More on the Settlement

Numbers 35-36

            Today we have a few more details about how the Israelites are to settle the land. First, we are reminded that the Levites will not receive an allotment. They will have towns and cities with adjoining pasture land, but they are to be supported by the offerings the Israelites bring.

            Second, there is a stipulation for cities of refuge. This concept will come back in Deuteronomy and Joshua. The cities of refuge were six cities in which perpetrator of accidental manslaughter could flee to escape the kind of violent retribution that was common in that era and in that society. Those so accused weren’t let off the hook, but at least it provided time to investigate and to determine what the proper penalty was. Once again, consider it an expression of the Lord’s mercy. Perhaps He can’t stamp out all bad practices all at once, but he can give those caught up in them a fighting chance.

            Finally, we have more questions about the inheritance that women may receive. This is a regulation designed to balance the rights of the women and the rights of the tribes.

            We’re almost through the books of Moses! Next Monday (April 3) we start Deuteronomy, a sort of pep talk to the Israelites before they finally take possession of the land the Lord had promised to Abraham some 700 years before. More on that next week!