SANCTUARY CITIES, BIBLICAL STYLE
by Michael P. Andrus
The audio attached is a reader and not Mike Andrus
Introduction: Sanctuary cities are a point of major political controversy in the United States today. Sanctuary jurisdictions—whether city, county, or state—offer various kinds of protections and support for immigrants and asylum-seekers. They often restrict local police from inquiring about a person’s immigration status and generally limit their ability to hold individuals solely on a detainer request from federal immigration agents, such as ICE. The stated goal is to foster trust within immigrant communities so that residents will feel safer reporting crimes and utilizing social services without fear of deportation. The Federal government currently (March, 2026) lists thirteen states (plus the District of Columbia) as sanctuary states, 76 counties outside of sanctuary states as sanctuary counties, and eighteen cities as sanctuary cities.
The notion of a sanctuary city, however, is not a new one. In fact, they were a common feature of Old Testament law. They were called “cities of refuge.” Their purpose, however, was significantly different from the purpose of sanctuary cities today.
The origin of cities of refuge
Seven years after Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan, he was instructed to divide the conquered Promised Land between the various tribes of Israel. The tribe of Levi was granted 48 cities scattered through the land, rather than any one geographical area. Six of these Levitical cities were designated as cities of refuge—three on the east side of the Jordan River and three on the west side.
The notion of cities of refuge did not, however, originate with Joshua. The first mention of them is in Exodus 21. Right after giving Moses the Ten Commandments, the Lord delivered a variety of additional laws for the benefit of society. Verses 12-14 reads, “Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death. However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place I will designate. But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately, that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death.”
God wasn’t specific at that time about the “place” to which the person could flee, but in Numbers 35:9-15 more details were provided: “Then the Lord said to Moses: ‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you cross the Jordan into Canaan,select some towns to be your cities of refuge, to which a person who has killed someone accidentally may flee. They will be places of refuge from the avenger, so that anyone accused of murder may not die before they stand trial before the assembly. These six towns you give will be your cities of refuge. Give three on this side of the Jordan and three in Canaan as cities of refuge.These six towns will be a place of refuge for Israelites and for foreigners residing among them, so that anyone who has killed another accidentally can flee there.’”
The following six cities in total were designated as cities of refuge: Kadesh in Galilee, Shechem in Samaria, Hebron in Judah, Golan in Bashan, Bezer in the wilderness plateau, and Ramoth in Gilead.
Why cities of refuge?
The cities of refuge were ordered by God as an antidote to the abuse of capital punishment. In Genesis 6 God himself had instituted capital punishment: “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed. For in the image of God he made man.” The culture of that day, however, didn’t always recognize the difference between murder and accidental killing. If someone was killed by a runaway chariot, the family of the victim was likely to seek revenge from the owner of the chariot. Or, if two men were out chopping wood and the axe head of one flew off and killed the other, the family of the victim might demand capital punishment. Cities of refuge were designed to protect those who had killed someone unintentionally, i.e., someone guilty of manslaughter rather than murder.
But how was it to be determined whether a suspect was guilty of first-degree murder or whether the killing was accidental? God established a clear-cut procedure to determine who was allowed to find shelter in a city of refuge.
How did they function?
First, a preliminary hearing was held at the city gate of the sanctuary city. When a runner arrived at the gate to one of the cities of refuge, he was met there by the elders of the city. The elders were likely clergy, since these cities were all assigned to the Levites. Joshua 20:4 reads, “And he shall flee to one of these cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and state his case in the hearing of the elders of that city.” Assuming his story appeared plausible to the elders, he was allowed to take up temporary residence.
Second, assuming the fugitive passed his preliminary hearing, he was provided a trial by his peers. Joshua 20:6 reads, “he shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment.” In addition, Num. 35:24 indicates that “the assembly” must judge, apparently referring to the adult citizens of that city. Presumably the victim’s family would serve as prosecutors and would have to prove that the perpetrator acted with malice aforethought.
Third, judgment was then passed. If judged innocent of first-degree murder, the person was granted permanent residency in the city of refuge. If, however, the congregation reversed the findings of the elders in the city of refuge in the preliminary hearing, the man was sentenced to be turned over to the aggrieved relative for proper disposal; in other words, he was sentenced to death. Deut. 19:11-13 speaks to this eventuality. “But if out of hate someone lies in wait, assaults and kills a neighbor, and then flees to one of these cities, the killer shall be sent for by the town elders, be brought back from the city, and be handed over to the avenger of blood to die. Show no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you.”
Finally, an eventual return to his home was possible for the individual who had fled to a city of refuge. At the death of the high priest, according to Josh 20:6, “The manslayer shall return to his own city and to his own house, to the city from which he fled.” He was to be treated as though he received a full pardon.
But why is pardon tied to the death of the high priest? Well, nowhere are we told specifically, but perhaps a certain atoning effect was seen in the death of the spiritual leader of the people. But if a person judged innocent of murder had to wait for the death of the high priest, did not that amount to a long sentence away from his home? Yes, possibly, but it was certainly better than a death sentence. Besides, the high priest was usually past middle age when he came into office, because he was almost always the oldest son of the previous high priest. So, a high priest rarely served more than 20 years.
Differences between sanctuary cities today and biblical cities of refuge.
Sanctuary cities are intended to shield illegal immigrants from law enforcement, while cities of refuge shielded innocent people from aggrieved private parties seeking revenge.
Sanctuary cities are political in nature (virtually all of them are in Democrat-controlled areas); cities of refuge were moral and legal in nature.
Sanctuary cities protect non-citizens from deportation; cities of refuge protected citizens from revenge, though foreigners were also allowed to flee to them if falsely accused of murder.
Sanctuary cities ostensibly offer permanent protection; cities of refuge offered temporary protection until a trial was held, and then, if exonerated, further protection until the death of the high priest.
The spiritual illustration afforded by the cities of refuge
Whatever the reason for tying pardon to the high priest’s death, that fact provides a fascinating spiritual illustration of what Christ has done for guilty sinners.
The cities of refuge were accessible to all—Jew and Gentile alike. No one in Israel was further than 20 miles from a city of refuge. Furthermore, mercy was not restricted to any class or race. Anyone, even a foreign traveler, or an alien, could flee to a city of refuge. (Num 35:15). Likewise, Jesus’ arms are open to anyone. Rom. 10:12-13: “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
The guilty party was set free upon the death of the high priest. The great difference between then and now, of course, is that our Great High Priest has died once for all. We are already set free if we have pled guilty before the Judge, had our sins paid for by the death of Christ, and received the pardon He offers. Heb. 7:26-27: “For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.”
There was no hope outside the cities of refuge. And there is no hope for us outside of Christ. John 3:36 reads, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”