Why did Israel need cities of refuge and how did they work?

The six cities of refuge.

As early as Deuteronomy, God gives some instructions for handling refugees of manslaughter. When a person killed another by accident, then the person who committed the act could flee to these refugee cities to seek asylum, where the elders of that city could hear the story as told by the refugee and determine a place for the refugee until a trial could be held. Why was such a system of entire cities necessary at the time, and how exactly might they have worked?

The Bible itself is pretty clear about the rules regarding someone seeking the safety of one of these cities. If a person must flee because they have committed manslaughter, that person must arrive at the gate of the refugee city and tell his story to the elders. The elders must then provide a place for the refugee and, if someone comes seeking revenge for the accidental death, provide protection from that person until the refugee can stand trial for the killing. Joshua includes a passage that they must provide protection until the death of the high priest of the time, and it's thought that the death of the high priest was so alarming to the Israelites that most dropped all desire for revenge. After the refugee stands trial and a verdict is rendered he may either return to his home, if he feels it is safe, or return to the city under protection and guard.

In ancient times, and still in modern superstitions, the gods were inviolable and their places of worship considered to be also places of safety. To do harm to or kill someone in these places was a sin beyond recompense. The size of the sanctuary often relied on the deity and culture, but these traditions extended to many ancient religions, and often to drag someone from the place in order to kill them was even worse than doing it on the spot.

Syrian Zaatari refugee camp, a modern refugee city.

Over time people began to take advantage of these social rules, and sanctuaries tended to draw crime in most cultures. This led to asylum rights to be restricted more and more to specific areas when crime became too much of a problem. For example, in Athens asylum rights were restricted to only the temple of Theseus. So, by the time of the Israelite's conquest and partitioning of the land, it had already been customary for sanctuaries to be specific places designated by law rather than general locations in places of worship.

Levite priests.

Since the Levites were mediators with God, it was thought that they would be the best judges to handle accidental killings, and perhaps their inclusion in the process would quell any notions of blind revenge from the victim's surviving friends and family.

What do Moses's songs mean?

At the end of Deuteronomy, the host of Israelites are approaching the promised land to which God has led them, and Moses prepares to die since he will not be allowed into Canaan. Moses sings two songs as a final parting blessing to the people he has helped lead since their time in Egypt, but what exactly do these blessings mean?

"Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak,
and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
May my teaching drop as the rain,
my speech distill as the dew,
like gentle rain upon the tender grass,
and like showers upon the herb.
For I will proclaim the name of the LORD;
ascribe greatness to our God! (Deuteronomy 32:1-3)"

In the Song of Moses, he opens with the similes of His teachings being as the rain and dew, falling to earth to refresh the Israelites before he departs, and leads into God's condemnation of the other peoples of the Earth, that they have angered Him by being corrupt and blemished. He reminds the Israelites that no god but the one true God helped them throughout their years of wandering in the wilderness.

He then recounts the stubbornness and unfaithfulness of the Israelites in their ordeals, how they forgot the "Rock" that bore them and came to resent it, and began to worship other gods that never existed and demons who set them against the true God, which kindled God's anger and threatened to destroy them. He laments their sins, and reminds them that in the end, if they abandon Him, then He will abandon them:

Then he will say, 'Where are their gods,
the rock in which they took refuge,
who ate the fat of their sacrifices
and drank the wine of their drink offering?
Let them rise up and help you;
let them be your protection! (Deuteronomy 32:37-338)

He seeks to remind the Israelites that there is only one God, and to remain faithful to him, for he will stand with them against their enemies and "repay those who hate me (Deut. 32:41)."

The LORD came from Sinai
and dawned from Seir upon us;
he shone forth from Mount Paran;
he came from the ten thousands of holy ones,
with flaming fire at his right hand.

Afterwards, Moses is called by God to Mount Nebo, to look upon Canaan, the promised land, before he dies. In his last moments Moses blesses the tribes of Israel with his second poem. He starts by briefly recounting the beginnings of their journey and trails since Mount Sinai, then moves on to bless the tribes of Israel.

"Let Reuben live, and not die,
but let his men be few."
And this he said of Judah:
Hear, O LORD, the voice of Judah,
and bring him in to his people.
With your hands contend for him,
and be a help against his adversaries." (Deuteronomy 33:6-7)

Here is a simple prayer for Reuben to live and not die, while Moses asks God to fight for Judah against their enemies. Moses tells that the tribe of Levi will be the ones teaching and upholding God's laws, and for Him to crush their adversaries so that they may not rise again. The tribe of Benjamin is beloved by God and protected by Him. Moses blesses the land of the tribe of Joseph, so that it will provide them with the best food and give them plenty. Zebulun and Issachar are blessed with the abundance of the sea. Gad chose the best land for himself and will execute the justice of the Lord, Dan is compared to a lion's cub, Naphtali is given the west and the south, and Asher will have bars of iron and bronze.

At the end, all of Israel is blessed by Moses to be protected by God wherever the go under His bidding, to tread upon the backs of their enemies as they march through their promised land.

What do Balaam's prophecies mean?

In Numbers 23-24, Balek seeks to use Balaam to undermine the Israelites by cursing them with their own diety. Balaam performs the rituals of the Israelites, and God comes to him. However, when Balaam comes back from his meeting with God, Balaam gives prophecies of good tidings for the Israelites instead of curses.

Balaam communicates with God

"From Aram Balak has brought me,
the King of Moab from the eastern mountains:
'Come, curse Jacob for me,
and come, denounce Israel!'..." (Numbers 23:7-10)

 The first prophecy, God through Balaam is blessing the population of the Israelites. The "dust of Jacob (Numbers 23:10)" is a reference to his covenant with Abraham that he will make Abraham's descendants numerous as the amount of dust on the earth. It also refers to "a people dwelling alone, and not counting itself among the nations! (Numbers 23:9)" to reference the holiness of the Israelites, who set themselves apart from the rest of humanity as God's chosen people.

"Rise, Balak, and hear:
Give ear to me, O son of Zippor:
God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind..." (Numbers 23:18-24)

Balaam states, in response to Balak's anger that Balaam blesses Israel rather than curse them, that God has given his blessing and that Balaam cannot revoke it. Balaam is powerless before Israel's God. God is with Israel as their king. In verse 21, God, through Balaam, is asking Balak why he should curse his own kingdom and its people. God insists that there can be no enchantment or divination against Israel, and that they will rise up as a lion to devour its prey.

Israelites Gathering Manna

"The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
falling down with his eyes uncovered:" (Numbers 24:3-9)

 In this prophecy, Balaam foresees that the people of Israel shall form a bountiful nation. The prophecy starts out ironically. The tents and encampments of the Israelites are "lovely (Numbers 24:5)." They are then compared to the planting of a garden, the seeds of which are carried by water to many distant parts of the land, and so the garden grows. One strange visual is that of cedars growing beside the waters, something cedar trees don't do normally, but it is used to illustrate that God's will allows the Israelites to live where they normally could not. One final reference to the covenant of Abraham is made in "Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you. (Numbers 24:9)"

Star of David

"I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the forehead of Moab
and break down all the sons of Sheth." (Numbers 24:15-24)

With his final prophecy, Balaam foreshadows the coming of a "star" out of Jacob and a scepter rising out of Israel. While some scholars, such as Martin Luther, believed that these passages are not Messianic, most believe these are a reference to the coming of David later on. David will become King of Israel, hence the scepter. He will crush the "forehead" (Hebrew: corners of the head) of Moab. He will crush the enemies of Israel and "exercise dominion (Numbers 24:19)."

He then foretells of the destruction of two regional peoples as Kain will be burned as its people taken captive by Asshur and Amalek faces utter destruction (Numbers 24:19-22). He also foretells the coming of a naval invasion upon Asshur and Eber from Kittim, and the destruction of them all.

The Bible makes extensive use of prophecy to foreshadow events to come, and this is a literary device that has been copied even today. They can be quite complex because of the extensive use of symbols to represent people, and they reference places and peoples with which we may not be familiar. Interpreting these prophecies can be key to understanding, not only how they foreshadow events to come in the narrative, but to understand the purpose of those events when they come.

Why were the Israelites so "stiff-necked?"

It strikes me as odd, after all the miracles performed by God and his prophet Moses, the Israelites continue to doubt the power which is in the process of freeing them. Understandably, the Israelites first doubt Moses when he first appeals their release before Pharaoh and are given even more work in response; however, it makes little sense that even after the first plague any of God’s chosen people would doubt his power. Turning all the waters of Egypt into blood should astonish anybody into believing that something was happening. 

The Israelites continue to doubt Moses long after the conclusion of the plagues, although they continue to do as they’re told. When the Israelites, fleeing from the armies of Pharaoh, arrive at the coast of the Red Sea, they begin to fear that Moses has led them to their death or recapture. Even after God’s power rescues them by parting the Red Sea and then drowning Pharaoh’s armies, they grumble about being led into the wilderness with no food or water to obtain from the land itself, but God provides for them clean water; enemies gather to fight, but then God’s influence leads the Israelites to victory. Even after all this, they ask for Aaron to create a god for them when Moses stays too long away from them, which in turn angers God and Moses.

God’s purpose throughout the narrative of Exodus has been to prove to the Israelites that he is their Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel come to uphold his covenant with them, and his major struggle (although initially set against the Pharoah) is in fact set against the Israelites, or rather the struggle is against the doubts that the Israelites have against Moses and God himself. The tendency for humans is to turn from the true God, the protagonist of the Bible, and this constant “grumbling” of the Israelite people is symbolic of this eternal struggle. God always has to prove himself, and humans always need convincing.

This struggle against doubt culminates when God finds that the Israelites have begun worshipping a golden calf, an idol that is expressly against his commandments, and berates the Israelites, threatening to destroy them, to Moses, who can only ask forgiveness for the follies of his people. It is strange to see God’s anger grow so great that he threatens to consume the very people he just saved from enslavement. However, God’s anger subsides as he remembers his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.

From a literary perspective the events of Exodus are symbolic of the struggle between the protagonist God and the doubts of the people he would have worship him. His miracles he works through Moses and Aaron are all representation of his desire to show the world the he is the one true God. Even perhaps Moses himself had doubts in at the start.

 

Dozeman, Thomas B. Exodus. 2009.

John Barton, John Muddiman. The Oxford Bible Commentary. OUP Oxford, 2001.

Ryken, Leland and Philip Graham Ryken. The Literary Study Bible ESV. Wheaton: Good News Publishers, 2007.

Shilds, Brevard S. "The Book of Exodus." 1974.

The Tower of Babel: Small Story, Big Consequences

In Genesis 11:1-9, after the flood, all the people of the world spoke one language and settled in the valley of Shinar, where they sought to build a great city using their recent technological innovations (bricks and bitumen) and a tower to make a name for themselves. Then the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, and, wishing to disperse humanity, he confused the language the people spoke so they could no longer understand each other.

The Literary Study Bible's analysis of the chapter says that the story of the Tower of Babel begins as the typical cycle of the human condition in the Bible: humanity, despite its ambition, is humbled before God and must always seek redemption, but this belies a more complex set of motivations and outcomes depending on how you choose to see the event. According to the Literary Study Bible, humanity's obsession with new technology to replace the old and the idea of cities as the height of civilization are being mocked by the writer, who evidently saw bricks and bitumen as replacements for, but not improvements upon, stone and mortar. Though the civilization and its tower seem humongous from the human perspective, God comes down from Heaven to see it, creating the impression that these accomplishments are not at all imposing to Him. Humanity's achievements are swept away as our language is confounded and we are separated from each other.

But as God states himself, he did not interfere with the Babel civilization because we were doomed to fail, but because as we stood united nothing would be impossible for us. The traditional interpretation, taken from Flavius Josephus, seems to be the story was a simple matter of hubris, but more recent interpretations offer a different view.

After the flood, God again commands the surviving humans to "be fruitful and multiply, teem on the earth and multiply in it (Genesis 9-7)." God's desire for humans is for them to spread throughout the world, but the civilization of Babel is a defiance of this order. God may not be punishing humans by dividing them, but instead fulfilling what he believes to be best for us.

The Literary Study Bible's last sentence of its analysis of the Babel story asks us to, "ascertain why God thinks the great experiment outlined... would be bad rather than good for the human race."

Perhaps the main struggle for the writer, and that of all the human characters of the Bible (and of course believers in real life), is to reconcile our desires as humans with the desires of our proposed creator.

Harris, Stephen. Understanding the Bible. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2010.

Hiebert, Theodore. "'The Tower of Babel and the Origin of the World's Cultures'." The Journal of Biblical Literature (2007): 29-58.

Ryken, Leland and Philip Graham Ryken. The Literary Study Bible ESV. Wheaton: Good News Publishers, 2007.