then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.
Deuteronomy 19 set apart cities where a man who killed someone by accident could run and live. This verse shuts that door on the murderer. But who decides whether a fugitive killed by accident or on purpose? And what happens if the answer is murder?
The cities of refuge gave real shelter. They were never meant to be a permanent home for a killer. Kelly points to the safeguard built into the law:
Verses 12-13 take the greatest care to stop anyone abusing the cities of refuge. The cities must give a murderer no chance of permanent shelter there. If a man shed blood intentionally and deliberately, the elders of his city had to send and fetch him from there. They had to hand him over to the avenger of blood so that he might die.
The verse hands the murderer over to the avenger of blood. Who was that?
This person would be a close relative or friend of the victim, and might feel himself justified in taking vengeance on the manslayer.
The elders send and fetch; they do not surrender a man to whoever comes demanding him. The refuge held the fugitive until his case came to trial. The verdict decided everything:
The holiness of God shows in this: He would not shield the guilty. When competent judges and witnesses had examined the case, the guilty man had to be given up. And the grace of God shines brightly in keeping the unintentional slayer safe inside the refuge, so the avenger of blood could not lay hands on him.
More than one man's safety was at stake in these cities:
The cities of refuge involved more than the question of the slayer's safety. God provided for that perfectly, as we have seen. But the glory of God, the purity of His land, and the integrity of His government had to be maintained as well. If those were damaged, no one could be safe.
One law sheltered one man and executed the other. Mackintosh holds the two together:
So whether it was grace for the slayer or judgment for the murderer, God's glory and the claims of His government had to be maintained. Mercy met the unintentional manslayer. The guilty murderer fell under the stern sentence of inflexible justice. We must never forget the solemn reality of God's government. It meets us everywhere, and if we recognised it more fully, it would free us from one-sided views of God's character… If a wilful murderer dared to use God's provision for the ignorant manslayer, the hand of justice laid hold of him and put him to death, without mercy.
Grant applies the difference between manslayer and murderer to the death of Christ. The heart behind the act settles everything:
All mankind has been guilty of the death of the Lord Jesus. Yet He could say, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). If our guilt is through ignorance, there is a refuge for us and forgiveness in receiving Christ as Saviour now. But if we have rejected Him through malicious hatred, "there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment" (Heb. 10:26-27). So the murderer was not to be spared, not to be pitied (v.13), for only by his death could Israel put away the guilt of innocent blood.
The warning has another side. Mackintosh turns the picture on the reader:
Can the reader speak in this way about his safety in Christ? Is he saved, and does he know it? If not, may the Spirit of God apply to his heart the simple picture of the manslayer inside the walls of the city of refuge. May he know that strong encouragement. God Himself appointed it, so it is the sure portion of all who have "fled for refuge to hold fast to the hope set before them" (Heb. 6:18).
- Refuge offered. God gave a city where a man who killed by accident was safe. The avenger of blood — a relative or friend of the victim — could not touch him there.
- Refuge tested. Judges and witnesses examined the fugitive's case. The shelter held him only until the truth about his heart came out.
- Refuge refused. The elders of the murderer's own city fetched him out. Mercy for the ignorant was never a hiding place for the deliberate.
- Refuge defended. More than the slayer's safety was at stake. God's glory, the purity of His land and the integrity of His government stood behind the law. If those fell, no one was safe.
- Refuge found. Commentators apply this to the death of Christ. Guilt through ignorance still finds forgiveness in Him, and whoever has fled to Him is safe now.
Thine eye shall not spare him; and thou shalt put away innocent blood from Israel, that it may be well with thee.
The cities of refuge protected the man who killed by accident. Verse 13 closes that door to anyone who planned a murder and then ran there. It raises two hard questions. Why is Israel told to feel no pity? And how does the death of one guilty man make things "well" for a whole nation?
Verse 13 stops anyone from twisting that provision.
Verses 12-13 take the greatest care to prevent any abuse of the cities of refuge. The cities must give no chance for a murderer to find permanent shelter there. If someone shed blood intentionally and deliberately, the elders of his city had to send and fetch him from there. They handed him over to the avenger of blood so that he might die.
The deciding factor was the man's intent, and the community that knew him best had to judge it.
A murderer could not be allowed to take advantage of this provision. Suppose a man acted out of hatred, or murdered another on purpose, and then fled to the city of refuge. Then the elders of his own city had to send there. The guilty person had to be handed over, to return to his own city and face the avenger of blood.
The command not to pity sounds harsh. One writer answers by asking who speaks the words.
The provision of mercy met the unintentional manslayer. The guilty murderer fell under the stern sentence of inflexible justice… Take words like these: "Your eye shall not pity him." Who spoke them? Jehovah. Who wrote them down? God the Holy Spirit. What do they mean? Solemn judgment on wickedness… Let God's people remember that a false sentimentality often keeps company with a bold unbelief that questions the solemn laws of God's government.
Pity is forbidden because of what the victim was.
The design of the city of refuge was in no way to turn judgment away from someone who was in God's sight a manslayer. Where it could be shown that there was intent to kill, the image of God in which He had made man argued with full force against pity. God had already ruled on this case long before. There has been, and can be, no cancelling of it: "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image."
The verse does not say the murderer's death satisfies the victim's family. It says the guilt is purged from Israel.
On the one hand, God would mark how serious the shedding of blood is. On the other, He would not confuse an accidental death with deliberate murder. But God would never have His people forget that the land was His. If blood was shed there, that blood defiled it. It called for serious thought. Man, who was made in the image of God, had his blood shed there. God takes notice of it.
The promise "so that it may be well with you" points past the courtroom.
There was more to consider in the cities of refuge than the question of the slayer's safety. That was provided for perfectly, as we have seen. But the glory of God, the purity of His land, and the integrity of His government had to be properly maintained. If these things were touched, there could be no safety for anyone.
Commentators also read the two categories as a picture pointing forward. One writer turns it into a warning for every reader.
All mankind has been guilty of the death of the Lord Jesus. Yet He could say, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." If our guilt is through ignorance, there is a refuge for us and forgiveness in receiving Christ as Saviour now. But if we have rejected Him through malicious hatred, "there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment." So the murderer was not to be spared, not to be pitied, for only by his death could Israel put away the guilt of innocent blood.
Another writer applies the picture to Israel as a nation, looking for them "to be restored in due time to the good land, the land of their possession" (W. W. Fereday).
- Intent decides. The refuge sheltered the accidental killer. Hatred and planning shut a man out, and his own elders had to fetch him.
- Pity is overruled. The order not to pity comes from God Himself. Soft feeling that overturns His judgments keeps company with unbelief.
- The reason is the image. The victim bore the image of God, and the sentence God gave long before has never been cancelled.
- Guilt spreads. Blood left unanswered defiled God's own land, so this was never a private matter between two families.
- So it goes well. Safety for everyone rested on God's glory and government. Grace met the ignorant, judgment met the hater, and mercy is still open today.