October 17, 2025
Numbers 35:16-34 (HCSB)
16 “If anyone strikes a person with an iron object and death results, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death. 17 If a man has in his hand a stone capable of causing death and strikes another person and he dies, the murderer must be put to death. 18 If a man has in his hand a wooden object capable of causing death and strikes another person and he dies, the murderer must be put to death. 19 The avenger of blood himself is to kill the murderer; when he finds him, he is to kill him. 20 Likewise, if anyone in hatred pushes a person or throws an object at him with malicious intent and he dies, 21 or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood is to kill the murderer when he finds him.
22 “But if anyone suddenly pushes a person without hostility or throws any object at him without malicious intent 23 or without looking drops a stone that could kill a person and he dies, but he was not his enemy and wasn’t trying to harm him, 24 the assembly is to judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances. 25 The assembly is to protect the one who kills someone from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge he fled to, and he must live there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
26 “If the one who kills someone ever goes outside the border of the city of refuge he fled to, 27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the border of his city of refuge and kills him, the avenger will not be guilty of bloodshed, 28 for the one who killed a person was supposed to live in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may the one who has killed a person return to the land he possesses. 29 These instructions will be a statutory ordinance for you throughout your generations wherever you live.
30 “If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death based on the word of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of one witness. 31 You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of killing someone; he must be put to death. 32 Neither should you accept a ransom for the person who flees to his city of refuge, allowing him to return and live in the land before the death of the high priest. 33 “Do not defile the land where you are, for bloodshed defiles the land, and there can be no atonement for the land because of the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of the person who shed it. 34 Do not make the land unclean where you live and where I reside; for I, Yahweh, reside among the Israelites.”
Braxton Craig
In the final reading for the week we will learn the fate of those who deliberately used lethal force to kill a person. God commanded that anyone who deliberately used a lethal weapon to kill a person, or deliberately assaulted another and caused death, is a murderer and shall be put to death by the “avenger of blood”. The avenger of blood was to be a designated relative of the deceased. Only those accused of manslaughter were to live in the cities of refuge. They would stay in refuge until they could have a fair trial. During trial the people would judge if the accused had acted unintentionally, and if they did they were to return to the city of refuge until the high priest who heard the case died. Once the high priest died the accused could return to the general population, but if the accused left the city prior to the death of the high priest and the avenger of blood located them outside the boundary of the city of refuge they could be put to death without the avenger of blood incurring any guilt of murder. The promised land was to be a holy land, therefore it was to be free from the impurity of bloodshed. I leave you with one final thought. According to GotQuestions.org, one of Pastor HD’s favorite resources, a comparison can be made between the cities of refuge and Christ. “Just as a person could seek refuge in the cities set up for that purpose, we flee to Christ for refuge.” (Hebrews 6:18)
16 “If anyone strikes a person with an iron object and death results, he is a murderer; the murderer must be put to death. 17 If a man has in his hand a stone capable of causing death and strikes another person and he dies, the murderer must be put to death. 18 If a man has in his hand a wooden object capable of causing death and strikes another person and he dies, the murderer must be put to death. 19 The avenger of blood himself is to kill the murderer; when he finds him, he is to kill him. 20 Likewise, if anyone in hatred pushes a person or throws an object at him with malicious intent and he dies, 21 or if in hostility he strikes him with his hand and he dies, the one who struck him must be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood is to kill the murderer when he finds him.
22 “But if anyone suddenly pushes a person without hostility or throws any object at him without malicious intent 23 or without looking drops a stone that could kill a person and he dies, but he was not his enemy and wasn’t trying to harm him, 24 the assembly is to judge between the slayer and the avenger of blood according to these ordinances. 25 The assembly is to protect the one who kills someone from the hand of the avenger of blood. Then the assembly will return him to the city of refuge he fled to, and he must live there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.
26 “If the one who kills someone ever goes outside the border of the city of refuge he fled to, 27 and the avenger of blood finds him outside the border of his city of refuge and kills him, the avenger will not be guilty of bloodshed, 28 for the one who killed a person was supposed to live in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may the one who has killed a person return to the land he possesses. 29 These instructions will be a statutory ordinance for you throughout your generations wherever you live.
30 “If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death based on the word of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of one witness. 31 You are not to accept a ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of killing someone; he must be put to death. 32 Neither should you accept a ransom for the person who flees to his city of refuge, allowing him to return and live in the land before the death of the high priest. 33 “Do not defile the land where you are, for bloodshed defiles the land, and there can be no atonement for the land because of the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of the person who shed it. 34 Do not make the land unclean where you live and where I reside; for I, Yahweh, reside among the Israelites.”
Braxton Craig
In the final reading for the week we will learn the fate of those who deliberately used lethal force to kill a person. God commanded that anyone who deliberately used a lethal weapon to kill a person, or deliberately assaulted another and caused death, is a murderer and shall be put to death by the “avenger of blood”. The avenger of blood was to be a designated relative of the deceased. Only those accused of manslaughter were to live in the cities of refuge. They would stay in refuge until they could have a fair trial. During trial the people would judge if the accused had acted unintentionally, and if they did they were to return to the city of refuge until the high priest who heard the case died. Once the high priest died the accused could return to the general population, but if the accused left the city prior to the death of the high priest and the avenger of blood located them outside the boundary of the city of refuge they could be put to death without the avenger of blood incurring any guilt of murder. The promised land was to be a holy land, therefore it was to be free from the impurity of bloodshed. I leave you with one final thought. According to GotQuestions.org, one of Pastor HD’s favorite resources, a comparison can be made between the cities of refuge and Christ. “Just as a person could seek refuge in the cities set up for that purpose, we flee to Christ for refuge.” (Hebrews 6:18)
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