The Tupelo journal., 1902-10-31
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson in thu international Series
for November 2, 1~0O2-Cities
Of Refuge.
THE LESSON TEXT.

Ing:
2. Speak to the children of Israel, saying:
Appoint out for you cities of refuge, where
OF l spake unto you by the HAND Of Moses:
9. That the slayer that killeth any person
unawares and 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 gates 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.
8. And If the avenger of blood pursue
after him, then they shall not deliver the
slayer up into his hand; because he smote
his neighbor un~wittingly, and hated him
not beforetime.
8. And he shall dwell in that city, until he
stand before the congregation for judg-
ment, and 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.
Z. And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee
in Mount Naphtali. and Shechem, in Mount
Ephraim, and kirjatharba, which is He
bron, In the mountain of judah.
8. And on the other side Jordan by Jeri-
cho eastward. they assigned Beer in the
wilderness upon the plain out of the tribe
of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out O.!
the tribe of Cad, 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 whose
ever killeth any person at might
flee thither, and not ode by the hand of
the avenger Of blood, until he stood before
the congregation.
GOLDEN TEXT.-God Is our refuge
and strength, a very present help In
trOubIe.-Ps. 1911.
OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURAL SECTION.
The tribal allotments .........Josh. xv-xi
The cities of refuge Josh. Xxx.
TIME.-B. G. 1444.
PLACE.-Gilgal and Shiloh.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
The Need of Refuge.-In all bar
barous and semicivilized peoples it
has been regarded as the highest duty
of the next of kin to avenge the blood
of one who has been slain. The duty
was not merely vengeance in it's low
est form, but justice or equalization.
No discrimination was made, however,
between the murderer by intent and
the slayer by accident. So deep-seat-
ed was the sense of obligation in this
matter that a law prohibiting all pri-
vate taking of life in return for one
slain would have been imperative.
Without expressly prohibiting it, the
establishment of cities of refuge tend
ed to do away with it.
The Tribal Allotments.-For the
territory assigned to each tribe, see
map. The distribution was made by
lot, and the high priest officiated. Reu-
ben, Cad and the half tribe of Manas-
sch had already received their inner
itance on the east side of the Jordan,
and, as no land was given to the Lee
vites, there were only 9A tribes to be
provided for.
The Cities of Refuge.-The establish.
ing of certain cities of refuge is inter
esting in connection with the sixth
commandment, showing that not sim
ply was the act to be considered, but
the spirit prompting it. The custom of
"blood-revenge," which has been al.
most world wide at certain stages OF
civilization, rests on the principle OF
the sacredness of human life (Gen.
9:5, g., and, in the absence of an eff.
cient government, the duty of indi-
viduals to protect it. 1t resembles an
authorized Lynch law. When a man
had been killed among the Hebrews,
it was the duty of his next of kin.
called his "goel," to avenge his blood
by Staying the one who had killed
him. This was his duty even wheL
the killing was accidental; but cities
of refuge were set apart in different
manslayer might flee and be safe from
the vengeance of the goel till he had
had a fair trial before the elders of the
city and congregation. There had tc
be at least two witnesses to prove in
territorial murder (Num. $500; Deut.
1919. If the fugitive was convicted
of wilful murder, he was handed over
to the goel, whose right and duty it
was to kill him. If the elders decided
that the relatives death was the re-
suit of an accident, the goel was not
allowed to touch him. The manslayer
was, however, to remain in the city
of refuge till the death of the high
priest, when he might go free in
safety. But if the goel found him out
side of the city of refuge before
the death of the high priest, he might
legally take his revenge.
1t was the office of the goel, in gen.
eral, to stand up for the rights of the
family. In addition to his duty as
avenger of blood, he was (1) to buy
back and hold in the family the patri-
mony of his kinsman, when poverty
had compelled him to sell it. (2) 1t
was his place to redeem or buy back
the person of a kinsman who had sold
himself into slavery. For another use
of the word, see Job 1925: ~ know
that my Redeemer (goeD liveth."
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
Christ has provided a refuge for the
sinner-not for the innocent.
The refuge provided by Christ is
easily accessible. He is nigh to all who
call upon Him.
Jesus is the sinners only refuge.
There is no other name under Heaven
given whereby we must be saved.
The gates of the cities of refuge
were always open. The door of mercy
is never shut to the sinner.
Grapes from Canaan.
Humility is one of the gates of
Heaven.
The brightest lives shine out of dark
est troubles. :
The price of sin is always greater
than its profit.