Numbers 35-36

February 22

Numbers 35-36

Murder deprives a family, community, and a nation of the person who was murdered. Scripture gives a detailed plan for the response to murder by Israel. If a person murders someone, they are to die. If there is hostility between two people and one of them strikes the other with iron, a stone, a wooden object, if he throws something at the other person, or if he hits the other person he is a murderer and must die.

If any of these same activities occur accidently or without hostility the person who accidently murdered the other person can flee to a city of refuge and will be safe there. If he does not get to the city of refuge before the “avenger of blood” catches up to him, the avenger can kill him. The avenger of blood is a member of the family chosen to deal with loss suffered by family. The avenger is not to seek revenge, but redemption. The term translated avenger is also translated redeemer. The same person who served as avenger or redeemer for the family  contracted Levirate marriages (Ruth 3:13), received money payable to a dead family member on behalf of the family (Numbers 5:8), bought a family member out of slavery (Leviticus 25:48), bought property to keep it from passing out of the family or to bring it back into the family property (Leviticus 25:25), but he also would be called to restore the loss a family suffered when a family member was killed.

If the community decided that the murderer acted with hostility they were killed. Shed human blood was only atoned for by shed human blood.  If it was decided that the person did not act with hostility, but that the death was an accident, the murderer could remain in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. No ransom could buy off the blood of the victim. If the killer left the city of refuge the avenger could kill him without incurring blood guilt, risking the attack of another avenger. Once the high priest died, the killer was free to go back home and he was no longer guilty.

When the high priest died, he died on behalf of the killer, just as the high priest offered sacrifices on behalf of the people. The death of the high priest, instead of a time of confinement in the city of refuge, paid the price for the death of the victim.

 Jesus was our avenger, our redeemer, while he was also our high priest. When he died he was the sacrifice and the avenger. He willingly gave up his life to set us free from being held captive by sin. Those who killed him, in reality we all had a part to play in his death, were also the ones for whom he said; Father forgive them.