God told Moses to give these instructions to the children of Israel concerning the Levites.  Give the Levites cities and suburbs (pasture lands for their animals) to live in, from your inheritance.  Altogether 48 cities will be given to the Levites.  Forty two cities will be given for them to live in and in addition there will be six cities for refuge for the manslayer (3 on each side of the Jordan) who accidentally kills someone.  The accused manslayer can flee to these cities so he isn't killed by an accuser, until he stands before the congregation in judgment.  These cities of refuge will be for both the children of Israel and for the sojourner, so that everyone who kills a person accidentally may flee there.

            If a person kills another with an instrument of iron, by throwing a stone, with a club of wood, or if a person kills another in hatred, premeditates killing, or in hostility kills a person with their bear hands, they are a murderer and will surely be put to death.  The revenger of blood (accuser) themselves will kill the murderer when they meet him, they will kill him.

THE PROMISED LAND BIBLE STORY LESSON WITH THE PROMISED LAND BIBLE STORY EXPLANATION AND THE PROMISED LAND BIBLE STORY SUMMARY

            But if a person strikes another suddenly without hatred, or throws a stone or anything at them without premeditation and the person dies, or if a person doesn't see another and throws something that kills them and it wasn't an enemy or they weren't meaning harm, then the congregation will judge between the slayer and the accuser.  If a person is acquitted by the congregation, the slayer will return to the city that he took refuge in and he'll live there until the death of the high priest that was anointed with holy oil (Exodus 29:7).  If at any time, the slayer is found by the accuser outside the city of his refuge, and the accuser kills the slayer, he won't be found guilty of anything because the slayer should have stayed within the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest.  But after the death of the high priest, the slayer may go back to the land of his possession.

            Whoever kills any person, the murderer will be put to death by the testimony of more than one witness, but only one witness is not sufficient to cause him to die.  You will not protect the life of a murderer that is guilty of death or anyone who has left his city of refuge before the death of the priest, so that you don't pollute the land where you live, because blood defiles the land and the land can't be cleansed of the blood that's shed in it except by the blood of whoever shed it.  So don't defile the land that you live in, where I will live, for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.

THE PROMISED LAND BIBLE STORY INFORMATION WITH THE PROMISED LAND BIBLE STORY MEANING AND THE PROMISED LAND BIBLE STORY DISCUSSION

            Wow!  That's quite a justice system!  God always has been, and always will be about fairness.  You can bet that the murder fatality rate was incredibly low among the Israelites.  Here's an interesting thought ... why don't people today believe that the LORD lives among us, and why don't we respect our land as if He does?  We think of people as being dirty or criminal, but God said blood pollutes the land as well.  If we took a different outlook on things, it'd be a better, safer world, that's for sure.  Wait a minute!  That's not to suggest going out and killing all the murderers you've heard of ... The congregation (jury) must decide that first.  But maybe a little additional prayer about cleansing our land may be in order.

            When we come back, we'll be looking at the last chapter in our study of the book of Numbers.  We'll see you then, right here at Daily Bread.