mh_parser/vol_split/6 - Joshua/Chapter 20.xml

<div2 id="Jos.xxi" n="xxi" next="Jos.xxii" prev="Jos.xx" progress="8.55%" title="Chapter XX">
<h2 id="Jos.xxi-p0.1">J O S H U A</h2>
<h3 id="Jos.xxi-p0.2">CHAP. XX.</h3>
<p class="intro" id="Jos.xxi-p1">This short chapter is concerning the cities of
refuge, which we often read of in the writings of Moses, but this
is the last time that we find mention of them, for now that matter
was thoroughly settled. Here is, I. The law God gave concerning
them, <scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:Josh.20.1-Josh.20.6" parsed="|Josh|20|1|20|6" passage="Jos 20:1-6">ver. 1-6</scripRef>. II. The
people's designation of the particular cities for that use,
<scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:Josh.20.7-Josh.20.9" parsed="|Josh|20|7|20|9" passage="Jos 20:7-9">ver. 7-9</scripRef>. And this
remedial law was a figure of good things to come.</p>
<scripCom id="Jos.xxi-p0.1_1" osisRef="Bible:Josh.20" parsed="|Josh|20|0|0|0" passage="Jos 20" type="Commentary"/>
<scripCom id="Jos.xxi-p0.2_1" osisRef="Bible:Josh.20.1-Josh.20.6" parsed="|Josh|20|1|20|6" passage="Jos 20:1-6" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Josh.20.1-Josh.20.6">
<h4 id="Jos.xxi-p1.5">The Cities of Refuge. (<span class="smallcaps" id="Jos.xxi-p1.6">b. c.</span> 1444.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Jos.xxi-p2">1 The <span class="smallcaps" id="Jos.xxi-p2.1">Lord</span> also
spake unto Joshua, saying,   2 Speak to the children of
Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I
spake unto you by the hand of Moses:   3 That the slayer that
killeth <i>any</i> person unawares <i>and</i> unwittingly may flee
thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood.
  4 And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall
stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare
his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take
him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may
dwell among them.   5 And if the avenger of blood pursue after
him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand;
because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not
beforetime.   6 And he shall dwell in that city, until he
stand before the congregation for judgment, <i>and</i> until the
death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall
the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own
house, unto the city from whence he fled.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Jos.xxi-p3">Many things were by the law of Moses
ordered to be done when they came to Canaan and this among the
rest, the appointing of sanctuaries for the protecting of those
that were guilty of casual murder, which was a privilege to all
Israel, since no man could be sure but some time or other it might
be his own case; and it was for the interest of the land that the
blood of an innocent person, whose hand only was guilty but not his
heart, should not be shed, no, not by the avenger of blood: of this
law, which was so much for their advantage, God here reminds them,
that they might remind themselves of the other laws he had given
them, which concerned his honour. 1. Orders are given for the
appointing of these cities (<scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p3.1" osisRef="Bible:Josh.20.2" parsed="|Josh|20|2|0|0" passage="Jos 20:2"><i>v.</i>
2</scripRef>), and very seasonably at this time when the land was
newly surveyed, and so they were the better able to divide the
coasts of it into three parts, as God had directed them, in order
to the more convenient situation of these cities of refuge,
<scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p3.2" osisRef="Bible:Deut.19.3" parsed="|Deut|19|3|0|0" passage="De 19:3">Deut. xix. 3</scripRef>. Yet it is
probable that it was not done till after the Levites had their
portion assigned them in the next chapter, because the cities of
refuge were all to be Levites' cities. As soon as ever God had
given them cities of rest, he bade them appoint cities of refuge,
to which none of them knew but they might be glad to escape. Thus
God provided, not only for their ease at all times, but for their
safety in times of danger, and such times we must expect and
prepare for in this world. And it intimates what God's spiritual
Israel have and shall have, in Christ and heaven, not only rest to
repose themselves in, but refuge to secure themselves in. And we
cannot think these cities of refuge would have been so often and so
much spoken of in the law of Moses, and have had so much care taken
about them (when the intention of them might have been effectually
answered, as it is in our law, by authorizing the courts of
judgment to protect and acquit the manslayer in all those cases
wherein he was to have privilege of sanctuary), if they were not
designed to typify the relief which the gospel provides for poor
penitent sinners, and their protection from the curse of the law
and the wrath of God, in our Lord Jesus, to whom believers flee for
refuge (<scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p3.3" osisRef="Bible:Heb.6.18" parsed="|Heb|6|18|0|0" passage="Heb 6:18">Heb. vi. 18</scripRef>), and
in whom they are found (<scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p3.4" osisRef="Bible:Phil.3.9" parsed="|Phil|3|9|0|0" passage="Php 3:9">Phil. iii.
9</scripRef>) as in a sanctuary, where they are privileged from
arrests, and <i>there is now no condemnation to them,</i> <scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p3.5" osisRef="Bible:Rom.8.1" parsed="|Rom|8|1|0|0" passage="Ro 8:1">Rom. viii. 1</scripRef>. 2. Instructions are given
for the using of these cities. The laws in this matter we had
before, <scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p3.6" osisRef="Bible:Num.35.10-Num.35.34" parsed="|Num|35|10|35|34" passage="Nu 35:10-34">Num. xxxv. 10</scripRef>,
&amp;c., where they were opened at large. (1.) It is supposed that
a man might possibly kill a person, it might be his own child or
dearest friend, unawares and unwittingly (<scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p3.7" osisRef="Bible:Josh.20.3" parsed="|Josh|20|3|0|0" passage="Jos 20:3"><i>v.</i> 3</scripRef>), not only whom he hated not, but
whom he truly loved beforetime (<scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p3.8" osisRef="Bible:Josh.20.5" parsed="|Josh|20|5|0|0" passage="Jos 20:5"><i>v.</i> 5</scripRef>); for <i>the way of man is not in
himself.</i> What reason have we to thank God who has kept us both
from slaying and from being slain by accident! In this case, it is
supposed that the relations of the person slain would demand the
life of the slayer, as a satisfaction to that ancient law that
<i>whoso sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed.</i>
(2.) It is provided that if upon trial it appeared that the murder
was done purely by accident, and not by design, either upon an old
grudge or a sudden passion, then the slayer should be sheltered
from the avenger of blood in any one of these cities, <scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p3.9" osisRef="Bible:Josh.20.4-Josh.20.6" parsed="|Josh|20|4|20|6" passage="Jos 20:4-6"><i>v.</i> 4-6</scripRef>. By this law he was
entitled to a dwelling in that city, was taken into the care of the
government of it, but was confined to it, as prisoner at large;
only, if he survived the high priest, then, and not till then, he
might return to his own city. And the Jews say, "If he died before
the high priest in the city of his refuge and exile, and was buried
there, yet, at the death of the high priest, his bones should be
removed with respect to the place of his fathers' sepulchres."</p>
</div><scripCom id="Jos.xxi-p0.3" osisRef="Bible:Josh.20.7-Josh.20.9" parsed="|Josh|20|7|20|9" passage="Jos 20:7-9" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Josh.20.7-Josh.20.9">
<p class="passage" id="Jos.xxi-p4">  7 And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in
mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjath-arba,
which <i>is</i> Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.   8 And on
the other side Jordan by Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in
the wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and
Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out
of the tribe of Manasseh.   9 These were the cities appointed
for all the children of Israel, and for the stranger that
sojourneth among them, that whosoever killeth <i>any</i> person at
unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger
of blood, until he stood before the congregation.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Jos.xxi-p5">We have here the nomination of the cities
of refuge in the land of Canaan, which was made by the advice and
authority of Joshua and the princes (<scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p5.1" osisRef="Bible:Josh.20.7" parsed="|Josh|20|7|0|0" passage="Jos 20:7"><i>v.</i> 7</scripRef>); and upon occasion of the
mention of this is repeated the nomination of the other three in
the lot of the other two tribes and a half, which was made by Moses
(<scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p5.2" osisRef="Bible:Deut.4.43" parsed="|Deut|4|43|0|0" passage="De 4:43">Deut. iv. 43</scripRef>), but (as
bishop Patrick thinks) they had not the privilege till now. 1. They
are said to <i>sanctify</i> these cities, that is the original word
for <i>appointed,</i> <scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p5.3" osisRef="Bible:Josh.20.7" parsed="|Josh|20|7|0|0" passage="Jos 20:7"><i>v.</i>
7</scripRef>. Not that any ceremony was used to signify the
consecration of them, only they did by a public act of court
solemnly declare them cities of refuge, and as such sacred to the
honour of God, as the protector of exposed innocency. If they were
sanctuaries, it was proper to say they were <i>sanctified.</i>
Christ, our refuge, was sanctified by his Father; nay, for our
sakes he sanctified himself, <scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p5.4" osisRef="Bible:John.17.19" parsed="|John|17|19|0|0" passage="Joh 17:19">John
xvii. 19</scripRef>. 2. These cities (as those also on the other
side Jordan) stood in the three several parts of the country, so
conveniently that a man might (they say) in half a day reach some
one of them from any corner of the country. Kedesh was in Naphtali,
the most northern tribe, Hebron in Judah, the most southern, and
Shechem in Ephraim, which lay in the middle, about equally distant
from the other two. God is a refuge at hand. 3. They were all
Levites' cities, which put an honour upon God's tribe, making them
judges in those cases wherein divine Providence was so nearly
concerned, and protectors to oppressed innocency. It was also a
kindness to the poor refugee, that when he might not go up to the
house of the Lord, nor tread his courts, yet he had the servants of
God's house with him, to instruct him, and pray for him, and help
to make up the want of public ordinances. If he must be confined,
it shall be to a Levite-city, where he may, if he will, improve his
time. 4. These cities were upon hills to be seen afar off, for a
city on a hill cannot be hid; and this would both direct and
encourage the poor distressed man that was making that way; and,
though therefore his way at last was up-hill, yet this would
comfort him, that he would be in his place of safety quickly, and
if he could but get into the suburbs of the city he was well enough
off. 5. Some observe a significancy in the names of these cities
with application to Christ our refuge. I delight not in quibbling
upon names, yet am willing to take notice of these. <i>Kedesh</i>
signifies <i>holy,</i> and our refuge is the holy Jesus.
<i>Shechem, a shoulder,</i> and the government is upon his
shoulder. <i>Hebron, fellowship,</i> and believers are called into
the fellowship of Christ Jesus our Lord. <i>Bezer, a
fortification,</i> for he is a strong-hold to all those that trust
in him. <i>Ramoth, high</i> or <i>exalted,</i> for him hath God
exalted with his own right hand. <i>Golan, joy</i> or
<i>exultation,</i> for in him all the saints are justified, and
shall glory. <i>Lastly,</i> Besides all these, the horns of the
altar, wherever it was, were a refuge to those who took hold of
them, if the crime were such as that sanctuary allowed. This is
implied in that law (<scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p5.5" osisRef="Bible:Exod.21.14" parsed="|Exod|21|14|0|0" passage="Ex 21:14">Exod. xxi.
14</scripRef>), that a wilful murderer shall be taken from God's
altar to be put to death. And we find the altar used for this
purpose. <scripRef id="Jos.xxi-p5.6" osisRef="Bible:1Kgs.1.50 Bible:1Kgs.2.28" parsed="|1Kgs|1|50|0|0;|1Kgs|2|28|0|0" passage="1Ki 1:50,2:28">1 Kings i. 50; ii.
28</scripRef>. Christ is our altar, who not only <i>sanctifies the
gift,</i> but protects the giver.</p>
</div></div2>