. People from the city of refuge were set free with the high priest’s death. Constable explained, “The death of the high priest atoned for the sins of the manslayers. . . like an animal sacrifice did.”¹

CLOSING

At the end of chapter 35, God explained that the Israelites could not buy their atonement sacrifices to get released earlier. Wiersbe says, “Guilty sinners today can flee by faith to Jesus Christ and find refuge from the judgment of God. Because Jesus is the ever-living High Priest, salvation is secure forever; for He ever lives to make intersession for them.”²

Hebrews 6:18: “So that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.”

Hebrews 7:25: “Therefore, He is always able to save those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.”

Romans 8:1: “Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus.”

We are not stuck in cities of refuge. We have been set free through Christ.