Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

Numbers 35 Devotional

A Land Where God Lives

“Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell. For I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.””Numbers 35:34 (BSB)

The Levites receive no territory of their own, so God gives them forty-eight towns spread among the tribes (35:6-8). Six of these become cities of refuge, three on each side of the Jordan, open to Israelites and foreigners alike, where anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee from the avenger until the case is judged (35:11-15).

The chapter's deepest concern, though, is the land itself. A deliberate killer must die, and no ransom may be accepted for his life (35:30-31). Even the one who killed by accident must stay in the city of refuge until the high priest dies (35:25, 28). The reason is given in the last verses. Shed blood defiles the land, and the LORD lives among his people (35:33-34). Human life is precious because people are living in the presence of a holy God. Justice is not for sale where he lives. That same God now dwells among his people, so the way you treat the people around you matters in his sight.

To think about: How might the truth that God dwells among his people change the way you treat someone you find difficult?

About Numbers 35: Levitical Towns and Cities of Refuge

The tribes are to give the Levites forty-eight towns with pastureland, six of them cities of refuge, where someone who kills another accidentally may flee until the high priest dies. A murderer must be put to death on the testimony of witnesses, for bloodshed pollutes the land.

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