Deuteronomy 20
Joshua 20 records the process of actually designating the cities of refuge that God had commanded in advance through Moses after the people of Israel settled in the land of Canaan. A city of refuge is a place designed so that a person who committed an accidental killing can flee safely to avoid retaliation. This chapter emphasizes the purpose of establishing the cities of refuge, the qualifications of those who may take shelter in the city, and the social and theological significance of the cities-of-refuge system.
1verseWhen you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, chariots, and a people more numerous than you, you shall not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, is with you.
2verseIt shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak to the people,
3verseand shall tell them, “Hear, Israel, you draw near today to battle against your enemies. Don’t let your heart faint! Don’t be afraid, nor tremble, neither be scared of them;
4versefor the LORD your God is he who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”
5verseThe officers shall speak to the people, saying, “What man is there who has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.
6verseWhat man is there who has planted a vineyard, and has not used its fruit? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use its fruit.
7verseWhat man is there who has pledged to be married to a wife, and has not taken her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.”
8verseThe officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, “What man is there who is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest his brother’s heart melt as his heart.”
9verseIt shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall appoint captains of armies at the head of the people.
10verseWhen you draw near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.
11verseIt shall be, if it gives you answer of peace and opens to you, then it shall be that all the people who are found therein shall become forced laborers to you, and shall serve you.
12verseIf it will make no peace with you, but will make war against you, then you shall besiege it.
13verseWhen the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, you shall strike every male of it with the edge of the sword;
14versebut the women, the little ones, the livestock, and all that is in the city, even all its plunder, you shall take for plunder for yourself. You may use the plunder of your enemies, which the LORD your God has given you.
15verseThus you shall do to all the cities which are very far off from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.
16verseBut of the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes;
17versebut you shall utterly destroy them: the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, as the LORD your God has commanded you;
18versethat they not teach you to follow all their abominations, which they have done for their gods; so would you sin against the LORD your God.
19verseWhen you shall besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them; for you may eat of them. You shall not cut them down, for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged by you?
20verseOnly the trees that you know are not trees for food, you shall destroy and cut them down. You shall build bulwarks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.
Chapter Structure and Flow
- Verses 1-2: God reaffirms to Joshua the mission of the cities of refuge
- Verse 3: Explanation of the function of a city of refuge as a place of escape for someone who committed a killing unintentionally
- Verses 4-6: Presents the procedure for how someone who has killed another person unintentionally enters a city of refuge, how life is lived there, and the final way the case is judged
- Verses 7-9: Lists the six cities of refuge designated for various regions of Israel (Kedesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth in Gilead, and Golan in Bashan)
The Meaning of the Cities of Refuge
Cities of refuge are not merely legal protection measures; they are a system in which God’s justice and mercy are both realized. By distinguishing between accidental killing and intentional killing, we can catch a glimpse of God’s heart to protect innocent lives along with clear responsibility. In addition, cities of refuge also carry the social-justice value of providing a space where anyone can receive protection when a problem arises.
Points for Reflection
- How can we take in the fact that God has kept open a path of protection and restoration even amid our mistakes and weakness?
- Let’s think about how God’s commanded social justice and mercy can be applied to our lives and our community.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- Could we open up a channel of understanding, forgiveness, and restoration rather than easily condemning or turning away from our own mistakes and weakness—or those of other people?
- Let’s also consider and put into practice what “a city of refuge” role looks like for me today—that is, the role of becoming safety and rest for someone else.
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