Nu. 35: Levite Towns, Murder Defined

Numbers 35:33 "Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it."

I know what you're thinking. What about the Levites? Where do they live? Well, each Israelite tribe was commanded to give the Levites towns to live in and pasturelands for their cattle. In all, the Levites were given 48 towns to live in. I don't know how many towns the other tribes took...or were given. But each tribe gave proportionally to the Levites. 6 were given to the Levites as something called "Refuge Cities."

A refuge city was a place that someone who killed another person could flee to and be safe from an avenger until due process was served. If the person was determined to be a murderer, they were given over to the avenger. If it was an accident, he was judged accordingly.

So what constitutes murder? Striking someone with an object of wood, stone or iron that was meant to commit great bodily harm. "Malice aforethought" is what determines murder. No one could be brought up on murder charges if only one person saw him. If a person sets foot outside the city of refuge, he was fair game to the avenger.

I wouldn't want to be an avenger of blood. I'd find someone else if a loved one were killed. I can't imagine being in that situation, but to kill someone, regardless of who they killed...that's not in me.

Money could not protect murderers. Ransom was not allowed. Awesome. Money queers deals.

Bloodshed was something that defiled land. Another example of how humans have this sort of living give-and-take with land. If blood was shed on some land, it could only be atoned for by the blood of the one who shed it to begin with. Shed blood is an atonement here, not just to absolve sin, but to atone for the land, since the LORD Himself dwells in it. That's quite the concept.