Because human life is uniquely created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26–27), it must be granted special protections (Genesis 9:2–6). The cities of refuge were an attempt to do exactly this. They were not established to allow people to escape justice but rather they were meant to ensure that one who did not murder does not receive a murderer’s punishment. The value of the life of both the killer and the one who was killed is upheld through this system.

Cities of refuge provided a place of asylum for the person who had accidentally and unintentionally killed someone. The idea is that if, for instance, you have been out chopping wood with your friend, and your axehead slips from the handle, striking your neighbour so that he dies (see Deuteronomy 19:5), you would then run to one of these cities.

And you would have to run because as soon as your neighbour’s family finds out that he has died and you were with him in the forest, they are going to call the avenger of blood and tell him that he must go looking for you. (For more on the avenger of blood, see Joshua 20:3).

A life has been taken and now restitution must be made. That is why the avenger of blood should really be called a redeemer. To redeem is to pay back what was lost. Now ideally the victim should be brought back to life but since this cannot happen, a death has to be paid instead. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth (Exodus 21:24)—you have killed, now you must be killed in turn.

Death is the fate that awaits you if you are responsible for the death of someone else, unless you run to a city of refuge and present evidence that the killing was an accident. At the entrance of the city gate, the elders would receive you and listen to your explanation. Most probably they would also make contact with people from the area where the killing took place. They would then give you a place to stay in the town whilst they did some investigation. Eventually there would be a trial and then you would either be found guilty of murder, in which case you are killed by the redeemer of blood, or you would be given asylum in the city until the death of the high priest.

This was a system that provided both a deterrent to murder and a measure of justice when there had been a killing. You are not going to go around killing people if you know the redeemer of blood will be sent after you. In terms of justice, it also forced the killer to present his case if he wants to remain in the land and it gave the victim’s family a chance to present their evidence.

No ransom was to be accepted for the life of the killer (Numbers 35:31). Where the nations around Israel allowed the rich to get away with murder through payment, God will not. Life is of greater value than coins and profit—God will not allow the rich to escape punishment.

We need to see how this system provides a wonderful marriage of justice and mercy. There is justice for the person who was killed. His death will be avenged: his killer will not be allowed to continue life as normal without consequence. If it was murder, his killer will be put to death. If it was an accident, his killer’s freedom is taken until a death has been paid (the high priest). There is mercy for the killer. He does not have to die if the death was unintentional. He can be spared and he can look forward to returning home in the future.

For more on the substitutionary death of the priest and the blood as pollution of the land, see Joshua 20:6.