From: btiffany@pbs.org
Newsgroups: alt.messianic
Subject: Re: Levite Priest Gives Life for Sinners
Date: 18 Aug 92 14:16:12 EDT
Organization: PBS:Public Broadcasting Service, Alexandria, VA

    ** Submitted for Bruce Benning by Bruce Tiffany **
    --------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Levite Priest Gives Life for Sinners


 
>>    The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger
>>    of blood and send him back to the city of refuge to which he fled. He
>>    must stay there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed
>>    with the holy oil. -- Numbers 35:25
>...

>From: levene@aplpy.jhuapl.edu (Robert A. Levene)
>As usual, Bruce Benning totally misunderstands the verse, which refers
>only to certain forms of contributory negligence leading to accidental
>manslaughter.  The verse has nothing to do with intentional murder,
>totally accidental manslaughter, or sin in general.  Nor does the
>high priest "give" his life for others; exile lasts until he dies,
>whenever that may be.
>-Rob

 OK. So the term I was looking for was not -atone- but -amnesty-. BUT...
 Since a life is taken, all be it unintentional, the person guilty of
 manslaughter still serves a term for the crime (you called it exile).
 Though the person is innocent of guilt (Deut 19:6,10) and maybe a vessel
 used by God (Exo 21:13) a life was taken. Isn't there any responsibility
 on the person who took a life?

 Some questions I have would be:

 - Since a life was taken unintentionally, isn't this considered a form
   of unintentional sin? Though the person is serving out a sentence in
   the city of refuge for the crime, is (s)he expected to offer up a
   sacrifice for unintentional sins? (Leviticus 4-6)

    "If a person sins UNINTENTIONALLY in any of these things...then let
     him offer to the Lord a bull without defect as a sin offering."
     -- Lev 4:3-4

   The word "unintentionally" used int Lev 4:3 is the Hebrew word SHEGAGAH.
   It is the same word used in:

     Numbers 35:11--"the manslayer who has killed any person
     UNINTENTIONALLY may flee."

 - You may not ask why the exile of the person in the city of refuge
   is ended by the death of the high priest. But I believe it is an
   important issue. Why wasn't the exile ended every twenty years?
   Something more regular and orderly like the other laws which are
   built upon times/dates, days/weeks/years. This seems to stand out
   as unique. Especially as a follower of Messiah Yeshua.
   Even men/women who sold themselves  to pay debts were set free
   after a certain time period (Leviticus 25).
   Why wasn't each individual given a date of completion that ALLOWED
   for a cooling period for the avenger of blood? Why the death of the
   high priest? Surly, if we can conclude that meat and milk products
   should not be eaten together by Exodus 23:19, we can gain some
   deeper understanding of why the high priest's death was the termination
   point of the exiles in the cities of refuge.
   Q: Is there another area in Levitical law that begins or ends upon
      the life cycle (life/death) of the high priest besides the order
      of promotion of the priests?

         Bruce Benning __________ benning@iccgcc.decnet.ab.com

          Jesus is not set before Christians as a revered
          and departed Teacher whose words are to be gath-
          ered up and studied. He is rather an invisible
          and living Person who is to be known spiritually.

          -- H. P. Liddon