20:1 耶和華曉諭約書亞說:
20:2 「你吩咐以色列人說:你們要照著我藉摩西所曉諭你們的,為自己設立逃城,
20:3 使那無心而誤殺人的,可以逃到那裡。這些城可以作你們逃避報血仇人的地方。
20:4 那殺人的要逃到這些城中的一座城,站在城門口,將他的事情說給城內的長老們聽。他們就把他收進城裡,給他地方,使他住在他們中間。
20:5 若是報血仇的追了他來,長老不可將他交在報血仇的手裡;因為他是素無仇恨,無心殺了人的。
20:6 他要住在那城裡,站在會眾面前聽審判,等到那時的大祭司死了,殺人的才可以回到本城本家,就是他所逃出來的那城。」
20:7 於是,以色列人在拿弗他利山地分定加利利的基低斯;在以法蓮山地分定示劍;在猶大山地分定基列
‧亞巴(基列
‧亞巴就是希伯崙);
20:8 又在約旦河外耶利哥東,從流便支派中,在曠野的平原,設立比悉;從迦得支派中設立基列的拉末;從瑪拿西支派中設立巴珊的哥蘭。
20:9 這都是為以色列眾人和在他們中間寄居的外人所分定的城邑,使誤殺人的都可以逃到那裡,不死在報血仇人的手中,等他站在會眾面前聽審判。
Then the Lord said to Joshua: 2 “Tell
the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed you through
Moses, 3 so
that anyone who kills a person accidentally and unintentionally may flee there
and find protection from the avenger of blood. 4 When they flee to one of these cities, they are to
stand in the entrance of the city gate and state their case before the elders
of that city. Then the elders are to admit the fugitive into their city and
provide a place to live among them. 5 If the avenger of blood comes in pursuit, the
elders must not surrender the fugitive, because the fugitive killed their
neighbor unintentionally and without malice aforethought. 6 They are to stay in that city
until they have stood trial before the assembly and until the death of the high
priest who is serving at that time. Then they may go back to their own home in
the town from which they fled.”
7 So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali,
Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in
the hill country of Judah. 8 East of the Jordan (on the
other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau
in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in
Bashan in the tribe of Manasseh. 9 Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing
among them who killed someone accidentally could flee to these designated
cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before
the assembly.
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逃城的設立式非常有智慧的做法,對於那些誤殺事件的當事人有庇護的作用,這也是對生命的一種尊重。當然逃城是不包庇那些續意殺人的人;也就是說,蓄意殺人的人逃到逃城躲避,也是沒有用的!
當然這也讓我們想到耶穌基督的救恩,不是讓我們逃避將來審判時,上帝的怒氣!要是我們存著不信和做惡的心,耶穌基督的救贖就無法臨到我們身上!正如施洗約翰對於那些到他受洗的法利賽人說:「毒蛇的種類!誰指示你們逃避將來的忿怒呢?你們要結出果子來,與悔改的心相稱。」(馬太福音3:7-8)
親愛的弟兄姊妹,上帝是輕慢不得的,來到上帝面前不是靠自己的義,是要靠耶穌基督的義,這個義必須信靠耶穌基督才有的!所以,聖經告訴我們:「人非有信,就不能得上帝的喜悅;因為到上帝面前來的人必須信有上帝,且信他賞賜那尋求他的人。」(希伯來書11:6)