Josh 20:2,3   Tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through Moses, so that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there and find protection from the avenger of blood

       

The Law as given to Moses by God was very practical. It covered many areas of life. Of the civil law, much of it was to make provision for when things went wrong, for when someone did something wrong. It was to order life and was to make provision to stop errors escalating out of control. The provision of the ‘cities of refuge' was a classic example of this. There was the recognition by God that sometimes things would go wrong and somehow someone would accidentally kill another. It is similar to our ‘manslaughter'. But there was also the recognition that next of kin might be very upset at the death of a loved one and in the heat of the moment avenge themselves by killing the person who had killed their loved one. To stop this chain of events, the Lord instructed Moses so set up these cities of refuge so that the slayer could flee to the nearest city and there would be given shelter and protection until the anger of the other party had abated and they could return home.

 

There is behind this the recognition that sometimes out emotions get out of control and we need restraints in life to stop us doing something foolish. When we have been upset, we need to see that sometimes we need to step back from a situation to take stock and to allow our emotions to cool down, so that we will not do anything foolish in a hasty moment. Be aware of your emotions. Step back.