Joshua 20:7

They appointed. Literally, “they sanctified,” that is, they set these cities apart for a sacred use. They were all cities of the Levites in which these ministers of God lived, since they carried out the service of the Lord in courses. These circumstances afforded the fleer the opportunity of study, and communication with the Levites, who were trained in the things of God. Hence, the place of refuge could become at the same time a source of real blessing to the slayer as the priests and Levites taught him the way of Jehovah (see Deut. 17:8-13; 21:5; 33:9, 10).

The cities of refuge were all upon the level plain or in valleys, in well-known areas. They were at convenient distances from one another, for the benefit of all the tribes.

Three were west of the Jordan and three were east, one in the north, one in the central area, and one in the south. An anxious, fleeing man, escaping for his life, must have every advantage. He must have no weary mountain to climb in the last stretch of his flight, when he perhaps would be almost exhausted. The roads leading to these centers must be good, and the cities well known. Mothers of Israel may have taught their little children the names of these six cities by heart, so that in years to come, if it became necessary for these children to flee, they would know exactly where to go.

There is a lesson in this for us. There is a place if refuge for guilty sinners today. That refuge is Jesus. The road is always open, there are signpost all along the way and access to the city is easy. “The Lord is nigh unto them who are of broken heart” (Ps. 34:18; cf. Ps. 85:9; 145:18). In this refuge we must continue to abide until the indignation is past.