When the earth was still new and the stain of sin still fresh on its face, God made provision for the punishment of murder. In Genesis 9:6 God declared “whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed”
The proclamation was a deterrent against sin. A way to preserve a race, fast spiraling into an ever-widening abyss of lawlessness, spurred on by wanton bloodlust. Usually, the sentence of retribution was carried out by the nearest relatives of the recently deceased man.
But God in His mercy made provision for the preservation of those who did not deserve this exacting sentence. There would be times when murder, instead of being premeditated or even a rash act of unbridled anger, was a genuine accident. In such instances God allowed the perpetrator to lay hold upon his altar. No one could be pried from the altar without a fair trial and this provided a measure of protection.
When the children of Israel entered the promised land six cities were allocated as cities of refuge to shelter those who had been wrongfully accused or who had accidentally committed a crime.
These cities were located three on each side of the river Jordan and the roads leading to these cities were always clear and kept in good repair. The cities were also placed on high ground and were clearly visible at a distance which meant that the accused, running from the avenger in pursuit could see the city while he was still a good way off and make a beeline for it.
